You are here: silicon.com > Retail & Leisure > News

BBC iPlayer petition hits 10,000

Non-Windows users making their voices heard...

Tags: linux, macs, open source, prime minister

By Tim Ferguson

Published: 23 July 2007 16:26 GMT

More than 10,000 people have signed an e-petition on the 10 Downing Street website urging the BBC to make its iPlayer available to non-Windows users.

At the time of writing, 10,006 people had signed the petition calling for the Prime Minster to instruct the BBC to provide the iPlayer for other operating systems, such as Linux or Apple's OS X.

iPlayer is the BBC's online on-demand television service which was launched last month. It will be available for public download on 27 July - but only for Windows XP users.

Cheat Sheets

♦ Web 2.0
♦ Mash-ups

At the launch of the iPlayer last month, Ashley Highfield, director of future media and technology at the BBC, said: "I'm fundamentally committed to universality. We're not favouring one platform over another."

He added: "Our general rule of thumb is to reach the biggest audiences first."

A BBC statement said it is in the corporation's interests to make its content as "widely available as possible".

The BBC added that developing a version for Apple Macs and Microsoft Vista is "absolutely on our critical path for this year".

Open source industry group, the Open Source Consortium has been invited to meet the Beeb's independent governing body - the BBC Trust - to discuss its concerns about the iPlayer.

  1. Zones
  2. Management
  3. Networks
  4. Software
  5. IT Services
  6. Hardware
  1. Verticals
  2. Public Sector
  3. Financial Services
  4. Retail & Leisure


  • Jobs
Software Packaging and Windows XP Build technician

We are looking for experienced Windows XP and Desktop build professionals to take responsibility for implementing all changes to the Desktop ...

1st - 3rd Line Support Analyst

The 1st - 3rd line Support Analyst will: * Provide 1st - 3rd line desktop, software, and (basic) networking support * Perform data archiving and ...

IT Support Manager

Duties include: Management of the business network: - DHCP, WINS, DNS, RAS, TCP/IP, VPN, NetBIOS, Ethernet, LAN, WAN - Monitoring the server, network ...

Petra Papinniemi
Legal Eye: Ecommerce held back by outdated laws
No wonder no one's buying...

Matthew Cushen
E-tailers: Be choosy overseas
Markets are not always what they seem

Tim Ferguson
'If you look at iPlayer from a distance, it's still very web 1.0'
Q&A: Erik Huggers, director, BBC's Future, Media and Technology

Kit Burden
Legal Eye: Tech could brighten retailers' gloom
Regulation and recession loom

Matthew Cushen
Retailers: Look to emerging markets
Comment: Massive opportunities if you get the IT right

Julian Goldsmith
How Zavvi lost its Virginity
IT director Tony Johnson on the retailer's changing web strategy

Agenda Setters 2009
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.


IT services
Outsourcing, offshoring and much more...



Quick Sitemap Links: