BBC admits massive underestimate of Linux users

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 6 Nov 2007 at 10:34

The BBC has backtracked on claims that it has only hundreds of Linux users accessing its website.

Last month, the BBC's director of BBC Future Media and Technology, Ashley Highfield, told a magazine that just 400-600 Linux users visited the BBC sites every week. Now, Highfield claims on his blog that the figure could be as high as 97,600.

The initial figures caused disbelief in the Linux community, prompting the creation of a petition to gauge the true number of Linux users. This petition had over 2,000 signatures at the time of writing.

The incorrect figures have been blamed on the way that the BBC records traffic levels.

"The BBC uses a range of systems to calculate user levels and the reporting system used to provide the numbers I quoted gave the lowest number (this is the system we use the most widely, and I've asked for a thorough check to see whether it is correctly picking up all Linux users)," says Highfield.

"Alternative analysis... suggests that the potential number of Linux users could range from 0.3% to 0.8%."

The figures are critical for the open-source community, as the BBC is currently assessing whether there is sufficient demand for Mac and Linux versions of its iPlayer software. The BBC Trust though, has said that the corporation must supply versions for other operating systems, irrespective of demand.

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