6 ms·

Netflix Open Source

98 points by Garbage 14y ago

jhdevos 14y ago
Ugh. I hate these websites where you have to hover over things to get at any useful information.
- jedberg 14y ago
  You'd probably like this interface better: https://github.com/netflix https://github.com/netflix
- vampirechicken 14y ago
  Mystery meat navigation - please see www.webpagesthatsuck.com
- azinman2 14y ago
  In addition to the normal github page working, they're trying to be fun and bring their normal brand to open source software. I'm just thankful they've opened sourced so much of their infrastructure, and did it with some humor! Kudos to netflix!
myko 14y ago
Cute, but this interface is terrible.
- jedberg 14y ago
  For the ubernerd, we have this too: https://github.com/netflix https://github.com/netflix
  - catshirt 14y ago
    for what it's worth, 3 of the 9 top level comments are distaste for the layout. i realize you'll be hard pressed to create a landing page that satisfies everybody, but this is a pretty textbook poor experience. very concretely: the only content that's actually surfaced (repository name and movie poster) is useless. i won't give any advice here. i'm sure netflix has a more informed design and experience team than HN. my only intent in responding was hoping to bring to light the severity of the issue: why make a custom landing page at all if you're going to redirect half the audience to something more functional? edit: upon refresh, the page refuses to load and it can't get the data from the Github API. none of the repositories are listed under "our repositories", and the console error is Uncaught TypeError: Object #<Object> has no method 'forEach' commits.js:50. this looks to be because the Github API is not returning any repositories, and instead returns this error: "message": "API Rate Limit Exceeded for [my client IP]" edit 2: also, depending on window browser size, there are other javascript errors. i can't tell if these actually manifest problematically since the first issue is already preventing any content from loading: Error: Invalid negative value for <rect> attribute height="-33" netflix.github.com:274
    - Randgalt 14y ago
      We were getting throttled by Github. We're now caching the content and this shouldn't happen anymore.
- Randgalt 14y ago
  It's just an Easter Egg. We thought it would be fun. Enjoy if you like it. Go to the main Github page otherwise.
jontro 14y ago
You can see a better list of the available repositories here: https://github.com/Netflix/ https://github.com/Netflix/
- gcb 14y ago
  thanks. i can actually make sense of the list using this page.
chromano 14y ago
I was really hoping for something that would give you access to their streaming service so you could write your very own player, stupid me.
- aquayellow 14y ago
  Exactly. Associating "Netflix" with "opensource" is kind of ironic considering they still haven't been able to deliver any workable streaming solution for the free OS.
  - mapleoin 14y ago
    What does the free OS mean?
    - lhnz 14y ago
      The free operating systems?
    - evinugur 14y ago
      Netflix only functions on desktop operating systems with Silverlight, a Microsoft plugin for some browsers that only is supported on modern OS X versions and Windows. Additionally, there is a native Android and iOS version. People who want to watch it on Linux, are forced to something extremely impractical like emulate Android - it is a closed system.
      - jedberg 14y ago
        This proposal is really important to cross platform vendor agnostic support: http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/encrypted-media/encrypted-media.html http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/encrypted-medi...
    - aquayellow 14y ago
      Sorry for being melodramatic. I meant Linux :D. And evinugur has listed exactly what my problem with Netflix is.
jakerocheleau 14y ago
New Arrested Development coming soon too.
smoyer 14y ago
I love Netflix ... with the brief exception of splitting shipping and streaming accounts, they've shown a corporate culture of innovation and still kept things "fun". It's rare that a big company embraces openness this way. Thank you Netflix
dmritard96 14y ago
Support chrome/firefox/whatever on Linux and I will be impressed. Open source is great, in this case though, being cross platform is better.
- jedberg 14y ago
  This proposal is really important to cross platform vendor agnostic support: http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/encrypted-media/encrypted-media.html http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/encrypted-medi...
  - myko 14y ago
    Why not release a standalone Linux app, a la Android/iOS/Boxee/Roku/etc? Seems that would be possible. Honestly I'd prefer it to using my browser anyway.
    - Crisco 14y ago
      Yes! I would really like to subscribe to Netflix, but the lack of Linux support is stopping me. It would be nice to have a web client, but a native client would be a blessing for those of us that find web clients to decrease performance system wide.
      - dmritard96 14y ago
        It is strange to me that we should need a native client for performance reasons. There are numerous html5 games that have "native" feels. I understand the security concerns with exposing lower level access like OpenGl to the web and I understand why on browsers (both mobile and desktop) some hardware is not allowed to be accessed directly (and with good reason) but it is frustrating that performance is still the major driving force between native and web considering the obvious cross-platform-ness of web based approaches...
edwinnathaniel 14y ago
Wow, almost all of them are written in Java (2 in Scala, 1 in Groovy, 1 in shell).
- jedberg 14y ago
  We're mostly a Java company, but certainly not only a Java company. We have a core of folks who use Python (like me), we just haven't open sourced any of it yet.
TheShadowFog 14y ago
Wow! SO NICE OF THEM TO SUPPORT LINUX TOO!
thenicepostr 14y ago
I actually think the interface is a cool and creative use of their app's interface.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
loceng 14y ago
I will forever have a bitter taste towards Netflix in regards to their deceptive/dishonest marketing tactics.
- vampirechicken 14y ago
  Explain please.
  - azinman2 14y ago
    Seriously. I don't even work for Netflix yet I feel embarrassed that everyone here is trashing them for being generous with their code in a creative way. Thank you Netflix for releasing core components that would take a lot of my team's resources to replicate!
  - loceng 14y ago
    I didn't want Netflix service, though since I was gifted a month I thought I'd try it. Had to put my credit card details in for a free month I was gifted. First had to signup for the free trial month, putting in my credit card at that point. The gift month wasn't added. After 2 or 3 phone calls to Netflix support, and over an hour later the second month was added. I had asked and was promised that I would be getting an email letting me know 1 week before that the renewal period was approaching. No email ever came of course. Might seem small, but doing these kinds of tactics on a large scale, with tens of millions of users - they know the recurring rate will be higher, and many people will keep getting billed without remembering or realizing, even if it's for 3+ months. It's dishonest. There are other minute details I've not written out because I don't care to put the energy into it.
    - vampirechicken 14y ago
      That's not marketing. That's poor customer service.
noahmbarr 14y ago
Most corporations would NEVER do this. Hats off to Netflix for taking a bold step forward. BTW, Linux is an edge case (< 1%, let alone << of 1% of paying traffic for Netflix!), and companies have to prioritize their resources.
- gcb 14y ago
  I pay for netflix. They don't support Linux decently to begin with. I just watch on wii. Another sucker goes great lengths to make their crappy software works with linux, get's called an edge case. Why is that?
Randgalt 14y ago
FYI - we've added a list view for those that prefer that.

