smallfries - Slashdot User

Submission + - Irresistible Force Meets Immovable Object (theregister.co.uk)

Submitted by smallfries on Wednesday March 12, 2008 @03:15PM

smallfries writes: After a long battle with Linux users in the UK, the BBC was forced into releasing a flash version of the iPlayer streaming service to fulfil their obligations to license-fee payers. After claiming that development of linux and mac versions of the iPlayer would take two years, the beeb has rushed to support the iPhone. Unlike those untrustworthy scum who use non-microsoft operating systems, iPhone users can be trusted because their platform is locked down ... so the beeb opened a non-DRM hole in the iPlayer to support them. This was guarded by the extreme security of User Agent strings! Long story shut, linux and mac users have made their own non-DRM, non-microsoft platform from firebug and wget. UK users can now watch (and keep) their favorite BBC shows, just follow the links in the 'el Reg story.

Submission + - Net Neutrality Debate crosses the Atlantic (independent.co.uk)

Submitted by smallfries on Sunday August 12, 2007 @06:07PM

smallfries writes: The network neutrality debate has raged on in the States for some time now. Now broadband providers in the UK have banded together to threaten the BBC that plans to provide programming over "their" network could disrupt operations. The BBC is being asked to cough up the readies to pay for bandwidth charges, otherwise traffic shaping will be used to limit access to the iPlayer. Strange really, I thought that the monthly fee we pay already was to cover access ... but maybe it only covers the final mile and they need to be paid twice to cover the rest of the journey.

Slashdot Top Deals