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Mozilla Launches a New Firefox Version Without DRM Support

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Re: Mozilla Launches a New Firefox Version Without DRM Support

#11

Post by maxerickson »

deanclatworthy wrote: post #2

I'm curious as to why anyone would want this? I guess if you consider the new DRM integration a potential attack vector it removes that possibility. But, if you're going to install this in the first place you won't be consuming DRM content - so you probably won't even be visiting the sites that have it anyway and using the feature.

There is some back and forth about it in the Firefox 38 story that was on the front page earlier in the day:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9532417

I'm having trouble writing a summary that avoids sarcasm.

Re: Mozilla Launches a New Firefox Version Without DRM Support

#12

Post by superuser2 »

schoen wrote: post #5
deanclatworthy wrote: post #2

I'm curious as to why anyone would want this? I guess if you consider the new DRM integration a potential attack vector it removes that possibility. But, if you're going to install this in the first place you won't be consuming DRM content - so you probably won't even be visiting the sites that have it anyway and using the feature.

You might worry that you wouldn't notice which sites are using it. Or you might want to send a message to sites, or to Mozilla, that you think DRM is bad and that you don't want to have DRM implementations installed. One of the worst things about each browser vendor's decision to support DRM is that it makes the choice to require DRM less costly for new web sites that are considering it. So even if you think Netflix…

This end does not seem to be served by niche browsers which will be used only by the EFF-card-carrying subset of the tech community, people who are most able and least ethically inhibited from piracy anyway.

This is a good reason to keep the functionality out of mainstream browsers, but it doesn't seem to work if it's just us using deliberately hobbled browsers.

Re: Mozilla Launches a New Firefox Version Without DRM Support

#14

Post by nly »

deanclatworthy wrote: post #2

I'm curious as to why anyone would want this? I guess if you consider the new DRM integration a potential attack vector it removes that possibility. But, if you're going to install this in the first place you won't be consuming DRM content - so you probably won't even be visiting the sites that have it anyway and using the feature.

If you're morally opposed to DRM, then it's a surefire way to ensure you don't unknowingly use a service that requires it, thereby encouraging its proliferation.

Re: Mozilla Launches a New Firefox Version Without DRM Support

#16

Post by maqr »

frik wrote: post #9

The direct link isn't end-user friendly: http://download.cdn.mozilla.net/pub/firefox/releases/38.0/wi... Consider a better integration with the download button/page.

Would this auto-update if I wanted this version?

I don't want to be off the normal firefox release cycle, but I also don't want my browser to have DRM.

Why couldn't this be an install option and a preferences setting in the normal firefox version? It could even be enabled by default. Then people who care about DRM when they install have the option of disabling it, and people who care about it later once they realize the evils of DRM could disable it in their preferences. If someone installed without DRM but wants it later, the preference could download the DRM at that point instead of automatically.

edit: thanks to cpeterso below: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-drm

But I still think it would be better as an installer option.

Re: Mozilla Launches a New Firefox Version Without DRM Support

#18

Post by mike-cardwell »

And here is the end result of people leaving Firefox for Chrome. You neutered Mozilla. There is no longer a browser vendor which has both your interests in heart and sufficient power to direct the evolution of the web.

Who now gets to choose which features are built into the majority of desktop and mobile browsers? Advertising companies.

Re: Mozilla Launches a New Firefox Version Without DRM Support

#20

Post by tehbeard »

mike-cardwell wrote: post #18

And here is the end result of people leaving Firefox for Chrome. You neutered Mozilla. There is no longer a browser vendor which has both your interests in heart and sufficient power to direct the evolution of the web. Who now gets to choose which features are built into the majority of desktop and mobile browsers? Advertising companies.

And here I am heading towards Firefox from Chrome specifically because I can't watch DRM content in Chrome anymore (need silverlight to be able to watch GoT and Comedy central)
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