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BBC Backpedals On Linux Audience Figures

Posted by kdawson on from the couple-orders-of-magnitude-between-friends dept.

6031769 writes "After recently claiming that only 400 to 600 Linux users visit the BBC website, the BBC's Ashley Highfield has now admitted that they got their numbers wrong. The new estimate is between 36,600 and 97,600 according to his blog post. He stops short of describing how Auntie arrives at these two widely different sets of numbers and how their initial estimate is two orders of magnitude out."

9 of 330 comments (clear)

  1. Did Micro$oft have anything to do with it? by cashman73 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    According to this, the BBC signed an agreement with Micro$oft, er, ... the devil, ... back in September of 2006 to collaborate on, "search and navigation, distribution and 'content enablement'". Makes you go, "Hmmmmmmmmm?",...

  2. Media companies will attemt to suppress Linux by Zombie+Ryushu · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think that media companies are going to fight until the bitter end to supress Linux users because so much of their DRM technology just doesn't work. Microsoft will play ball with DRM Media companies, Linux users are much more likely to fight.

    I have a theory that even if Linux users outnumbered Windows users, Game companies and Media companies would continue to do whatever they could to make Games and Media incompatible making the majority of people criminals so that they could stay in control of their content no matter what.

    Despite all the trolling that everyone says how horrible Linux is because companies produce broken hardware that don't support it, plays musical chairs with chip sets, Linux is turning into one of the greatest OSes the world has ever seen. Lets make sure 2008 is not the last year of Linux. Lets make sure Linux does not go quietly into the night,

  3. Different sets of numbers? by smurphmeister · · Score: 5, Funny
    He stops short of describing how Auntie arrives at these two widely different sets of numbers and how their initial estimate is two orders of magnitude out.

    English to metric conversion?

    1. Re:Different sets of numbers? by JasterBobaMereel · · Score: 5, Informative

      The British use metric more than 'merkins, we have it as a standard (except for a few exceptions, hey we're British...)

      In what other country can you buy a litre of petrol, drive a mile down the road at 30mph, under a 1.3m high bridge to buy a pint?

      --
      Puteulanus fenestra mortis
  4. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  5. Re:Nothing is solved, though by calebt3 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ever hear of Gnash?

  6. slashdotted perhapsity? by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    stops short of describing how Auntie arrives at these two widely different sets of numbers and how their initial estimate is two orders of magnitude out.

    Simple, one is before being slashdotted, and one is after.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  7. Re:Nothing is solved, though by dbIII · · Score: 5, Funny

    how about something that just works?

    What about the BLINK tag. Just as annoying as flash, carries just as much useful content as most flash but less resource intensive all around.

  8. Are other Linux estimates wrong? by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I would assume that the BBC did not invent its own method of measuring web traffic, but uses some package or service. If this got the number of Linux users so drastically wrong, how many other site's estimates of Linux users incorrect too? Could a lot more people be using Linux than we are told?