Comments on: Nullsoft's future in a void

Recent departure of a Nullsoft founder raises questions about the future of the Winamp media player.

Why won't AOL just give up?

Another Operating Loss (AOL) just can't get it. What do they have that is successful? Or more correctly, successfully managed? It amazes me that Time Warner doesn't just put a fork in AOL and call it done. No future for the fools at (and subscribing to) AOL. Netscape, WinAMP and everything else AOL gobbles up in the technology world just languishes and dies.

[katamari]

Alternatives are few.

There really are no decently acceptable alternatives to Winamp -- at least not for those of us who rely heavily on customised plug-ins. Foobar2000 doesn't cut it (the author needs to be beat in the head with a UI cluebat), Sonique is intended for the xtc-dxm-dropping raver crowd due to it's excessive focus on visualisations, Windows Media Player shouldn't even be considered, and Apple's iTunes for the PC hasn't been discussed since it's initial release.

Sooner or later someone is going to have to work on a Winamp-like media player that supports, 100% accurately, the Winamp plugin API.

Until then, the reality of the situation is that people will continue to use Winamp no matter if the devs are off smoking an 8-tube Graffix bong in San Francisco somewhere, or working for Apple.

[Ubber geek]

UI cluebat

http://www.analogstereo.com/jaguar_xjs_owners_manual.htm

[TimeBomb]

This is why I detest large companies

I'm no fan of Winamp, but this is just another example of how big business sucks the life out of everything it touches. I can't tell you how sick I am of large corporations devouring everything in their path, commercializing and bastardizing everything, and then leaving a charred mess in their wake, devoid of all the substance it once had.

And I'm not just referring to software. The same thing happens with every product and service you can imagine, and the marketplace in general. Their fear of missing out on a buck means that they can never leave a good thing alone.

I know I'm waxing quixotic, and yes, if I were Frankel, of course I would've taken the money and run, too. Oh well.