[SOLVED] Confusing error messages from Netflix running in Firefox.

[carolus]

So far I have not broken anything on MX 19 by installing or upgrading packages or by remastering, with the sole exception of Netflix.

I've gotten 3 kinds of error messages from Netflix (MX 19.1 sometimes upgraded with apt-get dist-upgrade and sometimes remastered, using 2 computers interchangeably, current Firefox 82.0.3):
1) "invalid password" at login (even though the username and password are quite correct, with caps lock off and password displayed)
2) Message to use latest Firefox (even though the same version worked on a different computer or before remastering, and is still working on a different Live USB drive)
3) Message "Your browser is being managed by your organization", which seems to prevent enabling DRM.

I would appreciate any explanation of these messages and how to avoid or remedy the problem in each case.

By fiddling around, I now have Netflix working on two thumb drives, one for each of two computers, but don't know how I did it, what caused the problems, or how to avoid problems if I need to upgrade. I would prefer to have only a single USB drive to maintain.

[dolphin_oracle]

I would check the .mozilla folder to see if multiple firefox profiles are being generated and if any have permissions screwed up.

that's the only thing I can think of. I've not encountered those issues, and I'm a heavy netflix user.

[Antediluvian]

Let me respond to your three issues in reverse order.

3) Message "Your browser is being managed by your organization", which seems to prevent enabling DRM.

I see that message at the top of the page when I open Preferences in Firefox. I assume it is there because Firefox is updated by Debian/MX. For me it has never interfered with enabling DRM. Are you sure those two things are related?

2) Message to use latest Firefox

I get that very occasionally for some sites, perhaps for different reasons than you. If I do, I switch to a different browser until the next Firefox update fixes the problem. Debian stable doesn't rush Firefox updates.

1) "invalid password" at login

I recently had that issue (on one computer but not on another) with Spectrum TV but not Netflix. Within a day or two the problem disappeared. I don't know what changed.

My overall advice is to have two browsers installed. I use Firefox 97% of the time. For other times I have a Chromium based browser ready to go. I like Vivaldi. Last month or so I recall I had some issue with Firefox and a streaming site (could have been Netflix or Viki). A switch to Vivaldi for a week or so fixed that. Problems I have with Firefox, if there is not an immediate solution I can find with a search engine, seem to work themselves out with subsequent updates.

Finally, why not just let MX Updater keep your system current? For example, my Firefox is 83.0 today.

[carolus]

Thanks, antediluvian. In one way I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one with problems, but in another way I would rather
hear that I was doing something dumb that could easily be avoided.

Antediluvian wrote:
carolus wrote: ↑
Sun Nov 22, 2020 2:41 pm
3) Message "Your browser is being managed by your organization", which seems to prevent enabling DRM.

I see that message at the top of the page when I open Preferences in Firefox. I assume it is there because Firefox is updated by Debian/MX. For me it has never interfered with enabling DRM. Are you sure those two things are related?
******
I'm not sure about anything. I sometimes see that message when Netflix is not working,
______________
2) Message to use latest Firefox

I get that very occasionally for some sites, perhaps for different reasons than you. If I do, I switch to a different browser until the next Firefox update fixes the problem. Debian stable doesn't rush Firefox updates.
*********
Since this message occurs after remastering (or maybe after switching the USB to another computer - not sure), and an older version still works on a different USB, it is not clearly related to the Firefox version.
_____________

1) "invalid password" at login
I recently had that issue (on one computer but not on another) with Spectrum TV but not Netflix. Within a day or two the problem disappeared. I don't know what changed.

My overall advice is to have two browsers installed.
*********
Yes. Chrome works. Or just boot Windows, at least until Firefox and Google drop support for Windows 7. But I was hoping for a simple fix.
__________________
Finally, why not just let MX Updater keep your system current?
***********
Because I'm afraid of breaking the live USB (though no problems so far, except this one). I do occasional full upgrades with either "apt-get dist-upgrade" or MX Updater but only after a complete backup. Anyway, I've tried both "apt-get install firefox" and "apt-get --reinstall install firefox" without solving the problem. Only a full reinstall of an official MX iso reliably fixes it.
___________________

[rokytnji.1]

User agent switcher

It is pretty self explanatory.

Good luck. My bank don't even know what I run because of my user agent string.

Netflix works for me in AntiX without adobe Flash. OPENH264 DEFAULT add-on is all i use.
Maybe living in the desert boon docks requires no filtering of internet content.
W#hen they try. I change my user agent string with just a addon.

[rokytnji.1]

For all other issues.
I just manually refresh firefox.

[carolus]

I would check the .mozilla folder to see if multiple firefox profiles are being generated and if any have permissions screwed up.

This is from my oldest USB still in use with which I have had problems.

demo@mx1:~/.mozilla/firefox
$ ls -l |grep default
drwx------ 15 demo demo 4.0K Nov 9 22:04 0w8yq8ig.default-release/
drwx------ 2 demo demo 4.0K Feb 24 2020 d5mevtdl.default/
drwx------ 15 demo demo 4.0K Nov 22 14:47 m9svjkc9.default-release-1/

.default contains only a small .json file, so that I presume .default-release and .default-release-1 contain the main configuration files. Indeed, there two such directories for the single user demo, which does not seem right.

Perhaps if I renamed .mozilla to .mozilla-hide then firefox would create a clean new one. Or I could create a new user account and log in from that. I'll try when I next have trouble (which I hope is not soon).

Edit: Another idea is: "apt-get purge firefox; apt-get install firefox", which should get rid of the old profiles.

[carolus]

For all other issues.
I just manually refresh firefox.

Good idea. Will try this when I next have problems. Normally I avoid refresh since it deletes add-ons, but I'm using not using any add-ons on the MX stick.

[Stevo]

Firefox generates the "Your browser is being managed by your organization" message in response to MX's custom distribution.ini file we provide with Firefox. It means that MX will handle the updates--don't try and follow random guides you'll find out there on the Net on how to manually update it unless you really really know what you're doing.

[carolus]

Firefox generates the "Your browser is being managed by your organization" message in response to MX's custom distribution.ini file we provide with Firefox. It means that MX will handle the updates--don't try and follow random guides you'll find out there on the Net on how to manually update it unless you really really know what you're doing.

Is this handled by the default sources.list, so that upgrading with apt-get is OK?