Live data from Hacker News

W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

boingboing.net

401–410 of 1001 posts

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They can go 100 years without publishing on the web, since they have other revenue paths that they're perfectly happy with. I accept your logic but disagree with your premise. Online media is the future, and any media company knows this.

They do not need the web to distribute their content online.

Then let them suffer the loss of revenue from losing all of those potential customers. Content producers who don't use DRM will be happy to take those customers from them, and those will be the content producers who have more money with which to make new content tomorrow.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#402

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And which browsers are going on this fork?

If Mozilla has any integrity, then I suspect Firefox might.

Mozilla is playing a double game of pretending to be on the users side while completely being in Google's pocket. For Google this ensures they cannot be accused of being a monopoly.

And those working for Google attempting to divert attention to Hollywood are symptomatic of the reality distortion field and self deception of SV. Google is a spyware company engaged in mass surveillance and creepily following everyone on the planet for profit. There are no redeeming values here. SV is basically a gold rush with greed and money being the primary driver glossed over with dollops of pretension.

The world just has to step up to take control and diminish the ideology that drives SV. So far be it open source, web services, standards or regulations there is no contribution. Why are there no alternatives to Firefox, Google, Facebook and others? You can't be completely dependent on these companies and then claim victimhood.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#403
post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"In 2013, EFF was disappointed to learn that the W3C had taken on the project of standardizing “Encrypted Media Extensions,” an API whose sole function was to provide a first-class role for DRM within the Web browser ecosystem" With so much money involved here, it's quite naive to believe the W3C members are virgins here and did this out love for the web and for the consumers. And: "It is clear that the W3C allowing…

A lot of people think that the battle here is EME versus DRM-free content, but that's not the case. You can still have all the DRM-free content you want, whether that's YouTube videos or iTunes MP3s. Really, the decision being made is between EME and Adobe Flash. Flash was the one cross-platform way to serve DRMed content before EME. And now that EME is ratified, Adobe, Microsoft, Google and Mozilla can all work toge…

You don't need to embrace DRM in order to stop using Adobe flash. The multiple browser currently in use for the last few years that don't have adobe flash installed is a rather strong proof of that. you would have an argument if EME came first and then flash had started to decline, but that is a false history. Flash started decline many years ago, and EME was forced onto the standard as an reaction to that.

W3C abandoning consensus (58.4%!) and open standards are biggest change in the organizations history. Its not just about DRM.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#404

It's time to abandon the major web standards and start devising our own infrastructure. Better stateless protocol, end-to-end encryption on every connection -- no exceptions! -- decentralized encrypted vaults of cached assets (where every user donates a few or few hundred gigabytes of disk space to participiate -- effectively becoming a node in a decentralized CDN). We've left the corporations run wild for far too lo…

ZeroNet.io is one of the neatest proofs of concept I've seen in a while. A P2P decentralized web, accessible via standard browser, Tor network optional. It's small and there isn't much content, but as a demo it seems to work great.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#405
post #14
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.

And that's their DRM, by the way. Google bought the company in 2010.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If someone launches a new HTML-based Web with crippled javascript (no network comm access, for one, including ability to trigger links or forms), some small, restricted subset of CSS, and much better built-in dynamic table and form elements, I'm there. Me too. There will be dozens of us.

getting a little optimistic there...

Dozens compared to the many millions who wouldn't make such a switch doesn't feel all that optimistic.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#407
post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"In 2013, EFF was disappointed to learn that the W3C had taken on the project of standardizing “Encrypted Media Extensions,” an API whose sole function was to provide a first-class role for DRM within the Web browser ecosystem" With so much money involved here, it's quite naive to believe the W3C members are virgins here and did this out love for the web and for the consumers. And: "It is clear that the W3C allowing…

A lot of people think that the battle here is EME versus DRM-free content, but that's not the case. You can still have all the DRM-free content you want, whether that's YouTube videos or iTunes MP3s. Really, the decision being made is between EME and Adobe Flash. Flash was the one cross-platform way to serve DRMed content before EME. And now that EME is ratified, Adobe, Microsoft, Google and Mozilla can all work toge…

> You can still have all the DRM-free content you want, whether that's YouTube videos

unskippable ads are a form of DRM. The fact that the media isn't encrypted doesn't mean much when regular people can't access it as if it were fully "free" and tools to help them get shut down: https://www.techworm.net/2017/09/youtube-downloader-website-...

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any evidence or reason to believe there is actual corruption on the committee (aside from them making a decision you disagree with)? I suspect I agree with you on DRM but this style of debate, where there is no attempt to argue or explain the issue, and the first line of argument is personal attacks or denigrating anyone with an opposing viewpoint, is depressing. Consider that accusing climate scientists…

"In 2013, EFF was disappointed to learn that the W3C had taken on the project of standardizing “Encrypted Media Extensions,” an API whose sole function was to provide a first-class role for DRM within the Web browser ecosystem" With so much money involved here, it's quite naive to believe the W3C members are virgins here and did this out love for the web and for the consumers. And: "It is clear that the W3C allowing…

> it's quite naive to believe the W3C members are virgins here and did this out love for the web and for the consumers.

So, no evidence, only a feeling of evidence.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#409

We are allowing large corporations to dictate and push the web toward a closed system. A future where there has to be an App for that, and if you don't keep your head down you will be censored and cutoff from the rest of the online world.

We? talk about yourself. I didn't have the chance to choose any of these.

Re: W3C abandons consensus, standardizes DRM, EFF resigns

#410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

getting a little optimistic there...

Dozens compared to the many millions who wouldn't make such a switch doesn't feel all that optimistic.

I believe they were being sarcastic.
Post reply on HN