BBC caves in to open sauce downloaders

The Open Source Consortium (OSC) complained to the BBC, to the Department of Trade and Industry and to Ofcom that Linux didn't seem to be on the corporation's iSmorgasboard. Because the BBC Trust laid low in its lair, the OSC then threatened to moan about this to the European Commission.

The BBC will let people that have other operating systems access its content, it said today.

Future media BBC supremo, Ashley Highfield, said he is "fundamentally committed to universality" meaning anyone who pays a licence fee here in Blightyland will be able to get the "iPlayer".

We can't see the BBC going out of its way to making the thing work with BeOS, however. The rumour is there are souls out there who still advocate BeOS and unlikely as it seems, also pay the BBC licence fee.

Auntie Beeb will roll out a Mac version in autumn and promises to support Windows Volista and mobile systems, too. Some feel the BBC is a little too cosy with Microsoft. µ

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