Huge BBC Linux faux pas
p2pnet news | Open Source:- Huge ‘oooops’ from BBC head of technology Ashley Highfield.
He recently claimed bbc.co.uk had but 400-600 GNU/Linux users.
But, “The claim is incredible,” posted LiveJournal, going on:
“If true, it means that my office represents ~10% of the BBC’s entire GNU/Linux usage. Either far more GNU/Linux users are pretending to be on Windows than I would expect, or Highfield is downplaying the number of GNU/Linux users accessing BBC services on line, in the same way that he downplays the Defective by Design protests.”
The story goes on:
It may make sense for him to do so; the BBC is coming under fire for spending £130 million of license-fee payers’ money on software which is tied to Windows XP and Microsoft-specific Digital Restrictions Management.
However, “Alternative analysis that we have run off which performs the measurement in different ways suggests that the potential number of Linux users could range from 0.3% to 0.8% (which, from a total UK bbc.co.uk userbase of 12.2m weekly users [source: TNS] could imply a userbase between 36,600 and 97,600,” Highfield officially confessed on the BBC Internet Blog, also admitting:
” … over 30,000 Linux users is a not insubstantial number, but we do have to keep this in context with the vast majority of users who use either Windows or Macs to access bbc.co.uk.”
Yes. Stay in context by all means.
Also See:
LiveJournal – GNU/Linux users of BBC Websites, November 1, 2007
Microsoft-specific – BBC hires Kazaa confederate, September 17, 2007
BBC Internet Blog – Linux Figures, , November 2, 2007
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!
Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for the download, and here for details. Click here or here to learn how to by-pass censorship in your area.
November 6th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
unfortunately to use bbc resources properly i have to use application which pretend to be Microsoft e.g firfox pretending to be IE and running on windows.
also what may of these statistics forget is that people can have more than one operating system. i keep a copy windows around so i can play pc games and use the bbc iplayer and steam. I also have a mac and ubuntu LInux for all other work how is my vote counted probably as a windows user.
November 6th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
The sooner the BBC is dismantled the better. Why should the public be forced to pay for a tv channel? we already have other channels that are free! it’s utterly ridiculous. If the BBC can’t support itself with advertising like every other channel, then it should be shutdown.
I don’t even watch the BBC channels, so why should I pay for it??
November 7th, 2007 at 8:38 am
The sooner the BBC is dismantled the better. WHY?
BBC has no adverts this is worth the £120 a year(i spend 3x or more on bear/wine than this). and as advertisers gradually try to stop people from skipping adverts it becomes even more valuable. there real problem is wasting cash e.g BBC1 gets 20million a year to buy/make programs. BBC3 a new channel gets 120million but only has 5% of the viewers of BBC1.
they also pay top management far to much and give them bonuses ~8 million when they are thrown out each year so it has its problems but they do make money from dvd and cd sales so we are not paying the full bill.
November 11th, 2007 at 11:52 am
I have another hint to save money. If you live in then UK and have/pay-for crappy one-way analogue TV cable, get yourself a high-gain Freeview antenna or a ‘Freeview’ satellite disk installed, then cancel the pointless cable fee, it isn’t compulsory!
Freeview looks much better, you get many more BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and other TV channels, and much better picture and audio quality, none of this crap about lightning strikes taking out cable TV booster amplifiers, for days.
BBC still looks like suspect value, even with their extra Freeview/satellite channels, I watch far more independent (advert driven) TV than BBC, when not watching far more timely downloaded shows. Too many channels seem to be obsessed with reality TV, reality style shows, pseudo-social shows and 2nd-rate-celebrity shows i.e. mediocre drivel; I want quality escapism, quality comedy and stuff which helps or educates me, not stuff which insults my intelligence; if I’ve not given it, I’ll download it!
The BBC needs to stop being a dinosaur with absurdly, overpriced studio technology and contractors, stop being a slave to Microsoft and have the guts to make more innovative and quality TV; I do see some signs of hope with the “The Truth About Property” mini series and use of Real media codecs for some BBC TV shows, given I am a property Bear and detest Windows media codecs, even for Windows!