[News] BBC May be Shutting Out 25% of Audience for Microsoft
Roy Schestowitz
,----[ Quote ]
| Clearly, shutting out 25% of your audience sits ill with the BBC's
| remit of serving all of its users...
|
| There is no denying that this is an extremely difficult area for
| the BBC, since it must negotiate not one but three minefields -
| those of technology standards, copyright and contract law. But
| there are still things that it could do without turning into a
| global advertisement for Microsoft's flawed DRM approach.
`----
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000183
Related:
Corporate Fight Against Open Source
,----[ Quote ]
| Remember during the Dot Com boom when sites used to display which
| browser you should use in order to best utilize their website?
| Quaint, annoying and even a little narrow minded. Those of us who
| have been yearning for a blast from the past will be thrilled to
| learn that Wal-Mart is apparently doing this in the year 2007.
| Wait, it gets better...
`----
http://www.osweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2468&Itemid=449
,----[ Quote ]
| From: Bill Gates
| Sent: Saturday, December 05, 1989 9:44 AM
| To: Bob Muglia (Exchange); Jon DeVaan; Steven Sinofsky
| Cc: Paul Mariz
| Subject: Office rendering
|
| One thing we have got to change is our strategy -- allowing Office
| documents to be rendered very well by OTHER PEOPLES BROWSERS is one of the
| most destructive things we could do to the company.
|
| We have to stop putting any effort into this and make sure that Office
| documents very well depends on PROPRIETARY IE capabilities.
|
| Anything else is suicide for our platform. This is a case where Office has
| to to destroy Windows.
`----
http://www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/2000/PX02991.pdf
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
Beeb slammed for 'fawning' to Bill Gates
,----[ Quote ]
| BBC viewers have flooded the corporation with complaints over how it
| covered the launch of Microsoft Vista earlier this week.
|
| In one cringingly servile interview worthy of Uriah Heep, the
| Beeb's news presenter Hugh Edwards even thanked Gates at the
| end of it, presumably in appreciation at being allowed to give
| the Vole vast coverage for free.
|
| In other TV news items presenters excitedly explained how Vistac
| ould be obtained and installed - details courtesy of the BBC's
| website.
|
| But British viewers, currently forced to pay a £131.50 licence
| fee to maintain the BBC's "impartiality", were less than impressed.
|
| Scores got in touch to complain that so much was Auntie up Bill's
| bum that you could barely see her corset.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37411
http://slated.org/bbc_microsoft_bias
Brits! Act now to save the BBC from Microsoft
,----[ Quote ]
| The BBC are holding an open consultation regarding how they're
| going to delivery on-demand content, they want answers to
| questions like: "How important is it that the proposed seven-day
| catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who
| are not using Microsoft software?"
`----
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/31/brits_act_now_to_sav.html
Beeb breaks out with Windows WMA protection
,----[ Quote ]
| According to a press release from Sonos, the blokes over
| at the Beeb have decided to jump ship for relying on
| Realplayer for web content, and have switched over
| entirely to the Windows-friendly WMA format. Now
| that the BBC has made The Big Switch, BBC radio
| stations will be received automatically for users
| of wireless music and radio provider Sonos.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35282
BBC Looks To Microsoft For Web 2.0
,----[ Quote ]
| However, you don't sign deals or commitments if you're a quasi-autonomous
| Public Corporation operating as a public service broadcaster, as the BBC
| is. BBC Director General Mark Thompson met Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates
| in Seattle on Wednesday to sign the non-exclusive memorandum of
| understanding and discuss the BBC's digital strategy.
`----
http://www.forbes.com/2006/09/28/bbc-microsoft-internet-cx_cn_0928bbc.html?partner=yahootix
http://tinyurl.com/j5pn7
Microsoft launches 'PlayReady' DRM system
,----[ Quote ]
| Although digital rights management (DRM) is popular with content
| creators, it has attracted criticism. Sony was widely attacked after
| using a rootkit-like application to hide content protection on some
| music CDs, and earlier this month Apple CEO Steve Jobs called on
| the music industry to drop its use of DRM.
`----
http://news.com.com/2100-1039_3-6158553.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
Microsoft: We Like DRM
,----[ Quote ]
| Steve Jobs wants the music business to drop restrictions for digital
| tunes. But Microsoft, which began competing head to head with Apple
| in the digital music business last fall, is happy with the way things
| are, says media exec Robbie Bach.
`----
http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/08/zune-drm-itunes-tech-media-cx_df_0208bach.html?partner=yahootix
http://tinyurl.com/2lrz3y
Why Microsoft will fight for DRM
,----[ Quote ]
| In a DRM-free world Windows Media formats are basically dead.
| Online stores locked out of the iPod because of FairPlay. Will
| not choose to lock themselves out by using only Windows Media if
| they use it at all. I think it?s obvious that the people at
| Microsoft know that. When the number one MP3 player will never
| support your format, Microsoft is left with a lot invested in
| something that won?t amount to much. The only way Microsoft
| can save its investment in Windows Media is to have a DRM
| Windows Media player that is a run away success. This is why
| Microsoft will not join with Apple in calling for a DRM-free
| world. They need DRM so they are going to fight for it.
`----
http://km.lqz.ca/blog/tech/microsoft-fight-drm/
Golden Rant : Microsoft DRM?s gone too far
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft appears to have hit the wrong button on its critical
| Windows XP download service late last month, pretty well forcing
| every XP user to upgrade to Windows Media Player (WiMP) 11 if
| they (like me and many others) have the automatic download/install
| option enabled for critical updates.
