> But I don't want the user's browser to provide an immediate and obvious "DOWNLOAD" button on my content.
Ok, but why?
> Sure, if they really want to, they can inspect the page and download the video. But having a download button right in my content is not the user experience I have in mind for this site.
That reads like misdirection given what's coming next:
> Not because I don't want people downloading my videos. But because I don't want to ADVERTISE downloading my videos, which is what this button does without my consent.
Why?
More importantly: why would you, given your desire to control presentation to the sending side, use a technology which fundamentally gives that control to the receiving side?
Because it invites users to break the terms of use for a site and the law, even if they are otherwise responsible and cooperative people and don't realise they would be doing anything wrong by doing so.
Go read the feedback on the issues raised as soon as Chrome did this, and you can see just how widespread a problem this has been for real world site operators and the developers working for them.
More importantly: why would you, given your desire to control presentation to the sending side, use a technology which fundamentally gives that control to the receiving side?
Maybe some people just prefer not to apply heavyweight and possibly broken DRM just to deal with a small minority of users who would abuse less restricted access to the material?
Unfortunately, if the prevailing attitude in this HN discussion is anything to go by, anyone who wants to operate a viable site that way is out of luck, and we should all just assume all users are hostile and restrict them as heavily as possible through whatever legal and technical means are available. That kinda sucks if you actually wanted to be nice about how you ran a site.
It won't be a browser, it will be an app store, or a custom channel for some more restricted device. And these things already exist, and they do remove flexibility we have previously enjoyed on the Web, sometimes under circumstances that would have been useful and not harmed anyone. That is the world people are pushing towards by supporting Google's actions in cases like the one we're talking about.
Ok, but why?
> Sure, if they really want to, they can inspect the page and download the video. But having a download button right in my content is not the user experience I have in mind for this site.
That reads like misdirection given what's coming next:
> Not because I don't want people downloading my videos. But because I don't want to ADVERTISE downloading my videos, which is what this button does without my consent.
Why?
More importantly: why would you, given your desire to control presentation to the sending side, use a technology which fundamentally gives that control to the receiving side?