BBC techies are advising staff not to use the corporation's own news ticker service, Newsline. Our sources inform us an item in the corporation's internal mag Ariel reported that high network load because of the application had prompted the advice.

However, the BBC says the only reason staff are told not to use Newsline internally is that its developers haven't produced an version of the application compatible with Windows XP or Mac OS X. XP came out in October 2001 so the BBC's failure to adapt its news ticker to Microsoft's flagship OS smacks of neglect, if not abandonment. In fairness, Newsline is a marginal app and the BBC's site is very well maintained. But the failure of the BBC to eat its own dog food is less than a ringing endorsement.

In a statement, the BBC said: "The BBC can confirm that on 9 December Siemens Business Services, its technology services provider, informed BBC IT staff that the BBC news ticker is currently not compatible with the BBC desktop. The news ticker is currently not suitable for XP or Mac OS X desktops - which are widely used at the BBC. We are currently working on an upgrade which will include these versions." ®

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