Currently there are many users who instead of using Firefox use Chrome. This is because Chrome offers better compatibility with some work or entertainment services. Perhaps the most famous is Netflix, a streaming television service that recently arrived in Spain and other countries thanks to this Chrome, but that it will not take long to reach other web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox.
Mozilla Firefox developers have announced that Firefox 49 will have support for Netflix and similar services as eliminate the use of NPAPI technology.
Firefox currently uses NPAPI technology for viewing through plugins, this makes services like Netflix incompatible since they use HTML DRM for their operation, a html5 function that is incorporated by default in many browsers. Mozilla announced that HTML5 DRM would be added to Firefox but it was not thought that its full implementation would be in such a short time since Mozilla Firefox 49 is expected to be available from September 2016.
Firefox 49 will start using features advertised as HTML5 DRM
The most interesting of all this is that Mozilla Firefox 49 will be used by those who seek entertainment on their computers, not only being compatible with Netflix but also with other services such as Amazon Prime. However, for the more impatient, Mozilla Firefox has the option of using Google technology to run Netflix and other services. This solution for by use Google Widevine CDM, but it is something that is still having a lot of problems. Problems that are expected to be solved in the next month.
In any case it seems that Mozilla Firefox developers are getting the hang of it and they are updating their browser to the level of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, however Firefox is still heavy Will we see in the next version a lighter browser than current browsers? What do you expect from Mozilla Firefox 50?
Above all, we must be proud that they implement DRM.
DRM good… do we have to clap our ears or something?
Well, as you know ... The Linux Kernel is not free software, Firefox is. That's why the publisher of the post "is proud" of this Mozilla implementation.
DRM should not be included in Firefox (or, at least, it should not be enabled by default). Now, a lighter Firefox would be welcome.
The information that they remove npapi is wrong. They plan to do it in the last quarter of this year, but not in version 49
Interesting would be that Linux does not consume so many resources and computers lower the temperature. There is a difference of more than 20º using any Linux distribution to watch a simple video on YouTube. For example: Windows with pages open in Firefox, but watching a video does not exceed 35º and in Ubuntu more than 65º and up to 80º. That should be the real concern of the creators. Perhaps many are not interested in being only 10º less than what their card allows.
Will it be due to controllers?
I have been noticing a bit of stagnation compared to Google and Microsoft in the implementation of HTML5 by Mozilla, the use of this feature (DRM), has been tested for some months in the Nightly channel of Firefox and can be activated and deactivated when it's requested.
With concern I do perceive that Firefox is beginning to consume more RAM, especially when using the flash plugin, I hope that with the elimination of NPAPI they will optimize the performance of the browser.
If everything that works in GNU / Linux sucks in its operation, that NPAPI and Flash Player are not far behind.