The Steve Ballmer era has begun.
It seems Microsoft has failed to properly consider Mac users in the development of the NBC Olympics site. Video streaming is done through Microsoft Silverlight, which cannot be installed on Macs that are more than about a year or two old. I am personally affected by this, and can’t install Silverlight on my MacBook which I bought in June 2006.
In addition, most users of the iBook, older iMacs, and Mac Minis will not be able to install Silverlight to enjoy live video streaming or even highlights of the games in Beijing.
A Microsoft spokeswoman tried to downplay Microsoft’s inexcusable snub of Mac (and Linux) users by taking a swipe at the technology, saying that “a limited number of older systems” are unable to access the Olympics video. Uh, yeah. I know I’m not running the brand new MacBook Pro , but I think I should be able to watch streaming web video on a two year old machine. If it will work in IE 6 on a Windows 2000 Computer, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work on an Intel MacBook running Tiger and the latest version of Safari. (Yes, I know Microsoft says it works in the system requirements, but Silverlight won’t install, so what does that tell you?) I can view streaming video everywhere else on the net, so the argument that I am using one of “a limited number of older systems” is just dumb.
Via [The L.A. Times]
Rights to distribute video (whether on tv or on the internet) are controlled by the Olympics, and NBC bought rights to show video of the Olympics in the US only. This is why the content on ncbolympics.com is available only in the US.
I went to the NBC site, but didn't download 'Sllverstupid,' as I have a MAC and don't support Microsoft. Then again, I wasn't all that interested in the Beijing Olympics, as for the unevolved.
Well I tried to access the site, I installed Silverlight on my iMac with no issue to report on that area.
What I can tell you about, is that NBC Olympic site leaves not only some Mac users out, but also foreign users out. Even though I could install everything, I could not see a thing because I live in Venezuela.
All that content is for US residents only. I wanted to see Michael Phelps' performance and I'll have to do it somewhere else.
That can't be right, at least not on the internet. Whay shouldn't I be able to watch a video on the internet? Are they building fences now on the virtual highway? Am I going to be an illegal immigrant on some foreign web site? Would NBC and all the others be asking me to have a VISA to get into their web sites?
That was not a pleasant experience for me, I didn't understand it, and boy that's one excluding web page!
Of course I know the cause of the limitation. What I mean is that it's a weird feeling having this restrictions on the Internet. You're used to walls and limitations within countries in a physical way, but in the Internet you're just used to be free to read, see and watch anything, no matter where it comes from.
I wouldn't like to see the web turned into an extension of what we have here already.