Comments on: Real, Microsoft reach truce

Long-running antitrust suit against software giant ends in $460 million deal, with millions more to come in partnership efforts.
Photo: Gates, Glazer shake hands

[bobby_brady]

RealNetworks was lame anyways

I hated using their player. Just trying to download the thing was a problem. First they tried to hide the free version on their site. Second, there were marketing offers that were checked by default but hidden. You had to scroll to find them. Third, was their pathetic marketing.

[Aardasp]

Yes & No :-)

I agree with the negatives you site, I am also troubled with the way they are now doing some things... ...however, I have used "Real" since version 1, and I have always found their player to be excellent.

Since I am a firm believer in having a choice I am prepared to hang in there with REAL for now, and perhaps they will become less "shifty" in the future, and I am hoping this arrangement with MS will be a good thing for users everywhere.

[bobby_brady]

RealNetworks was lame anyways

I hated using their player. Just trying to download the thing was a problem. First they tried to hide the free version on their site. Second, there were marketing offers that were checked by default but hidden. You had to scroll to find them. Third, was their pathetic marketing.

[Aardasp]

Yes & No :-)

I agree with the negatives you site, I am also troubled with the way they are now doing some things... ...however, I have used "Real" since version 1, and I have always found their player to be excellent.

Since I am a firm believer in having a choice I am prepared to hang in there with REAL for now, and perhaps they will become less "shifty" in the future, and I am hoping this arrangement with MS will be a good thing for users everywhere.

[brian.lee]

hahaha...

"Apple does great products and has done a number of them in the music (realm)," Glaser said. "At the end of the day, we think consumers want choice. We think consumers want openness...Over time--it won't happen overnight--I think 'open' will beat 'closed.'"

The tables have turned have they not??? Openness... Ya you say that now that your crippled and slowly dying turn back the clock 5 years before iTunes music store was around I seem to recall Real being the jackasses.

[mstlyevil]

Definition of openess

What they mean by openess is that they are free to compete with Apple in a closed source propietery type of way. They do not mean making all their codecs open source for the general public to enjoy.

[brian.lee]

hahaha...

"Apple does great products and has done a number of them in the music (realm)," Glaser said. "At the end of the day, we think consumers want choice. We think consumers want openness...Over time--it won't happen overnight--I think 'open' will beat 'closed.'"

The tables have turned have they not??? Openness... Ya you say that now that your crippled and slowly dying turn back the clock 5 years before iTunes music store was around I seem to recall Real being the jackasses.

[mstlyevil]

Definition of openess

What they mean by openess is that they are free to compete with Apple in a closed source propietery type of way. They do not mean making all their codecs open source for the general public to enjoy.

[Earl Benser]

The usual MS solution....

... when they get caught with their foot off the base, the MS war
chest comes into action to buy off the plaintiff. It does seem to
work, right from the first when Bill got caught promising DOS to
IBM when he didn't have anything like that available. Allen saved
Gates' ass by shucking a DOS like item from a local programmer
for like $75,000. A little bit of MS innovating (maybe from CFM)
and IBM DOS was born. The war chest was begun, and it has
been very useful over the years.

Unfortunately, MS's technique of buying off the plaintiff
sometimes also puts the plaintiff into the MS fold. Real seems to
have been sucked in that way, and based on what I have seen of
Real, Gates would be better off sticking with WMP. And having
both Real and WMP is likely to cause MS interbreeding with very
defective results.

Time will tell, and in the meantime, I go on with iTunes, and my
IiPod Mega audio and video player. Someday I may go back and
see what happened to Real, or to WMP.

[SystemsJunky]

Real...What a JOKE.

How about real just stops developing the REALly Crappy player and just allow MS to use the codecs within WiMP. Then Glaser can bask in the glory of his millions and go play with himself and steve jobs.

It begs the question

Q. When will M$ be able to make more money - licencing their technology to others, rather than locking up the respective market?

On that day......I celebrate - a M$ that enables others, takes the licencing money & does NOT stifle competition......and it COULD happen.

[Earl Benser]

The usual MS solution....

... when they get caught with their foot off the base, the MS war
chest comes into action to buy off the plaintiff. It does seem to
work, right from the first when Bill got caught promising DOS to
IBM when he didn't have anything like that available. Allen saved
Gates' ass by shucking a DOS like item from a local programmer
for like $75,000. A little bit of MS innovating (maybe from CFM)
and IBM DOS was born. The war chest was begun, and it has
been very useful over the years.

Unfortunately, MS's technique of buying off the plaintiff
sometimes also puts the plaintiff into the MS fold. Real seems to
have been sucked in that way, and based on what I have seen of
Real, Gates would be better off sticking with WMP. And having
both Real and WMP is likely to cause MS interbreeding with very
defective results.

Time will tell, and in the meantime, I go on with iTunes, and my
IiPod Mega audio and video player. Someday I may go back and
see what happened to Real, or to WMP.

[SystemsJunky]

Real...What a JOKE.

How about real just stops developing the REALly Crappy player and just allow MS to use the codecs within WiMP. Then Glaser can bask in the glory of his millions and go play with himself and steve jobs.

It begs the question

Q. When will M$ be able to make more money - licencing their technology to others, rather than locking up the respective market?

On that day......I celebrate - a M$ that enables others, takes the licencing money & does NOT stifle competition......and it COULD happen.

[Heebee Jeebies]

This is so bogus...

Now it seems like any company that can't put out a decent product goes after Microsoft, blaming them for their lame duck product.

Real didn't get crushed because of Windows Media Player and Microsoft it go crushed because they had crap software. I have never seen any program that installs for advertising crap the Real's products.

