Bbc Corrupted

[b._.o._.b]

One of the best things from the UK has always been the BBC. Independent, not funded by companies or commercials. I think this is bad news (and not only if you live in the UK)

http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/BBCcorrupted

 

[mdinire]

So this is why they were looking unlikely to port the iPlayer to Mac and even more unlikely to port it to Linux

 

[Orkie]

It's not good, but that site sounds like it's run by fanatics.

 

[b._.o._.b]

It's not good, but that site sounds like it's run by fanatics.

FSF is behind the site, some call them fanatics. In this case I think they have more than a point. In the Netherlands we have/had the same discussions. If something is funded by taxes it should automaticly become available for everyone and shouldn't be some proprietary closed format. The only reason I can think of why governments or other not commercial intitutions should choose otherwise is involvement from commercial parties that are lobbying with more than only words.

 

[nickspoon]

That article does sound rather like: "THE GOVERNMENT IS CORRUPT AND MICROSOFT. REVOLUTION, COMRADES!"

But it does raise an important point - why is a service provided by a publicly funded organisation essentially acting as another reason to own a Microsoft operating system? Suppose that Mr. Mac user or Mr. Linux user is very fond of the BBC and wants more than anything else to be able to use the iPlayer. The DRM forces them to buy Windows (and possibly even a new computer), which means profit for Microsoft. Thus, company makes profit from a public service. Although I suppose they've been doing that for years, what with the PPI.

 

[Samba Pa Ti]

doesnt the license fee only apply to whats transmitted over the airwaves ?
afaik we pay the tv license so we can watch tv broadcasts (and listen to radio, in the past i think there was a seperate part)

i havent read the license lately but does it include some nonsense about online content ?
unless it says specifically that we are allowed to watch everything on the bbc ,online and free of drm then i dont see how it matters (its not like people are being done out of anything).

what pisses me off most is that they dont release enough factual programs on dvd and theres no way to email them to request somthing be put on dvd (theres a postal address).

QUOTE

In the Netherlands we have/had the same discussions. If something is funded by taxes it should automaticly become available for everyone and shouldn't be some proprietary closed format. The only reason I can think of why governments or other not commercial intitutions should choose otherwise is involvement from commercial parties that are lobbying with more than only words.



sure it should be available to those who paid taxes for the service, if its going to be funded by taxes , maybe the reason the bbc is in bed with microsoft is because of all the other countries leeching off its online services...
and all that crap about the 100$ laptop, well its tough luck i guess if they dont have windows installed, they dont pay tax either so its no loss to them.

 

[b._.o._.b]

sure it should be available to those who paid taxes for the service, if its going to be funded by taxes , maybe the reason the bbc is in bed with microsoft is because of all the other countries leeching off its online services...
and all that crap about the 100$ laptop, well its tough luck i guess if they dont have windows installed, they dont pay tax either so its no loss to them.

It's very important to have trustworthy independent information for everybody in the world.
I am even willing to pay for good content and the BBC can block ip's from other countries or make it necessary to register.

The arabic BBC doesn't have this problem, maybe it's time to switch
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1EB...6678862E31A.htm

 

[craigix]

I wonder what the BBC will do when someone cracks the system and releases alternative players?

 

[Orkie]

FSF is behind the site, some call them fanatics.

I'm one of those people, though I'd normally go for a stronger word when taking about them.

 

[Nova]

I don't really understand this, why isn't it just chalked up as one of those programs which can't run on Linux or Mac? I mean, seriously, just because BBC's lazy programmers only coded the iplayer for the most popular OS, it doesn't make them corrupt. As far as I'm aware, no money changed hands.

Please correct me if I am wrong in any of those statements, I couldn't bear to read the story, due to the incessant mac/linux fanboyism which was being presented therein.

 

[Javacat]

I don't really understand this, why isn't it just chalked up as one of those programs which can't run on Linux or Mac? I mean, seriously, just because BBC's lazy programmers only coded the iplayer for the most popular OS, it doesn't make them corrupt. As far as I'm aware, no money changed hands.

Please correct me if I am wrong in any of those statements, I couldn't bear to read the story, due to the incessant mac/linux fanboyism which was being presented therein.

^^^ What he said.

There are loads of programs on the BBC website that are windows only, and it has never been a problem before. Also, the BBC are already distributing media through the bittorrent client, VUZE, which is open source and runs on Windows, Linux and OS X.

 

[saehn]

The BBC recognizes that this is a problem and has stated that they will fix it. I don't think it's a case of whining on the part of the people who are complaining; the BBC is a public agency and its materials should be publicly accessible to all interested parties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intergrated_Media_Player

QUOTE
The BBC emphasises that it "has a commitment to platform neutrality and a remit to make its content as widely available as possible"[3], and that while the initial trial used a Microsoft-based technology, they are constantly looking for new technologies which would enable them to relax the restriction: Ashley Highfield, the BBC's director of Future Media and Technology, has explained that "we have always started with the platform that reaches the most number of people and then rolled it out from there". They also point out that not all of the content delivered through the iPlayer will be subject to DRM - live streaming content, for instance, may not need the same level of control, presumably implying that players for Mac OS X and Linux systems could be developed with a restricted range of content.

However, on April 19, 2007 the BBC announced that after online pressure from the British public (including an e-petition signed by over 10000 people[4]) that they would re-engineer the iPlayer to work on other platforms in the future.

 

[Squidge]

Well, the website to complain about software only running on a Microsoft OS doesn't render properly on my Firefox browser running under Linux, but works perfectly on IE/Windows.

Go figure :blink:

 

[LHC]

this software will not work on my xbox

sued

 

[Alex.]

When saying things like "BBC Corrupted", you'd think you'd be referring to their broadcast material, not to their online video formats. Sued for unimportance

 

[b._.o._.b]

Well, the website to complain about software only running on a Microsoft OS doesn't render properly on my Firefox browser running under Linux, but works perfectly on IE/Windows.

Go figure :blink:

You mean this one?

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/iplayer/

Nice site, you can make your own petition. Searched for gp2x, but there isn't a petition yet. Maybe time to make one and demand a d-pad

 

[clarky2o2o]

as far as I know the tv liscence now covers anything "broadcasted"


ON a side note: I dont like the bbc they tried to sue me last year :blink:

 

[Orkie]

Nice site, you can make your own petition. Searched for gp2x, but there isn't a petition yet. Maybe time to make one and demand a d-pad

You are going to ask the prime minister for a d-pad on the GP2X? :S

 

[Squidge]

ON a side note: I dont like the bbc they tried to sue me last year :blink:

They came thumping on my door too saying I didn't have a license and blah blah fine blah blah etc crap. Said I had a license and they basically said "Our computer says you don't, so no, you don't blah blah fine blah blah". When I proved I actually did, they just wondered off without saying a word. I asked for an apology and they completely ignored me and drove off.

b._.o._.b: No, not that one, the web site posted by the OP.

 

[Alex.]

What license? Is it a Britain thing?