[News] [Rival] BBC Starts Admitting Its MicrosoftiPlayer Mistakes
Roy Schestowitz
,----[ Quote ]
| Open Source Consortium (OSC) last night, directly after his meeting with the
| BBC to discuss opening-up the iPlayer to run on more platforms than just the
| Microsoft browser.
|
| It appears that the meetings were positive and boiled down to two points, the
| BBC feels they haven’t communicated their desires for iPlayer properly and
| that they want the iPlayer to run on an open platform.
|
| You’ll be aware that we’ve been following the journey of the BBC iPlayer
| since 2003 (then the iMP) and you may want to have a listen to our last
| interview with Mark, that was directly after the OSC meeting with the BBC
| Trust, to set the context for the latest BBC meeting.
`----
http://digital-lifestyles.info/2007/11/07/iplayer-bbc-does-want-open-platform-osc/
Related:
BBC admits massive underestimate of Linux users
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC has backtracked on claims that it has only hundreds of Linux users
| accessing its website.
`----
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/135591/bbc-admits-massive-underestimate-of-linux-users.html
Open Letter to Ashley Highfield
,----[ Quote
| To be honest, Ashley, whilst the BBC, a state-funded institution which is
| supposed to be commercially independent, remains so firmly "in bed" with
| Microsoft, we have our doubts whether what you say is anything other than
| smoke and mirrors, FUD and Microsoft-sourced propaganda.
`----
vhttp://www.opensourceconsortium.org/content/view/77/55/
OSC Analysis: responding to BBC arguments
,----[ Quote ]
| 'It's not exclusively Microsoft'
| The streaming 'version' of iPlayer is not the iPlayer, and the BBC Trust have
| made clear that it does not meet the terms under which your proposal was
| approved. The full iPlayer download software (which is the whole rationale of
| the iPlayer) requires Microsoft DRM and requires a Microsoft operating system
| (currently XP but soon to include Vista) and requires software components
| written to the Microsoft operating system and technology stack. It is
| exclusively Microsoft.
`----
http://www.opensourceconsortium.org/content/view/78/55/
BBC loses 97200 Linux users
,----[ Quote ]
| "We have 17.1 million users of bbc.co.uk in the UK and, as far as our server
| logs can make out, 5 per cent of those [use Macs] and around 400 to 600 are
| Linux users" Highfield is quoted as saying.
`----
http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1781.html
Confused BBC tech chief: Only 600 Linux users visit our website
,----[ Quote
| Ooops. Highfield goes on to say that these users should be seen in the
| context of the vast majority, who run Windows.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/02/highfield_bbc_linux_website_users_bafflement/
BBC on the iPlayer
,----[ Quote ]
| An interesting podcast with Ashley Highfield, Director Future Media &
| Technology....Clearly there’s a vast amount of money to be made by
| selling “DRM” solutions to gullible old media companies. It is sad that the
| BBC, who don’t even have to protect their profits, do not have the collective
| brains to see through this scam. Perhaps there is light at the end of the
| tunnel? -- "Where do we go from here? … The solution then is to say either we
| look at a future beyond DRM or we’re going to find it very hard to put our
| content onto open source solutions."
|
| But he is just teasing - they don’t actually look at this future, so I guess
| their choice is to not put their content onto open source solutions!
|
| [...]
|
| I think he needs to add Parliament to his list of people to work better with,
| after the recent lunacy from Lord Triesman
`----
Interview with Mark Taylor, Pres. of UK Open Source Consortium, by Sean Daly
,----[ Quote ]
| Q: Now, when you say a smoking gun, what exactly do you mean?
|
| Mark Taylor: Well, the -- (laughter) -- the thing is, the iPlayer is not what
| it claimed to be, it is built top-to-bottom on a Microsoft-only stack, the
| BBC management team who are responsible for the iPlayer are a checklist of
| senior employees from Microsoft who were involved with Windows Media. A
| gentleman called Erik Huggers who's responsible for the iPlayer project in
| the BBC, his immediately previous job was director at Microsoft for Europe,
| Middle East & Africa responsible for Windows Media. He presided over the
| division of Windows Media when it was the subject of the European
| Commission's antitrust case. He was the senior director responsible. He's now
| shown up responsible for the iPlayer project.
`----
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20071021231933899
BBC Corrupted
,----[ Quote ]
| Today the BBC made it official -- they have been corrupted by Microsoft. With
| today's launch of the iPlayer, the BBC Trust has failed in its most basic of
| duties and handed over to Microsoft sole control of the on-line distribution
| of BBC programming. From today, you will need to own a Microsoft operating
| system to view BBC programming on the web. This is akin to saying you must
| own a Sony TV set to watch BBC TV. And you must accept the Digital
| Restrictions Management (DRM) that the iPlayer imposes. You simply cannot be
| allowed to be in control of your computer according to the BBC.
`----
http://defectivebydesign.org/blog/BBCcorrupted
Ubuntu Linux maker joins OSC over iPlayer campaign
,----[ Quote ]
| As the Internet becomes part of everyone's lives - we will all go online
| using more types of device. Locking access to BBC iPlayer content to phones
| and internet tablets running Windows(tm) is shortsighted and bad for
| fee-payers. Platform neutral means that we need
| a solution that supports Linux and Apple's OSX."
|
| We fully support the OSC's vital campaign that the iPlayer support Linux and
| trust that the BBC sees why this is in the interest of feepayers."
