Pardon my n00bish question

Prior to 1999 (the release of DeCSS), was watching DVDs on Linux based systems possible? Was it even possible on Macs?

The answer to this sort of is implied here I think, but does any seasoned Linux/Mac guru out there remember?

Also, does anyone remember what year or when DVD-ROM drives were introduced into computers?

My old memory is getting foggy and technology has been moving too fast to keep up now a days


Thanks