Re: [Fsfe-uk] BBC's DRM Iplayer windows only

[Andy]

On 30/12/2007, Tim Dobson <address@hidden> wrote:
> While this makes
> it, to some degree, platform independant

I have mentioned this before but I certainly would not call Adobe
Flash platform independent. How is writing legal terms in the EULA
that says Tablet users must run Windows actually being independent?

Also can seem to find downloads for the following:
GNU/Linux on ARM
GNU/Linux on MIPS
GNU/Linux 64Bit
*BSD
Many many other platforms.

> Here, Here. In fact one of the things I think we should be doing is
> lobbying BBC, ITV & C4 about "Kangaroo", so they can jump in while
> they have the chance and design it using Free Software.

I asked the FSFE about why they didn't do much (if anything) about
iPlayer originally, apparently they have limited funds and this is not
a priority.

Apparently Public money collected forcefully by a government
authorised agency being spent on a marketing campaign of MS Windows
and Proprietary Software isn't important.

> We need to give them some seriously loud
> advice to use Free Software, and if we did, I think they would.

I doubt it. They are looking for any excuse to block all free
software. Why do you think iPlayer requires IE and ActiveX? There is
no technical reason what-so-ever for using ActiveX. It is there solely
to lock out Mozilla and it's ilk.

Why do you think it requires Adobe's flash? Again there is no
technical reason for it,. can't Gnash stream videos from YouTube. Does
that not prove streaming can be provided with free flash?

Also the BBC stated that an open source security system is easy to
break because you can see the code. You can also "see the code" with
Free software.
I doubt this is true however as I can read the specification for SSL
and other encryption algorithms and yet I still can't break them
easily. How odd, could the BBC have been lying?


> I didn't know there were kernel developers on the BBC Forums! Quick I
> need to ask them about why 2.6.25 isn't compiling on ARM! ;)

Might want to ask them how to put Adobe Flash on ARM as well while your at it.


The only way the BBC will ever use Free Software for iPlayer or it's
successors will be if it is forced by regulators to do so. That is the
only reason you can watch anything at all on a non-windows system
because the BBC Trust forced the BBC to do so.

Unfortunately the Trust and Ofcom have done nothing.

So basically we haven't got a chance in hell without government
intervention. And Gordon Brown said he isn't going to do anything
about this.

Such a pity that Freedom in the UK was destroyed so quickly an no-one
batted an eyelid.


Andy

-- 
Computers are like air conditioners.  Both stop working, if you open windows.
                -- Adam Heath