I think that comparison is backwards. It's more like "I don't like cheese, so no one should be allowed it"

I don’t see it as backwards.

Autoplay video is like if the waiter just starts shaving parmesan on your salad. If you didn’t want it, you now have to pick the shavings off. Annoying.

Nonautoplay video is like the waiter asking “would you like cheese?” “Yes” “Ok” and they commence shaving it.

I don’t see why we should all have to pick cheese out of our salads because some people are too lazy to have a 3 second interaction to get what they want.

To extend the analogy, I would like to have the option to go to a restaurant (site) order a salad (visit a page) and have that come the way the chef (developer) intended, with cheese (autoplay video). If I don't like this developer or restaurant's judgement I can eat somewhere else. (Or, in the web case, install an extension that blocks autoplay video.)

Except most chefs in your analogy are having the quality, quantity, and proportion of ingredients dictated to them by an owner who may or may not know how to microwave popcorn.

I think the analogy is: I want to see the menu and select what I want to eat. But the chef is forcing me to consume it, with the cheese that I don't want, the instant I open the menu.

Are you still talking about browser option that everybody can set as desired?

It's optional, you can already turn all autoplay off (about:config - media.autoplay.* settings, specifically media.autoplay.default = 1 turns it off)

Sure, if you've remembered to do it. And again for your laptop, your phone, your tablet, your work computer, your partner's laptop... and then again once you've updated your OS, or rebuilt your computer.

I feel like I'm turning this setting off about once a month, usually after it has done something embarrassing or highly irritating on public transport .

This should have been the default since browsers were first able to play audio.

So you are not arguing for choice, you are arguing for forcing your preference on everyone, so that they become the ones who have to set the option back in all of their browser installs.

Yes I am, because the default choice is idiotic, annoying and anti-social.

Setting your preference to autoplay may be irritating if you prefer it the other way, but you won't annoy your co-workers, leak any sensitive info, or wake up your SO before finding it in the wrong state. And the Firefox devs agree with me.

Could maybe add an option with Firefox sync to save browser settings if anyone really misses this "feature".

This is about disabling silent videos autoplaying. Firefox is already disabling videos with audio autoplaying. I am not sure how silent videos could be much more embarrassing or disturbing to people on public transport or your co-workers than an inappropriate image, and I do not agree that they are idiotic or anti-social.

From the title of the article: "Firefox 66 to block automatically playing audible video and audio". Emphasis mine.

The subthread we are commenting is about all autoplay, starting with a commenter saying the audio-only ban was not enough, and then being told that silent autoplay can also be turned off, but many users probably want it.

> Muted autoplay is still allowed. WTH Mozilla. Just stop. Stop the stupid auto-playing video. Nobody wants it.

Apologies. My comments were intended to be about autoplaying audio.

It's optional. You simply opt out by installing a blocker extension. If enough people want to opt out maybe that's added as a built in switch. (Like the audio blocking this post is about, and popup blocking before that) I think then that's fine too.

Following your analogy, I don't think it would make sense by default for meals to always have no cheese, or for the waiter to always ask if you'd like to include cheese. But i think it's fine for them to allow you to ask not to get any cheese.