__/ [B Gruff] on Friday 17 February 2006 14:21 \__
> The BBC is inviting viewers to join the Climate Prediction Programme - a
> project along the lines of Seti, with "background" S/W running the climate
> model.
>
> See here:-
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4702636.stm
>
> - and to take part, it takes you here:-
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/climatechange/
>
> The film etc. is all Windows (and thank-you trolls, but it DOES play under
> my Linux/Firefox!), but then one goes to the FAQ (Under Help and Support):-
> http://bbc.cpdn.org/help.php
>
> - and under 2., Dowloading and starting the experiment, we see:-
> "Can I use Linux or a Mac?
> Many Linux kernels are suitable. If you are running Linux, you can download
> (http://bbc.cpdn.org/download/mirror.php?file=bbcclimate.sh)
> a Linux version of the software. After the download, you will need to
> 'chmod u+rx bbcclimate.sh', then './bbcclimate.sh' to install"
>
> So - Auntie has done it - become Linux-aware!
> Granted, difficult to find, and little in the way of instruction compared
> with pages and pages of Windows stuff, but I would suggest that at the
> moment, any Linux user reading what I have quoted above would know exactly
> what we are talking about and how to go about using it - agreed?
> In short, I would plead that the BBC is implicitly saying "We don't need to
> tell these Linux folks much - if they use Linux, we take it as read that
> they know what they are doing"!
> (I told you I was on-topic!)
The BBC have been sticking to this strategy with their short netcasts for at
least a year. They provided Real Player feeds and they bothered to give
technical details to Linux users who, for once reason or another, struggled
to have Real Player installed.
Since you mention an all-Windows feed here, I guess it comes to say even more
about the BBC's openness (or lack thereof, depending on one's
point-of-view). You can possibly recall the attitude which had the BBC API's
exposed to the public as to make it less privatised and restricted.
Roy
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