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BBC Open Source launched

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the welcome-to-the-party-beeb dept.

Elphin writes "The BBC today launched their BBC Open Source website, providing a home for projects such as their video codec dirac , TV-Anytime Java API and Kamaelia network testbed."

7 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. licensing by $nickname_212 · · Score: -1, Troll

    ...at least they didn't introduce a new proprietary license.

  2. Re:Smart move by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    They're the government, and supported by a mandatory fee. They don't have competition.

  3. Re:Three cheers! by northcat · · Score: 0, Troll

    You're just an American who's pissed that a non-American organisation is doing this. Most of the other people making negative comments here are too.

  4. Don't mean to crash the party, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    ...but this has been done already. BBC is trying to cash in on the market already created by CBS in early June. Sorry, chaps.

  5. Re:Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Try these:

    1. Your licence fee that funds my coke habit by BBC staff

    2. The wagging finger of the nanny state by the BBC

    3. Mouthpiece for the government by the BBC

    4. Fat cats for pleb shows by the BBC

    5. How we try and look cool and 'with it' with RSS and FOSS by the BBC

    These are all excellent, you can find them on your favourite p2p service

  6. Re:Wow by ettlz · · Score: -1, Troll

    Go Fox!

  7. BBC & George Orwell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
    Do we really want to praise these people for contributing to open source? The Jerusalem Post is reporting on how the BBC is altering its already released news stories so they don't use the forbidden word, "Terrorism." Here's a sample:

    Britain's first bus bombing took place barely half a mile from the BBC's central London headquarters, and for a day or so after last Thursday's multiple bomb attacks the BBC, the influential leftist daily Guardian and even the British-based global news agency Reuters all seemed suddenly to discover the words "terrorism" and "terrorist." In Saturday's Guardian, for example, one or other of these words appeared on each of the first 11 pages.

    In marked contrast to BBC reports about bombs on public transport in Israel - bombs which in some cases were even worse than those in London since some were specifically aimed at children and most were packed with nails, screws, glass and specially-sharpened metal shards in order to maximize injuries - terms like "guerrilla," "militant," "activist" or "fighter" were suddenly nowhere to be seen.

    Nor - again in contrast to their coverage of Israel - did BBC correspondents, on either its domestic or international services, provide sympathetic accounts of the likely perpetrators, or explain to viewers that we must "understand" their "grievances." Instead they did what an objective news organization should do: just report on the attacks, and their atrocious nature, and on the sufferings of the victims....

    But the hope of many of the British taxpayers forced to fund the BBC that it had finally come to its senses and would henceforth call terror by its proper name turned out to be short-lived. By Friday, the BBC's World Service was slowly reverting to its old habits, both on air and on line. (Its domestic news broadcasts have for the time being continued using the word "terrorist.")

    Presumably hoping that no one would notice, the BBC subtly and retroactively altered its initial texts about the bombs on both its British and international Web sites. Unfortunately for the BBC, however, previous versions of its webpages remained easily accessible to all on Google, and enterprising British bloggers, long-fed up with the BBC's bias, recorded the changes.

    "Harry's Place" noted, for example, that on Thursday evening a BBC News webpage headlined "Bus man may have seen terrorist," began "A bus passenger says he may have seen one of those responsible for the terrorist bomb attacks in London. Richard Jones, from Binfield, had got a bus just before it was blown up...."

    But on Friday at 10:14 a.m. GMT, that webpage was suddenly changed. The headline now reads "Passenger believes he saw bomber," and the text begins "A bus passenger says he may have seen one of those responsible for the bomb attacks in London. Richard Jones, from Binfield, had got a bus just before it was blown up..."

    George Orwell, who I believe worked for the BBC during WWII, predicted a Ministry of Propaganda that in 1984 would do just this--alter past news stories to fit propaganda purposes. He seems to have gotten only the date wrong.

    During WWII the tuning signal for the BBC was the bold 'hammer blow" opening cords to Beethoven's Fifth Symptomy. Perhaps they need a new tuning signal. I suggest the clucking of a fussy hen. "Cluck Cluck, Cluck." Anyone who hears that will know beyond a doubt that they're reached the BBC.

    --Mike Perry, Seattle, Editor, Eugenics and Other Evils