BBC Backpedals On Linux Audience Figures

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."

ah

[wizardforce]

They used Excel to calculate the first set of figures

Re:ah

[Dunbal]

Either that, or the promised "Free Laptop" from Microsoft failed to arrive.

Different sets of numbers?

[smurphmeister]

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?

Re:Hit Bots

[RuBLed]

Can't we just rent a partion of Storm Worm botnet to do this... ohhh wait....

Re:Different sets of numbers?

[dwater]

..or maybe they're using some kibihits or something.

Astronomy Related?

[hyades1]

Does this have anything to do with the "Intergalactic missing mass" in the other story? Perhaps the astronomers and the BBC should get together and compare notes. Maybe they'd find enough mass to account for the formation of galaxies and locate all those missing Linux visitors in one easy step.

Re:Nothing is solved, though

[dwater]

> > Install the 'flashplugin-nonfree package'.
> Gaa! Move the quote mark one word to the left.

What? "Install 'the flashplugin-nonfree package'"?

That doesn't work either. :p

300-600 Linux flavours?

[HyperJ]

Maybe they counted the wide variety of Linux flavours rather than individual users.

slashdotted perhapsity?

[Tablizer]

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.
       

But what we really want to know is

[Tablizer]

how many Commodore-64 visitors?

Re:Nothing is solved, though

[dbIII]

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.

Re:ah

[mrbluze]

They used Excel to calculate the first set of figures

.. which came complimentary with their Microsoft site license (both Excel and the figures!).

I'm so hurt. All this time I trusted the BBC as a veritable, reliable news service. I feel so.. so.. violated!

...not!

Re:Media companies will attemt to suppress Linux

[Nazlfrag]

It sounds outlandish, but when MS and the DReaM team gang up, hideously nightmarish shit like tilt bits and encrypted fucking system busses are the result. I think you're right, but I see the MS lockin and DRM lockin monsters being vanquished by Global Benevolent Dictator Linus the week after he is appointed lord and emperor over all mankind. Unfortunately we will have to wait till 2038 for this, at which time a rebellious renegade decides to port an ancient operating system to a revolutionary closed source architecture and MS is reborn. So the cycle of the saga of the ages continues, waxing and waning in the aeons.

Re:Linux, BBC, and RealPlayer

[dwater]

ok, so that's one.

anyone else?

Re:Different sets of numbers?

[Anonymous Coward]

You've have the conversion wrong as well cause if you drive under a 1.3 m high bridge you won't make it to the pint, at least not with your head in the same place

Re:300-600 Linux flavours?

[defnoz]

No, no - they were right the first time. 600 Linux users using 97,600 distros.

Re:Are other Linux estimates wrong?

[cheater512]

I wouldnt be surprised if the first number was in fact accurate until Slashdot linked to the site. ;)

Re:Nothing is solved, though

[immcintosh]

I think it's pretty clear he intended "flashplugin-nonfree package. Gaa"