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They "caved" because it's a browser for humans and lots of humans stream TV. I don't miss the daily "how can I watch Netflix on Ubuntu?" posts in different comm
by bevr1337 1y ago
They "caved" because it's a browser for humans and lots of humans stream TV. I don't miss the daily "how can I watch Netflix on Ubuntu?" posts in different communities. Users can disable Widevine in FF.
- mattl 1y agoI’d be surprised if close to 100% of those users aren’t using Chrome, not Firefox for any streaming purposes.
- bevr1337 1y agoYou'd be surprised if less-than 99% of Firefox users didn't switch to Chrome to stream television? Am I understanding?
- mattl 1y agoI think the number of people who care about streaming DRM media probably already used Chrome at the time of the EME stuff being added to Firefox.
- AnthonyMouse 1y agoPeople do this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44294402 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44294402 So they use Firefox 99% of the time and then if they encounter the rare thing that requires DRM they treat it like toxic waste that has to run in an isolated sandbox, which doesn't need to be the same browser they use for anything else. The only other sensible option is to get out the reversing toolkit and break the DRM.
- bevr1337 1y agoIt's unlikely we can extrapolate market share and user-base data from individuals who self-select into discussing DRM on Hackernews.
- AnthonyMouse 1y agoAren't those the only people who don't already use Chrome? "People who hate privacy-invading stuff like DRM" is pretty much the Firefox user base.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- account42 1y agoBetter than extrapolating market share from your feelings.
- tombert 1y agoThere is absolutely no way I would be able to convince my parents to do streaming that way, and I'm reasonably certain that they're a much more representative set of the community than people who hang around HN.
- AnthonyMouse 1y agoYou absolutely would and it's the default way that normal people actually do it, which is to isolate Netflix into some kind of TV or HDMI stick instead of putting it in a browser on a PC.
- tombert 1y agoSure, when they are at home. They use laptops to watch Netflix when they travel, and I am quite confident that if Netflix didn't work on Firefox they would assume it is broken and then switch to Chrome.
- account42 1y agoYour parents are likely to use the Netflix app on the TV instead of FF anyway.
- userbinator 1y agoThe answer should be "go sail the high seas."
- account42 1y agoCool story. Except you still can't watch Netflix on Ubuntu unless you are OK being a second class citizen who is only allowed resolutions that may have been acceptable a century ago. So congratulations, FF sold out for nothing.