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> go ahead and dictate to users the exact manner in which they must interact with your product Well, Netflix did that for a long time, too. Last time I tried

> go ahead and dictate to users the exact manner in which they must interact with your product Well, Netflix did that for a long time, too. Last time I tried to watch Netflix on Linux it was still impossible (supposedly you can do it now, but I haven't tried in a few years). Restricting modes of access isn't necessarily a death knell.

gnulinux 6y ago
I've been watching Netflix on linux since late 2018~early 2019 (can't remember exactly when I opened an account). Not sure when it's fixed but I had no problem. Criterion Channel doesn't work on linux though, which I realized only after buying their product and watching a few movies on my Mac. Had I known it I would never have bought since I spend 90% of my time on linux.
- jandrese 6y ago
  Netflix on Linux has worked since at least 2015, although very early on you had to hack the browser string to make it work and you had to use Chrome. Now it works without fuss in Firefox as well, but you may have to install "non-free" extensions depending on the distro, so purists are still out of luck.
Nextgrid 6y ago
Well, Netflix at least kinda makes sense from a business point of view. The reason they don’t allow watching on Linux is because some of their content providers insist on a DRM scheme which they can’t guarantee will be secure on Linux. I disagree with this on an ideological point of view, but from a business point of view it makes sense as Linux is a minority in their potential user base. Quibi’s decision really does not make sense. It is reasonably cheap to release a viewer app or website for the mainstream browsers & OSes, and indeed if there is a good Quibi show then offering it on desktops & TVs would significantly improve the viewing experience and bring more people in.
ac29 6y ago
Netflix on Linux has worked for many years, but lots of content was (is?) limited to 720p or even 480p. This doesn't actually have anything to do with Linux - the same limitations apply to Windows as well unless you use Edge or the Microsoft Store app which implement a stronger level of DRM.
samtheprogram 6y ago
Everyone else in this thread is talking about how Netflix _now_ (or sometime recently) works, but it didn’t for about a decade. The difference is the market share for Linux. It wasn’t that important. Restricting a paid video service, especially where the content are professionally produced, to mobile devices, and where you can’t use the excuse that it’s a social media platform, sounds like suicide.

gnulinux 6y ago

I've been watching Netflix on linux since late 2018~early 2019 (can't remember exactly when I opened an account). Not sure when it's fixed but I had no problem. Criterion Channel doesn't work on linux though, which I realized only after buying their product and watching a few movies on my Mac. Had I known it I would never have bought since I spend 90% of my time on linux.

jandrese 6y ago
Netflix on Linux has worked since at least 2015, although very early on you had to hack the browser string to make it work and you had to use Chrome. Now it works without fuss in Firefox as well, but you may have to install "non-free" extensions depending on the distro, so purists are still out of luck.

Nextgrid 6y ago

Well, Netflix at least kinda makes sense from a business point of view. The reason they don’t allow watching on Linux is because some of their content providers insist on a DRM scheme which they can’t guarantee will be secure on Linux. I disagree with this on an ideological point of view, but from a business point of view it makes sense as Linux is a minority in their potential user base. Quibi’s decision really does not make sense. It is reasonably cheap to release a viewer app or website for the mainstream browsers & OSes, and indeed if there is a good Quibi show then offering it on desktops & TVs would significantly improve the viewing experience and bring more people in.

ac29 6y ago

Netflix on Linux has worked for many years, but lots of content was (is?) limited to 720p or even 480p. This doesn't actually have anything to do with Linux - the same limitations apply to Windows as well unless you use Edge or the Microsoft Store app which implement a stronger level of DRM.

samtheprogram 6y ago

Everyone else in this thread is talking about how Netflix _now_ (or sometime recently) works, but it didn’t for about a decade. The difference is the market share for Linux. It wasn’t that important. Restricting a paid video service, especially where the content are professionally produced, to mobile devices, and where you can’t use the excuse that it’s a social media platform, sounds like suicide.