The BBC has finally added Linux and Mac support to its iPlayer, a software solution for downloading programs from the company's extensive online collection. When it first premiered the iPlayer for Windows platforms only, the BBC received heavy criticism from the open-source community, arguing that a taxpayer-funded organization shouldn't be catering to the customers of only one software company. Downloads with the iPlayer software were wrapped in Microsoft's DRM, making the shows expire seven days after the first viewing, or thirty days after the date of download.

An interim solution has been to stream videos with a Flash player, which has let Linux and Mac users access clips, but only when they were tethered to an online connection. The new iPlayer software for those platforms finally allows downloads, just like the Windows version did. Both new releases are built on Adobe's AIR, a development environment for internet-based applications. Neither is available yet as a fully-finished, polished piece of software yet, but you can test them out by signing up for the free BBC Labs site. The iPlayer website provides some helpful instructions on installing the player.

Unfortunately, none of this new support for non-mainstream operating systems changes the fact that you need to be in the UK to access these videos. The BBC does a check on your IP address to determine if you're within its viewership range. While videos are disabled for foreigners, you can still access some BBC radio streams internationally.

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