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W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

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Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#11

Post by idbehold »

featherverse wrote: post #5
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #4

Basically, unless you are writing a browser with decent marketshare, you defacto have no voice in making the standards. Basically, the only voices that matter are Mozilla (Firefox), Apple (Safari), Google(Chrome), and Microsoft (Edge/Explorer). Despite what any standard says, web developers are going to go by the behavior of the browsers do. The only company on the list of browser makers that really has any desire to…

I would suggest not underestimating Mozilla's market influence. It would be possible to create a browser that displays DRM content and ignores DRM. The only thing that content publishers could do is ban that browser. And then it would adapt to disguise itself as other browsers. DRM on the web can only happen if all of the major players (that is, browser publishers) agree to play along. I am very excited about this ne…

So hopefully Firefox will simply display DRM content and ignore any restriction DRM imposes.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#12

Post by wyager »

jandrese wrote: post #8
featherverse wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would suggest not underestimating Mozilla's market influence. It would be possible to create a browser that displays DRM content and ignores DRM. The only thing that content publishers could do is ban that browser. And then it would adapt to disguise itself as other browsers. DRM on the web can only happen if all of the major players (that is, browser publishers) agree to play along. I am very excited about this ne…

Wouldn't publishers just refuse to distribute keys to said browser?

You build a plugin framework that lets users pirate keys without exposing the author to excessive DMCA risk.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#14

Post by gue5t »

MrMid wrote: post #9

Doesn't Firefox block DRM content by default? If they continue to do so, and if Chrome does so, then this shouldn't have much effect. If most peoples browsers block it, apps shouldn't use it.

Chrome has been shipping DRM called "Widevine" for years.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#15

Post by tannhaeuser »

donatj wrote: post #2

So this is how the open web dies. Can we fork the W3C into a non-corporate puppet now?

I think that W3C is what makes us believe we're sitting at the table when it comes to decide where the web is heading, when in reality we're not. So while I think W3C has good intentions and is acting in good faith (I'm somewhat undecided on DRM, please convince me of your opinion), I hope for a push to bring the lack of stewardship of the web to public attention, and another standards body (ISO/IEC, IETF, whatever), or W3C under a new statue to emerge and take the role of W3C-as-it-is.

(Re-posting this from the other thread [1] which didn't make it)

[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15277622

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#16

Post by jandrese »

wyager wrote: post #12
jandrese wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't publishers just refuse to distribute keys to said browser?

You build a plugin framework that lets users pirate keys without exposing the author to excessive DMCA risk.

I think the author of such a plugin would be at considerable legal risk.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#17

Post by wyager »

Analemma_ wrote: post #10
donatj wrote: post #2

So this is how the open web dies. Can we fork the W3C into a non-corporate puppet now?

DRM was coming to browsers with or without the W3C’s blessing. In fact, it was already there via plugins and wasn’t going away. This has changed nothing except where the implementation is documented. The hysteria over this is just ridiculous.

Just because some horrible thing currently happens to exist doesn't mean you need to (explicitly or implicitly) endorse it.

We should make implementing DRM as expensive and inconvenient as possible.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#19

Post by Touche »

JoshTriplett wrote: post #3
donatj wrote: post #2

So this is how the open web dies. Can we fork the W3C into a non-corporate puppet now?

We should simply start doing new standards through other organizations. There's no fundamental reason to float new standards through W3C rather than some other organization.

I'm completely confused why the W3C is relevant at all. This already did happen, the browsers created the WHATWG. Since the browser vendors' opinions are the only ones that matter, why do we care what W3C thinks?
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