Firefox 49 For Linux Will Ship With Plug-in Free Netflix, Amazon Prime Video Support (mozilla.org)

Reader LichtSpektren writes: Widevine, the media protocol that allows users to watch videos on Netflix, is supported in Firefox for Windows and macOS. But until now, its users on Linux were required to use a plug-in. That changes with v49, which offers out-of-the-box support for Netflix.Mozilla plans to offer plug-in streaming for Netflix as well as Amazon Prime Video and other similar services. The v49 will be available on Linux in September. Mozilla adds that it will be removing support for NPAPI plugins from its browser in the near future, plugins that some video streaming sites rely on for playback. "Mozilla plan to support the Widevine CDM on Linux, letting users watch Netflix without plugins," the company said.

Comments

Not plugin free

[Carewolf]

If they switch from NPAPI to CDM, that does not make them plugin-free. CDM is based on plugins and Widivine is a plugin.

Re:Not plugin free

[tepples]

It does, however, drastically reduce the attack surface of plug-ins. The CDM is a much narrower, more focused API than NPAPI. And it'll be easier to avoid: don't use any services that offer Hollywood movies for online rental.

Re:Not plugin free

[Anonymous Coward]

If processes can't be assigned fine-grained permissions then your operating system is shit.

Let's ignore that there are entire operating systems built around the browser experience. The browser itself is the new thick client for a huge swath of user experience; you don't need to escape the browser's process to do real damage.

Re:Not plugin free

[roca]

"The browser should be..." Sure! But it turns out that Hollywood won't let you play their movies in such a browser :-(.

If you want Firefox to be that browser, just uncheck "play DRM content" in the preferences and you're all good.

more features for the feature god.

[nimbius]

for netflix viewers: ignore this update, you already likely see netflix on an embedded linux television.
for non viewers: enjoy your free, mandatory DRM in the browser.
for Firefox developers: get rid of pocket, get rid of sync, please work on fixing the bugs youre assigned, hustle up and get that godforsaken voice chat program out of the browser, restore cookie control functionality, quit mandating signed plugins to curtail adblock users, and ditch the targeted advertising tiles.

Re:more features for the feature god.

[QuietLagoon]

I don't use Sync and would prefer if it were a plug-in for those who do like to use it. The concept of mandatory options, i.e., plug-ins that are permanently plugged-in, runs counter to good security practices. When they are not used, they do little more than increase the attack surface.

Re:more features for the feature god.

[dmahurin]

> Firefox has lost the point and become a fat bloated monster. And Chrome is not far behind. (And this ignores the massive data gathering both do) So there is a fantastic market opportunity for a lightweight browser that can still render the bloated modern web... Any ideas?

Well, you could create a minimal version of Firefox, stripping out all the junk, and call that Phoenix.

Re:more features for the feature god.

[retchdog]

"OMG these sites i don't pay to use are advertising to me and that's evil!"

okay, use noscript.

"but that's hard and there are other ways i can be tracked."

okay, i'll build and maintain a secure browser for $5 a month.

"i can't afford that."

okay, $5 a year.

"information wants to be FREE, man!"

okay, then i guess i'll go to work for an online advertising company.

Not my fault

[LichtSpektren]

My original submission said nothing about plug-ins, so I declare this "not my fault"

:P

Re:How to remove plugin?

[tepples]

Hamburger menu > Preferences (or Options) > Content > Play DRM content

Turn it off and no CDM will run.

Re:Great, can we get keyboard naviation from Netfl

[ausekilis]

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

Our client, pecosdave, suffers from the debilitating disease of Laziness wherein he cannot be bothered to use a mouse or mouse-like interface to use your service, "Netflix". Our client has sent not zero, but exactly 1 (one) email to your customer support asking for proper keyboard support for your services web browser client. As described in his email, he is able to use arrow keys and the space bar without problem, and mashing his hand down on a keyboard as a response to your "Are you still watching?" prompt. However, anything that requires our client to sit up and move his arm around causes him considerable pain and mental anguish. We politely ask for your assistance in aiding our client and others stricken with Laziness in providing proper keyboard support for your platform.

Sincerely,

Real-life Lawyer
Association of Lazy People

Widevine

[GrievousMistake]

This is the same buggy piece of crap that led to root exploit on many Android phones, since of course a media player needs privileged access to the kernel.

http://bits-please.blogspot.co...

But don't worry, that was a fluke, I'm sure the opaque blob for the PC is written by their best men, and not the scum of the earth who failed their McDonalds job interview.
The complete loss of security to all their users is a small price to pay to eradicate unlicensed copying of movies once and for all!

Re:This move from modularity to massive monoliths.

[roca]

Firefox does do "on the fly decompression of images so off screen images are not stored in memory uncompressed".

When complaining about Firefox memory usage, make sure your understanding of the issues is up-to-date.