h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"We have 17.1 million users of bbc.co.uk in the UK and, as far as our server logs can make out, 5 per cent of those [use Macs] and around 400 to 600 are Linux users"
from article @ http://www.tech.co.uk/computing/internet-and-broadband/news/bbc-not-in-bed-with-bill-gates-over-iplayer?articleid=36522951

Well Linux isn't exactly the most popular OS around is it...

A few months ago I switched my Internet-Cafe to Linux ... unfortunately it didn't last too long ... 10 days to be exact. There was a problem and then another ... until every day. Now I'm back to good? ol' windows! Shame ...

sorry, windows is BAD

I know i'm using it, but it's BAD

I know ... but at least I tried Embundo! There were so many problems - even the people that advised me (my IT gurus/geeks) gave up and now we've got Windows Server somethingorother!! There are also problems with this, but at least the computer are up and working!

I suspect the figures come from the data used to compile the info at http://www.currybet.net/articles/user_agents/2.php

JozCoz, you might be interested in the articles at http://www.desktoplinux.com/articles/AT9727687530.html

I'll read it when I get home, but in the meantime I'll say that I got a laptop with Vista inbuilt and last week the motherboard melted.

and it's still broken now

Traveller in Time counting
" and I am two or three of them. Still also with three or four machines on windoze. "

my niece is now using Linux (well unbuntu - gawd it was a pain to set up) so that's one more for the count...

It won't work on my machine

It was certainly disheartening to read a spokesman for the BBC sounding so dismissive of Linux but the use of the operating system on home computers is growing and will probably accelerate as the big PC suppliers are now offering their products with Linux pre-installed.

I think that the BBC would generally benefit from being patrons of the Open Source community. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a BBC Linux distribution? This is the distro from the BBC..... sounds good to me...

Especially if we could get a linux version of iPlayer...

I've just put Ubuntu onto my laptop...

Excellent news that you are now running Ubuntu on your laptop!

I must confess that when I first encountered this conversation to being irritated to read that people are still saying that it is difficult to work in practice using Linux operating system.

I had foolishly and naively thought that the world had moved on from the time where Linux was thought to be the platform of choice for cranks, romantic dreamers and half crazed anti big business idealists and that Linux had finally become a mainstream product.

I think that where we now stand is that Linux IS in a position to become a significant mainstream product. It is a viable choice - people just have to choose to use it. Sadly a person's choice is still partially dependent on what they want to do - if you want to play Windows based PC games then Linux is not the operating system for you - but outside of gaming, I think you can safely say that Linux is a good, stable and cheap alternative to using Windows.

This is why I was so upset about the appearance of the BBC's iPlayer. It appeared to be an active and deliberate 'slap in the face' to those people who would like to be independent of Microsoft.

Now that I have read about some of the design constraints that the Beeb had to work with (the legal need for copy-write protection for example) I feel that the Beeb were doing their level best to work in the real world and were not just trying to win Bill Gates brownie points - although the 400 to 600 visitors claim still does sound like black propaganda.

On reflection, this whole episode is just more evidence that Linux is now running with the big boys.

If the BBC iPlayer is to also to run with the big boys, it will have to offer a Linux based version as there are plenty of open source products out there that will do the iPlayer's job.

I would like to use a BBC product to watch my beloved BBC programmes on-line but I am determined to run only Linux on my next laptop - last time around I was dual boot - and the BBC is not going to stop me doing that.

"but outside of gaming, I think you can safely say that Linux is a good, stable and cheap alternative to using Windows"

http://www.happypenguin.org/
&
http://kahvipapu.com/blog/2007/06/16/linux-gaming-part-one-first-person-shooters/ (A four part guide to some of the better games on Linux)



Interesting to note that in the end the BBC by offering a streaming Flash based service has managed to come up with something that works with most of the major operating systems.

My current issue with Ubuntu is that NOTHING WORKS ON IT

so I'm still runnung Vista

{it's dual boot}

It's great to hear you have got NOTHING running on Ubuntu - what version have you got? NOTHING Version 3 has great graphics but NOTHING version 1 remains for me the great gaming experience... avoid version 2 at all costs it was a real dog.

I'm going to install ipod linux later though...