`----
Mark Kent
> Save the BBC from Windows DRM!
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
>| Clearly, shutting out 25% of your audience sits ill with the BBC's
>| remit of serving all of its users...
>|
>| There is no denying that this is an extremely difficult area for
>| the BBC, since it must negotiate not one but three minefields -
>| those of technology standards, copyright and contract law. But
>| there are still things that it could do without turning into a
>| global advertisement for Microsoft's flawed DRM approach.
> `----
>
> http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000183
>
It's about time this were covered on one of the serious science
programmes, say, or perhaps the moral maze, say? Even a short piece on
the today programme would be a good start.
This issue is hugely important, and yet the discussion appears to be
confined to a few relatively obscure net sites and groups... not good
enough, BBC!
--
| 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/ |
Roy Schestowitz
> Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com> espoused:
>> Save the BBC from Windows DRM!
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>>| Clearly, shutting out 25% of your audience sits ill with the BBC's
>>| remit of serving all of its users...
>>|
>>| There is no denying that this is an extremely difficult area for
>>| the BBC, since it must negotiate not one but three minefields -
>>| those of technology standards, copyright and contract law. But
>>| there are still things that it could do without turning into a
>>| global advertisement for Microsoft's flawed DRM approach.
>> `----
>>
>> http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000183
>>
>
> It's about time this were covered on one of the serious science
> programmes, say, or perhaps the moral maze, say? Even a short piece on
> the today programme would be a good start.
>
> This issue is hugely important, and yet the discussion appears to be
> confined to a few relatively obscure net sites and groups... not good
> enough, BBC!
The media hasn't guts. It has budgets and funding sources.
What happened to the guts?
,----[ Quote ]
| Of one thing I am fairly certain. Microsoft all but eliminated
| mainstream software competition. As a result, Microsoft became
| the primary source of advertising revenue for mainstream publications.
| You don't bite the hand that feeds you. So instead of publishing
| issues calling for a worldwide boycott of Vista because it focuses
| more on what you can't do than what you can do, you see special
| editions praising Vista as the greatest advancement in computing
| since Windows 95. Granted we all know that Windows 95 was a dog
| from day one, but by the 90s, the mainstream press had already
| become rampant with Microsoft sycophants and they pushed Windows
| 95 like it was the second coming.
|
| [...]
|
| In short, I'd love to see a mainstream publication become an
| advocate for the consumer once again.
|
| As noted above, there are exceptions, including Linux Journal,
| most other FOSS-centered publications and even The Register.
| But we're the little guys.
`----
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1000173
Bill Gates lends cash to buy newspapers
$350 million to MediaNews
,----[ Quote ]
| Gates involvement has been very behind the scenes. In fact many of
| those involved in the deal didn'teven know he was one of the investors.
| It was carried out through the Gates Foundation, the world's largest
| philanthropy outfit.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33849
Also relevant:
http://slated.org/bbc_microsoft_bias
--
~~ Greetings
Roy S. Schestowitz | #00ff00 Day - Basket Case
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux Ś PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Mem: 514480k total, 480844k used, 33636k free, 45236k buffers
http://iuron.com - next generation of search paradigms
Roy Schestowitz
Oh, dear. Now they /think/ alike.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6369055.stm
BBC urged to resist website ads
"Overseas users would see adverts when they visited BBC websites
A group representing UK media companies has called on the BBC Trust not to
allow adverts to be published on its international websites."
What on earth is happening to the BBC? I'm just glad that I gave away my TV a
long time ago, so I no longer need to pay TV licence.
--
~~ Greetings
Roy S. Schestowitz | GPL'd 3-D Reversi: http://othellomaster.com
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
roy pts/4 Sat Feb 17 12:43 - 12:44 (00:00)
http://iuron.com - proposing a non-profit search engine
spi...@freenet.co.uk
> Oh, dear. Now they /think/ alike.
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6369055.stm
> BBC urged to resist website ads
> "Overseas users would see adverts when they visited BBC websites
> A group representing UK media companies has called on the BBC Trust not to
> allow adverts to be published on its international websites."
> What on earth is happening to the BBC? I'm just glad that I gave away my TV a
> long time ago, so I no longer need to pay TV licence.
They're trying to find new funding streams.
The government keeps refusing their requests for TV license boosts and
they're constantly under threat from having the license revoked.
Besides, why shouldn't they insert adverts into their websites when accessed
from abroad?
They don't pay the license fee, so make them pay with irritating adverts
instead... That'll learn 'em.
:)
--
______________________________________________________________________________
| spi...@freenet.co.uk | |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
| in | suck is probably the day they start making |
| Computer science | vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Kent
> Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com> did eloquently scribble:
>> Oh, dear. Now they /think/ alike.
>
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6369055.stm
>
>> BBC urged to resist website ads
>
>> "Overseas users would see adverts when they visited BBC websites
>> A group representing UK media companies has called on the BBC Trust not to
>> allow adverts to be published on its international websites."
>
>> What on earth is happening to the BBC? I'm just glad that I gave away my TV a
>> long time ago, so I no longer need to pay TV licence.
>
> They're trying to find new funding streams.
> The government keeps refusing their requests for TV license boosts and
> they're constantly under threat from having the license revoked.
>
> Besides, why shouldn't they insert adverts into their websites when accessed
> from abroad?
> They don't pay the license fee, so make them pay with irritating adverts
> instead... That'll learn 'em.
>:)
I suppose you could have a paying site where non-residents could get the
streams and so on without adverts, or a standard site where residents
and those who have paid (actually, they'd both have paid!) can get the
material free of advertising.