[Fsfe-uk] Re: GNU/Linux users - sign petition to say you use BBC website!

[Mark Preston]

> Hello there,
> 
> The BBC's head of technology is claiming that only about 400-600 people use
> GNU/Linux to access the BBC, as part of their PR excercise glossing over
> how badly they've got it wrong with their M$-only iPlayer (see
> http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/15/1721229 and for background
> see
> http://tom.acrewoods.net/blog/2007/aug/bbc-corrupted-iplayer-protests-uk).
> 
> If you've used GNU/Linux to access the beeb, can you sign the petition
> below? Please circulate widely.
> 
> http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/linuxbbc
> 
> Kind regards,
> Tom

Hi Tom,
Thanks for the link.
I signed the petition and here is my "comments"

The only programme I tried to download using
the iPlayer scheme was Heston Blumenthal's "Perfect Fish and Chips".
Having gone through the rigmarole of booting my only WindowsXP
containing computer (a laptop dual booted with Knoppix3.3). After
upgrading Internet Explorer to version 7. I then eventually managed to
download the Iplayer version of the cooking programme. Unfortunately
when I tried to view the programme, although the film was fine I
couldn't get the sound to work. Having used Linux almost exclusively for
the last five years or so I couldn't remember how to configure the sound
under Windows. I aimlessly clicked a few buttons with my mouse, but no
joy. Seven days later the licence to view expired. I can confirm that
watching Heston Blumenthal cook Fish 'n Chips with no sound is not
riveting. Maybe I should have downloaded something by Charlie Chaplin.
Anyway I'm back using Linux now and the sound works, but unfortunately
not BBC iPlayer.

-- 
Regards,
Mark Preston