Netflix is awesome. If only libraries were for-profit.
For the developer, blogger/developer and widget maker, the developer accounts are a boon for QA.
1) There is probably updated backoffice fulfillment safety code reengineered recently for various reasons we already know. That's cool.
2) There is probably a "developer mode" difference in production between a developer and paid subscriber. For confidentiality reasons, let's represent that as "boolean IS_DEVELOPER; // false = normal customer, true = developer"
3) There is probably a global assertion in the safety code #1 such that "if ( true == IS_DEVELOPER ) then next_shipment_to_customer = null;". Free movies might be nice for us, but not you. ;)
4) Given 1 - 3. How does "developer mode" impact the production experience of developer vs. paid subscribers *using the netflix website*?
5) Given 1 - 3. How does "developer mode" impact the production experience or developer vs. paid subscribers *using the API*?
6) Do titles in developer queues become "virtually" fulfilled at the same rate as a paid subscriber or does nothing ever happen?
7) Is there a way (web ui, api, etc.) to trigger "virtual" *title fulfillment* against a developer test customer account?
8) Is there a way (web ui, api, etc.) to trigger "virtual" *title return* against a developer test customer account?
9) Is there a way to *enable/disable ALL fulfillment* against a developer queue? That would be similar to hold shipping such as the customer service can at the backoffice, not pause the entire account. In fact, it would be easiest to simply reveal that functionality to the API just for developer accounts, because you probably don't want developers holding shipping of real titles in a buggy app that causes more calls to support.
10) Very minor: In sign-up, it is at all possible to do away with delivery address validation? From data integrity and defensive operational support perspectives, allowing an outside developer to choose a real address is nice to have for testing purposes, but is also a potential hazard. Instead, it might make sense to pre-populate data with fields read-only such as:
Address: 1 Nowhere St.
City: Los Gatos
Company: For QA only - No fulfillment or billing please.
State: CA
ZIP: 95032
Thank you again. The Netflix API is an excellent leap forward in the evolution of media consumption and explodes the potential ecosystem. You know I'll have the first G1 netflix plugin for facebook ready by tomorrow.
Developer accounts do not receive discs, can't watch instant watching titles, and can't purchase anything (gift subs, etc.). This is reflected as appropriate on the web site and with the API. If there is sufficient demand we hope to improve test accounts by streamlining sign-up and allowing you to fake disc shipments/returns and instant watching sessions to generate rental histories, etc.
I was able to watch instant titles, so I guess that's fixed. Something about the Medici's. It works pretty well, even on a slow connection. I'd use it personally. Also, Xbox and Tivo support are big coups.
Hello.
Netflix is awesome. If only libraries were for-profit.
For the developer, blogger/developer and widget maker, the developer accounts are a boon for QA.
1) There is probably updated backoffice fulfillment safety code reengineered recently for various reasons we already know. That's cool.
2) There is probably a "developer mode" difference in production between a developer and paid subscriber. For confidentiality reasons, let's represent that as "boolean IS_DEVELOPER; // false = normal customer, true = developer"
3) There is probably a global assertion in the safety code #1 such that "if ( true == IS_DEVELOPER ) then next_shipment_to_customer = null;". Free movies might be nice for us, but not you. ;)
4) Given 1 - 3. How does "developer mode" impact the production experience of developer vs. paid subscribers *using the netflix website*?
5) Given 1 - 3. How does "developer mode" impact the production experience or developer vs. paid subscribers *using the API*?
6) Do titles in developer queues become "virtually" fulfilled at the same rate as a paid subscriber or does nothing ever happen?
7) Is there a way (web ui, api, etc.) to trigger "virtual" *title fulfillment* against a developer test customer account?
8) Is there a way (web ui, api, etc.) to trigger "virtual" *title return* against a developer test customer account?
9) Is there a way to *enable/disable ALL fulfillment* against a developer queue? That would be similar to hold shipping such as the customer service can at the backoffice, not pause the entire account. In fact, it would be easiest to simply reveal that functionality to the API just for developer accounts, because you probably don't want developers holding shipping of real titles in a buggy app that causes more calls to support.
10) Very minor: In sign-up, it is at all possible to do away with delivery address validation? From data integrity and defensive operational support perspectives, allowing an outside developer to choose a real address is nice to have for testing purposes, but is also a potential hazard. Instead, it might make sense to pre-populate data with fields read-only such as:
Address: 1 Nowhere St.
City: Los Gatos
Company: For QA only - No fulfillment or billing please.
State: CA
ZIP: 95032
Thank you again. The Netflix API is an excellent leap forward in the evolution of media consumption and explodes the potential ecosystem. You know I'll have the first G1 netflix plugin for facebook ready by tomorrow.
Kind Regards,
Barry
Message edited by Michael Hart 3 years ago
Michael Hart – 3 years ago
Barry,
Developer accounts do not receive discs, can't watch instant watching titles, and can't purchase anything (gift subs, etc.). This is reflected as appropriate on the web site and with the API. If there is sufficient demand we hope to improve test accounts by streamlining sign-up and allowing you to fake disc shipments/returns and instant watching sessions to generate rental histories, etc.
samdhad2l8 – 3 years ago
@Michael
Retail support had no idea about developer accounts, but it was cool. They flicked a backoffice vacation switch to be sure.
samdhad2l8 – 3 years ago
@Michael
I was able to watch instant titles, so I guess that's fixed. Something about the Medici's. It works pretty well, even on a slow connection. I'd use it personally. Also, Xbox and Tivo support are big coups.