`----
http://www.sourcewire.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=33204&hilite=
What tricks is the BBC up to with Microsoft?
,----[ Quote ]
| The twin elephants in the meeting room will be Microsoft's Silverlight and
| PlayReady.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/16/silverlight_iplayer_playready/
BBC's iPlayer's Prospects Looking Bleak
,----[ Quote ]
| "The future of iPlayer, the BBC's new online on-demand system for delivering
| content, is continuing to look bleaker. With ISPs threatening to throttle the
| content delivered through the iPlayer, consumers petitioning the UK
| government and the BBC to drop the DRM and Microsoft-only technology, and
| threatened legal action from the OSC, the last thing the BBC wanted to see
| today was street protests at their office and at the BBC Media Complex
| accompanied by a report issued by DefectiveByDesign about their association
| with Microsoft."
`----
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/15/1721229&from=rss
BBC iPlayer protest report
,----[ Quote
| First on site with me is Tom Chance, Green Party spokesperson on Free
| Software. He has organized for Dr Derek Wall, lead spokesperson for the Green
| Party to join us and make some statements about BBC iPlayer and the Microsoft
| lock-in it establishes.
|
| [...]
|
| We have 1500 fliers to distribute, that focus on the key issue with the
| iPlayer, and why $130 Million and 4 years of development don't get you much
| when you choose Microsoft DRM.
`----
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/iPlayerProtestReport
Lobby Group: Microsoft Too Close to BBC
,----[ Quote ]
| A software lobby group is campaigning to highlight the role of software giant
| Microsoft Corp. in the British Broadcasting Corp.'s digital media strategy by
| petitioning Great Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown to address the issue.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070803/microsoft_bbc.html?.v=1
EC threat to BBC over downloads
,----[ Quote ]
| However, OSC disagrees and says the next step is to make a formal
| complaint to the European Commission (EC).
|
| "We're preparing the full details at the moment and we will be
| sending a formal letter within the next week," said Mr Taylor.
`----
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6236612.stm
BBC plans to lock viewers into Microsoft monopoly says Open Source Consortium
,----[ Quote ]
| The Open Source Consortium (OSC) believes the plans are anti-competitive
| and will use public money to lock viewers into the technologies of
| a repeatedly convicted monopolist.
`----
http://www.publictechnology.net/article_avantgo.php?sid=7655
Mark Kent
> iPlayer: BBC DOES Want Open Platform: OSC
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Open Source Consortium (OSC) last night, directly after his meeting with the
>| BBC to discuss opening-up the iPlayer to run on more platforms than just the
>| Microsoft browser.
>|
>| It appears that the meetings were positive and boiled down to two points, the
>|
>| interview with Mark, that was directly after the OSC meeting with the BBC
>| Trust, to set the context for the latest BBC meeting.
> `----
>
> http://digital-lifestyles.info/2007/11/07/iplayer-bbc-does-want-open-platform-osc/
>
They're sort of getting there, but I'm not sure I'd call the Microsoft
browser a "platform" myself. Have they really got the point here?
--
| Mark Kent -- mark at ellandroad dot demon dot co dot uk |
| Cola faq: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/linux/advocacy/faq-and-primer/ |
| Cola trolls: http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/ |
| My (new) blog: http://www.thereisnomagic.org |
Roy Schestowitz
> Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com> espoused:
>> iPlayer: BBC DOES Want Open Platform: OSC
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| Open Source Consortium (OSC) last night, directly after his meeting with
>>| the BBC to discuss opening-up the iPlayer to run on more platforms than
>>| just the Microsoft browser.
>>|
>>| It appears that the meetings were positive and boiled down to two points,
>>| the BBC feels they haven?t communicated their desires for iPlayer properly
>>| and that they want the iPlayer to run on an open platform.
>>|
>>| You?ll be aware that we?ve been following the journey of the BBC iPlayer
>>| since 2003 (then the iMP) and you may want to have a listen to our last
>>| interview with Mark, that was directly after the OSC meeting with the BBC
>>| Trust, to set the context for the latest BBC meeting.
>> `----
>>
>>
http://digital-lifestyles.info/2007/11/07/iplayer-bbc-does-want-open-platform-osc/
>>
>
> They're sort of getting there, but I'm not sure I'd call the Microsoft
> browser a "platform" myself. Have they really got the point here?
This is just diplomacy. There are two faces in the OSC. One wants to protest
and one negotiates. A protest without a solution isn't a productive one, so...
I think it's reverse psychlogy in a sense (I'm not sure it's the right term to
use on this context). It's used to pressure NVIDIA as well.
"NVIDIA really like Linux"
"NVIDIA mentioned open source yesterday"
"Open source NVIDIA drivers are just a matter of time"
"I predict that NVIDIA will go open next year"
"An NVIDIA executive says he loves (and used) Linux"
If you repeat this often enough, then you create expectation and then action
might follow.
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Computers are useless. They only solve problems"
http://Schestowitz.com | RHAT GNU/Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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