Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Netflix on Linux Desktops...it's PAST time!

I recently thought about opening my own Netflix account, since several of my friends use the service and enjoy watching movies on it.

I've been using Linux almost exclusively since about 2003, and I haven't really had to worry about compatibility issues with various on-line services since 2008 or earlier.  Even ESPN3 (or whatever it is called this week) works just fine on Ubuntu, so I thought that the days of complex workarounds and running WINE or virtual machines was over for the most part.

There seems to be one holdout that is still stuck in 2001, however, and that is Netflix.

Let me state unequivocally that there is NO excuse, here in 2012, to leave any major platform out of any on-line service.  EVERYTHING can run on Ubuntu/Firefox/Chrome these days.  I can run Google Earth, Google Voice, Hulu, Google Docs, and most other major web based services without issue.  Even many Microsoft services run just fine, which is surprising considering the history between Microsoft and Linux.

Netflix's stubbornness about refusing Linux support is just laziness.  Even my son's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii both offer support for Netflix, but there is still no support for Netflix on the Linux desktop.

Inexcusable, but not surprising, considering Netflix's past bumbling and missteps.

Considering that switching to or adding Linux is relatively easy and almost always free, the users number in the millions.  You'd think that Netflix, by writing a few lines of code, would want to open up this market of potential customers.  ESPN3 did so, and as a result, I patronize their services. So do scores of other Linux users that I've talked to. And, apparently, someone inside the company thinks that the Linux crowd is worth the money, or at least they did at one point.  Why the change of heart?  Even worse, why insult us by promising us something and then failing to deliver?

Most people who know enough about computing to use Linux also understand that platform compatibility is a relatively simple issue these days.  They also are the type who will make a stand not to buy a product that won't work with their system on general principle. 

The bottom line is, I'm sitting here, dying to give Netflix my money to use their service.  Too bad they don't want it.

If you agree, give 'em a call: 1-866-579-7115.  If that doesn't work, try this, from one of the most valuable sites on the Internet: Contacthelp.com's Netflix page