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It would probably cost Netflix more to add Linux support (and test it, and continually support/update/test it for the rest of forever) than they would ever make
by PostOnce 16y ago
It would probably cost Netflix more to add Linux support (and test it, and continually support/update/test it for the rest of forever) than they would ever make off of it, at this point.
And that's without the cost of advertising that feature.
I have always thought that if you choose to run Linux, you're smart enough to figure out a way to get things to run on Linux that don't officially support it. (What percentage of Linux users know how to program in at least 1 language, vs. what percentage of Windows users? 98% and <0.5%?)
- bryanlarsen 16y agoUs Linux users are used to using unsupported/"use at your own risk" software, so that definitely lowers costs. Right now what prevents Netflix from running on Linux is Microsoft. They will license PlayReady DRM but won't license it to run on Desktop Linux boxes, citing some sort of bogus "security" issue. I would think that an XP box would be much less secure than a Linux box. It's just a business decision masquerading as a technical decision. http://forums.silverlight.net/forums/t/94992.aspx http://forums.silverlight.net/forums/t/94992.aspx
- metageek 16y agoIt'd be much easier on Linux to tap the video stream from the Silverlight player. You could probably do it in userspace, with a modified X server, or even something like Xnest. The only way I can think of for Silverlight to get around it would be to talk to the GPU directly. (Even then, it might be possible, with a virtual machine that installs a special GPU.)