[Klug-general] iPlayer Letter Writing Campaign

[George Prowse]

Colin McCarthy wrote:
> On 7/19/07, *George Prowse* <cokehabit at gmail.com 
> <mailto:cokehabit at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
>     Colin McCarthy wrote:
>      > I am sure everyone has heard about the BBC iPlayer and it using
>     Windows
>      > DRM, meaning you have to use Windows to use the service when it
>     starts
>      > at the end of the month.
>      > Following a link on Alan Pope's blog someone has created letters
>     that we
>      > can edit, print out and then send to the BBC and your MP to complain
>      > about the closed system the BBC intends to use and show your
>     support for
>      > FLOSS.  FLOSS now is not free as you need to spend £1.50 on
>     stamps to
>      > send the letters, but well worth it. :-)
>      >
>      > You can read the orginal blog post here
>      > http://blog.paladine.org.uk/?p=14 and download the premade
>     letters here
>      > http://ubuntu-uk.org/downloads/iPlayer-Letters.tar.gz
>      >
>      > Get printing, stamping and mailing today!
>      >
>      > Colin
> 
>     Seeing as it is beta I see no reason why they should make an entirely
>     new player just for 1% of computers.
> 
>     As a beta tester for the last 3 months I can see the potential position
>     they would be in with non-DRM stuff. Basically there would be half the
>     programmes.
> 
>     Anyway, who really cares because they get binned after 28 days...
> 
>     _______________________________________________
>     Kent mailing list
>     Kent at mailman.lug.org.uk <mailto:Kent at mailman.lug.org.uk>
>     https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/kent
>     <https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/kent>
> 
> 
> Strangely enough I don't really care as I don't watch the BBC at all and 
> think the License TAX I have to pay is criminal as I hate the channel 
> and don't use it.  BUT this iPlayer thing has been big news amongst the 
> hard core free software people and as we also are  free software people, 
> thought we might want to join in the letter printing/sending and see 
> what happens.
> 
> I support free software for the same reasons as you do but recently 
people have been getting militant about it (probably something about 
GPLv3) and i'm starting to distance myself from those.

I find their stance on iplayer nothing but an excuse to get on the back 
of anyone who goes near DRM and as much as i hate the stuff, people use 
it as an excuse for *stealing*.

These letters have plainly been made up by people who have no clue about 
the project and what it offers.

I would also like to point out that I have signed and sent emails and 
put my name to just about every other anti-OSS petition that I could find.