Hello, The BBC has announced today a partnership with Microsoft to deliver "Web 2.0" (Whatever that means) content services to the public.
This concerns me greatly: * The fee paying public that finance the BBCs operations do not *all* use Microsoft technology. However we are facing the prospect of non-Windows using visitors to the BBC site experiencing a reduced level of content delivery or potentially no service. * If BBC online content is only available to Microsoft licence paying visitors this has an effect on the less privileged members of British society. I use GNU/Linux because it is a social and technology choice. People who live a lot closer to the poverty line than I do may use a Free operating system as a necessity. They should not be excluded from the educational and social benefits of the BBC websites * The content that ultimately is being paid for by the BBC licence payers is about to be locked away in a closed and proprietary format controlled by a foreign mega-corporation. This is worrying and is also contrary to the BBCs stated intention to open up their content. I would like the FSFE to respond to this news quickly and get a dialogue open with the BBC. Can we expand on the points above, introduce new points to make and thrash out an open letter we can send. Thanks ~sm _______________________________________________ Fsfe-uk mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/fsfe-uk
