jwzJun 22, 2024

Mozilla's Original Sin.

Some will tell you that Mozilla's worst decision was to accept funding from Google, and that may have been the first domino, but I hold that implementing DRM is what doomed them, as it led to their culture of capitulation. It demonstrated that their decisions were the decisions of a *company shipping products*, not those of a non-profit devoted to preserving the open web.

Those are different things and are very much in conflict. [...]
https://jwz.org/b/ykVr

Mozilla's Original Sin

Some will tell you that Mozilla's worst decision was to accept funding from Google, and that may have been the first domino, but I hold that implementing DRM is what doomed them, as it led to their culture of capitulation. It demonstrated that their decisions were the decisions of a company shipping products, not those of a non-profit devoted to preserving the open web. Those are different ...

Show threadFlorian IdelbergerJun 22, 2024
@jwz disagree. I know many ppl that would or could not use Firefox if they hadn’t and like this it’s a viable alternative. What do the gazilion Mozilla/netscape/firefox or chromium forks/alternatives do for the open web because they disable drm or replaced / removed other functionality? Not much.
Show threadjwzJun 22, 2024
@fl0_id "But some people would not have used Firefox" is exactly the argument for market share over principles that got us into this mess.
Show threadFlorian IdelbergerJun 22, 2024
@jwz not ‘some people’ but basically no one would have used it. I don’t disagree that it (engaging with market realities) is also a problem, but that does not mean that the opposite would have been better
Show threadjwzJun 22, 2024
@fl0_id Well, you're wrong. \/\/
Show threadDamian YerrickJun 23, 2024
@jwz @fl0_id Please help me understand how. Among people who use Windows, macOS, or desktop Linux, and subscribe to a subscription audio or video streaming service, what program would they have used alongside DRM-free Firefox to interact with said streaming service?
Show threadjwzJun 23, 2024

@PinoBatch If the only thing you think a web browser is for is watching Netflix, maybe Internet Explorer is a better browser for you.

I haven't watched a DRM-encumbered file since probably 2009. And that wasn't in a browser, it was on a TiVo.

People who have jobs, for example, tend to use web browsers for things other than watching television.

But those kitten cold cuts sure are tasty!

Show threadDamian Yerrick
@jwz Say people use web browsers for things other than watching television. What other program would they use for watching television on Windows, macOS, and desktop Linux?
Jun 23, 2024 at 12:29pmWeb