Netflix Open Source

98 points by Garbage 14y ago

jhdevos 14y ago

Ugh. I hate these websites where you have to hover over things to get at any useful information.

jedberg 14y ago
You'd probably like this interface better: https://github.com/netflix https://github.com/netflix
vampirechicken 14y ago
Mystery meat navigation - please see www.webpagesthatsuck.com
azinman2 14y ago
In addition to the normal github page working, they're trying to be fun and bring their normal brand to open source software. I'm just thankful they've opened sourced so much of their infrastructure, and did it with some humor! Kudos to netflix!

myko 14y ago

Cute, but this interface is terrible.

jedberg 14y ago
For the ubernerd, we have this too: https://github.com/netflix https://github.com/netflix
- catshirt 14y ago
  for what it's worth, 3 of the 9 top level comments are distaste for the layout. i realize you'll be hard pressed to create a landing page that satisfies everybody, but this is a pretty textbook poor experience. very concretely: the only content that's actually surfaced (repository name and movie poster) is useless. i won't give any advice here. i'm sure netflix has a more informed design and experience team than HN. my only intent in responding was hoping to bring to light the severity of the issue: why make a custom landing page at all if you're going to redirect half the audience to something more functional? edit: upon refresh, the page refuses to load and it can't get the data from the Github API. none of the repositories are listed under "our repositories", and the console error is Uncaught TypeError: Object #<Object> has no method 'forEach' commits.js:50. this looks to be because the Github API is not returning any repositories, and instead returns this error: "message": "API Rate Limit Exceeded for [my client IP]" edit 2: also, depending on window browser size, there are other javascript errors. i can't tell if these actually manifest problematically since the first issue is already preventing any content from loading: Error: Invalid negative value for <rect> attribute height="-33" netflix.github.com:274
  - Randgalt 14y ago
    We were getting throttled by Github. We're now caching the content and this shouldn't happen anymore.
Randgalt 14y ago
It's just an Easter Egg. We thought it would be fun. Enjoy if you like it. Go to the main Github page otherwise.

jontro 14y ago

You can see a better list of the available repositories here: https://github.com/Netflix/ https://github.com/Netflix/

gcb 14y ago
thanks. i can actually make sense of the list using this page.

