Jon Simpson
Sky Open Source Software Downloads
You should not experience any significant differences in the functionality that you enjoyed in the previous version of software. However, some of the software that has been loaded onto your Sky HD box is Open Source Software.
This new update coming down for Sky+ HD changes the OS on the box to be ‘darwin’. This is actually a codename for their new Linux-based firmware, rather than the open-source BSD variant maintained by Apple. Rumours suggest this update will make use of the Ethernet port on the back of the HD box to allow Sky Broadband customers to do video on demand. (Anytime+ in Sky parlance). Would be neat if this release spurred the development of alternate firmware for the box, but I’d expect there are proprietary hardware components not covered in the release.