Real needs to get real and realize that their stuff sucks, it isn't worth money and it isn't worth downloading for free with all of the adware crap.

Microsoft shouldn't pay them a cent. But, I guess these days this is a businesses servive. They don't do it because they have a good product, a product that consumers like and want, they do it by law suites.

Robert

[Heebee Jeebies]

This is so bogus...

Now it seems like any company that can't put out a decent product goes after Microsoft, blaming them for their lame duck product.

Real didn't get crushed because of Windows Media Player and Microsoft it go crushed because they had crap software. I have never seen any program that installs for advertising crap the Real's products.

Real needs to get real and realize that their stuff sucks, it isn't worth money and it isn't worth downloading for free with all of the adware crap.

Microsoft shouldn't pay them a cent. But, I guess these days this is a businesses servive. They don't do it because they have a good product, a product that consumers like and want, they do it by law suites.

Robert

[unknown unknown]

Consumers what choice

and indeed they have it. Many of them have chosen not to uses Real service. They've opted instead for iTunes and to a lesser extent Napster 2.0. Real did it's self in when decided to hide spyware in a version of Real player (which was discovered by GRC's founder Steve Gibson) and configuring the installation program in such a way as to maximize the potential to for user to sign up for extra services they didn't necessarly want as the opt-outs where hidden in various places through out the installation. As far as Real player goes, for a fair length of time they had their website designed to make it very hard to find the free version. Most of the obvious links lead to a pay version.

Totally agree

Yep that's the time I used my choice to uninstall Real. No more spyware from Real.

Microsoft needs friends to make up marketshare against Apple. This is nothing more than a financial life-raft for Real, since Real and all the other "Play's for Sure" companies are failing financially.

Rio is down, Real was close, Napster is already so far in the red it's just a matter of time before that plug gets pulled.

tic tic tic...

[unknown unknown]

Consumers what choice

and indeed they have it. Many of them have chosen not to uses Real service. They've opted instead for iTunes and to a lesser extent Napster 2.0. Real did it's self in when decided to hide spyware in a version of Real player (which was discovered by GRC's founder Steve Gibson) and configuring the installation program in such a way as to maximize the potential to for user to sign up for extra services they didn't necessarly want as the opt-outs where hidden in various places through out the installation. As far as Real player goes, for a fair length of time they had their website designed to make it very hard to find the free version. Most of the obvious links lead to a pay version.

Totally agree

Yep that's the time I used my choice to uninstall Real. No more spyware from Real.

Microsoft needs friends to make up marketshare against Apple. This is nothing more than a financial life-raft for Real, since Real and all the other "Play's for Sure" companies are failing financially.

Rio is down, Real was close, Napster is already so far in the red it's just a matter of time before that plug gets pulled.

tic tic tic...

[digitallysick]

real networks = garbage

the best thing real player ever made, was the first few versions of real, where it was just a player that played .ram or whatever files. Now its trash, rhapshody is lame to, together with M$ it will be more garbage put with windows........ and windows media player is terrible!!! why cant someone just make a media player like VLC , make it come with all codecs!

[digitallysick]

real networks = garbage

the best thing real player ever made, was the first few versions of real, where it was just a player that played .ram or whatever files. Now its trash, rhapshody is lame to, together with M$ it will be more garbage put with windows........ and windows media player is terrible!!! why cant someone just make a media player like VLC , make it come with all codecs!

[Mendz]

$aving Real...

... because Real needs $aving. I think they just need the cash ASAP... I see M$ winning in this deal. Those technology solutions to support Real are blank and can be done to support anyone. Let's just say Real will simply be aligned to the same level of partnership as those that can be listed in the Media Player's guide. Pffft...

[Mendz]

$aving Real...

... because Real needs $aving. I think they just need the cash ASAP... I see M$ winning in this deal. Those technology solutions to support Real are blank and can be done to support anyone. Let's just say Real will simply be aligned to the same level of partnership as those that can be listed in the Media Player's guide. Pffft...

[Earl Benser]

One other thought....

... this is an attempt by MS to try to outflank the EU court decision,
since Real was one of the primary plaintiffs. Sneaky litte bunch of
lawyers at MS = perfect match for Ballmer

[Earl Benser]

Doh....

This version of the article points that out.

Sorry for my flair for the obvious........

[Earl Benser]

One other thought....

... this is an attempt by MS to try to outflank the EU court decision,
since Real was one of the primary plaintiffs. Sneaky litte bunch of
lawyers at MS = perfect match for Ballmer

[Earl Benser]

Doh....

This version of the article points that out.

Sorry for my flair for the obvious........

Microsoft, the Michael Jackson of Tech

MS continues to staunch legal wrangles by infusing cash into the former competitors. Sounds like the Michael Jackson approach to me.

Meanwhile, Real is like the Woolworths of Tech. They sell nothing but junk and are soon to be out of business.

[R. U. Sirius]

That's funny

I think I'll use that line, MS uses the Michael Jackson method of settling lawsuits. :-)

Microsoft, the Michael Jackson of Tech

MS continues to staunch legal wrangles by infusing cash into the former competitors. Sounds like the Michael Jackson approach to me.

Meanwhile, Real is like the Woolworths of Tech. They sell nothing but junk and are soon to be out of business.

[R. U. Sirius]

That's funny

I think I'll use that line, MS uses the Michael Jackson method of settling lawsuits. :-)

Meanwhile, in other news

Glaser may be happy now, but let's see what Apple has in store at their "special event." My guess is that is will be something that Glaser will absolutely despise.

Meanwhile, in other news

Glaser may be happy now, but let's see what Apple has in store at their "special event." My guess is that is will be something that Glaser will absolutely despise.