chromano 14y ago

I was really hoping for something that would give you access to their streaming service so you could write your very own player, stupid me.

aquayellow 14y ago
Exactly. Associating "Netflix" with "opensource" is kind of ironic considering they still haven't been able to deliver any workable streaming solution for the free OS.
- mapleoin 14y ago
  What does the free OS mean?
  - lhnz 14y ago
    The free operating systems?
  - evinugur 14y ago
    Netflix only functions on desktop operating systems with Silverlight, a Microsoft plugin for some browsers that only is supported on modern OS X versions and Windows. Additionally, there is a native Android and iOS version. People who want to watch it on Linux, are forced to something extremely impractical like emulate Android - it is a closed system.
    - jedberg 14y ago
      This proposal is really important to cross platform vendor agnostic support: http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/encrypted-media/encrypted-media.html http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/encrypted-medi...
  - aquayellow 14y ago
    Sorry for being melodramatic. I meant Linux :D. And evinugur has listed exactly what my problem with Netflix is.

jakerocheleau 14y ago

New Arrested Development coming soon too.

smoyer 14y ago

I love Netflix ... with the brief exception of splitting shipping and streaming accounts, they've shown a corporate culture of innovation and still kept things "fun". It's rare that a big company embraces openness this way. Thank you Netflix

dmritard96 14y ago

Support chrome/firefox/whatever on Linux and I will be impressed. Open source is great, in this case though, being cross platform is better.

jedberg 14y ago
This proposal is really important to cross platform vendor agnostic support: http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/encrypted-media/encrypted-media.html http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/html-media/raw-file/tip/encrypted-medi...
- myko 14y ago
  Why not release a standalone Linux app, a la Android/iOS/Boxee/Roku/etc? Seems that would be possible. Honestly I'd prefer it to using my browser anyway.
  - Crisco 14y ago
    Yes! I would really like to subscribe to Netflix, but the lack of Linux support is stopping me. It would be nice to have a web client, but a native client would be a blessing for those of us that find web clients to decrease performance system wide.
    - dmritard96 14y ago
      It is strange to me that we should need a native client for performance reasons. There are numerous html5 games that have "native" feels. I understand the security concerns with exposing lower level access like OpenGl to the web and I understand why on browsers (both mobile and desktop) some hardware is not allowed to be accessed directly (and with good reason) but it is frustrating that performance is still the major driving force between native and web considering the obvious cross-platform-ness of web based approaches...

edwinnathaniel 14y ago

Wow, almost all of them are written in Java (2 in Scala, 1 in Groovy, 1 in shell).

jedberg 14y ago
We're mostly a Java company, but certainly not only a Java company. We have a core of folks who use Python (like me), we just haven't open sourced any of it yet.

TheShadowFog 14y ago

Wow! SO NICE OF THEM TO SUPPORT LINUX TOO!

thenicepostr 14y ago

I actually think the interface is a cool and creative use of their app's interface.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

loceng 14y ago

I will forever have a bitter taste towards Netflix in regards to their deceptive/dishonest marketing tactics.

vampirechicken 14y ago
Explain please.
- azinman2 14y ago
  Seriously. I don't even work for Netflix yet I feel embarrassed that everyone here is trashing them for being generous with their code in a creative way. Thank you Netflix for releasing core components that would take a lot of my team's resources to replicate!
- loceng 14y ago
  I didn't want Netflix service, though since I was gifted a month I thought I'd try it. Had to put my credit card details in for a free month I was gifted. First had to signup for the free trial month, putting in my credit card at that point. The gift month wasn't added. After 2 or 3 phone calls to Netflix support, and over an hour later the second month was added. I had asked and was promised that I would be getting an email letting me know 1 week before that the renewal period was approaching. No email ever came of course. Might seem small, but doing these kinds of tactics on a large scale, with tens of millions of users - they know the recurring rate will be higher, and many people will keep getting billed without remembering or realizing, even if it's for 3+ months. It's dishonest. There are other minute details I've not written out because I don't care to put the energy into it.
  - vampirechicken 14y ago
    That's not marketing. That's poor customer service.

noahmbarr 14y ago

Most corporations would NEVER do this. Hats off to Netflix for taking a bold step forward. BTW, Linux is an edge case (< 1%, let alone << of 1% of paying traffic for Netflix!), and companies have to prioritize their resources.

gcb 14y ago
I pay for netflix. They don't support Linux decently to begin with. I just watch on wii. Another sucker goes great lengths to make their crappy software works with linux, get's called an edge case. Why is that?

Randgalt 14y ago

FYI - we've added a list view for those that prefer that.