[News] BBC Humiliated After Insulting Linux with Bald-face Lies

Roy Schestowitz

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Nov 6, 2007, 4:20:39 PM11/6/07

to

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

,----[ 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
`----

http://www.links.org/?p=269

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

[H]omer

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Nov 6, 2007, 7:50:17 PM11/6/07

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Verily I say unto thee, that Roy Schestowitz spake thusly:

> BBC admits massive underestimate of Linux users

It wasn't just the numbers either, it was this ridiculous claim that:

a) ... There are no Linux DRM solutions (there are - Helix DRM for one)

and

b) ... FOSS somehow precludes DRM, because if you can see the source,
then you can "get around it" - i.e. crack encryption.

So what Highfield is saying is that Rijndael, Twofish, et al, have been
cracked, apparently, becuase they are implemented in Free Software.

I know, I was as shocked to hear that "revelation" as everyone else.

And this business of Highfield blatantly ignoring RealNetworks DRM
solutions, when the Beeb already /uses/ RealNetworks technology, is
absolutely scandalous. It's on a par with Nigerians dumping Mandriva
(after having already paid for it), to install an inferior OS, after
Pearly's "mercy mission".

There's lies, damned lies, and Microsoft (and their proxies).

--
K.
http://slated.org

.----
| "[Microsoft] are willing to lose money for years and years just to
| make sure that you don't make any money, either." - Bob Cringely.
| - http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/2007/07/cringely-the-un.html
`----

Fedora release 7 (Moonshine) on sky, running kernel 2.6.22.1-41.fc7
00:48:25 up 90 days, 43 min, 2 users, load average: 0.00, 0.09, 0.08

Roy Schestowitz

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Nov 6, 2007, 8:31:49 PM11/6/07

to

____/ [H]omer on Wednesday 07 November 2007 00:50 : \____

> Verily I say unto thee, that Roy Schestowitz spake thusly:
>
>> BBC admits massive underestimate of Linux users
>
> It wasn't just the numbers either, it was this ridiculous claim that:
>
> a) ... There are no Linux DRM solutions (there are - Helix DRM for one)
>
> and
>
> b) ... FOSS somehow precludes DRM, because if you can see the source,
> then you can "get around it" - i.e. crack encryption.
>
> So what Highfield is saying is that Rijndael, Twofish, et al, have been
> cracked, apparently, becuase they are implemented in Free Software.
>
> I know, I was as shocked to hear that "revelation" as everyone else.
>
> And this business of Highfield blatantly ignoring RealNetworks DRM
> solutions, when the Beeb already /uses/ RealNetworks technology, is
> absolutely scandalous. It's on a par with Nigerians dumping Mandriva
> (after having already paid for it), to install an inferior OS, after
> Pearly's "mercy mission".
>
> There's lies, damned lies, and Microsoft (and their proxies).

Remember that Highfield is a technology chief, so he cannot use the "I don't
understand this stuff and I was ill-advised" excuse. There are months of
considerations involved and probably many panels that discuss this.

I /did/ know and understand that the BBC spread the DRM disinformation as well.
That's nothing new and Groklaw will soon have an article from Sean Daly about
it.

To say more on DRM and open source disinformation, yesterday I saw a WSJ
blogger getting slammed by readers (very, very visible in the comments
section) after he wrote an article about Google's 'nightmare' phone initiative
(he used Monk's scream as an image to accompany the FUD piece).

Some people said they would cancel their subscription after the author (Ben
We...<something>) suggested that open source means 'crackers' and "we'll take
down your network" (not exact words, of course). This wasn't the first time
that this man spread FUD (I remembered his face, but I can't recall the other
contexts). Someone said that he used to write for CIO, which is why /that/
subscription was cancelled as well (remember that WSJ is among the few
remaining publications that restrict access to content by the wider public,
with 1 million readers that they have just bragged about).

--
~~ Best of wishes

Roy S. Schestowitz | Microsof(fshore)t Window(ntime)s Vista(gnating)
http://Schestowitz.com | RHAT Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
01:20:01 up 7 days, 5:31, 3 users, load average: 1.32, 1.44, 1.50
http://iuron.com - Open Source knowledge engine project

[H]omer

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Nov 6, 2007, 11:39:29 PM11/6/07

to

Verily I say unto thee, that Roy Schestowitz spake thusly:

> To say more on DRM and open source disinformation, yesterday

> I saw a WSJ blogger getting slammed by readers (very, very
> visible in the comments section) after he wrote an article
> about Google's 'nightmare' phone initiative (he used Monk's
> scream as an image to accompany the FUD piece).

I read the piece. I find it hard to believe that any so-called
professional journalist could have the unadulterated stupidity
to commit such rubbish to print. Here's a sample:

"The reason is that Google’s operating system is open, meaning
anyone can write software for it. That includes bad guys, who
will doubtlessly develop viruses and other malicious code for
these phones"

Right, so the closed-source world of Windows is therefore immune
to viruses?

Oh wait...

--
K.
http://slated.org

.----
| "[Microsoft] are willing to lose money for years and years just to
| make sure that you don't make any money, either." - Bob Cringely.
| - http://blog.businessofsoftware.org/2007/07/cringely-the-un.html
`----

Fedora release 7 (Moonshine) on sky, running kernel 2.6.22.1-41.fc7

04:37:42 up 90 days, 4:32, 2 users, load average: 1.87, 4.19, 2.63

to

____/ Sharyn Wood on Wednesday 07 November 2007 11:57 : \____

For that *LIE* Highfield boy got slammed as well.

*plonk* new nym. New ISP, eh? They kicked you out.

--
~~ Best of wishes

Roy S. Schestowitz | #ff0000 Hot Chilli Peppers
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Cpu(s): 27.1%us, 4.5%sy, 1.0%ni, 63.1%id, 4.0%wa, 0.2%hi, 0.1%si, 0.0%st
http://iuron.com - semantic engine to gather information