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Topic: Winamp going away (Read 86623 times) previous topic - next topic
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Winamp going away

Reply #25 –
Quote from: SigHunter on
("first use experience", which is absolutely not acceptable


Nah, it's fine.


I'm more curious why there's not a peep about the reasons for this sudden disappearance of Winamp.

Winamp going away

Reply #26 –
I think Winamp lost a golden opportunity with the Winamp for Android app. If that app could have synced all the data like playcounts and lastplayed and offered Smart Playlists, it would have been a hit.
Glass half full!

Winamp going away

Reply #27 –
Quote from: bilbo on
I think Winamp lost a golden opportunity with the Winamp for Android app. If that app could have synced all the data like playcounts and lastplayed and offered Smart Playlists, it would have been a hit.


Again, they provided so many updates, with almost no interesting new features. I was hoping hat after sometimes, they 'll add anything to get back  old users. But not, it was just discontinued.  I'm wondering now if they weren't providing updates ... just for the sake of providing updates.

Winamp going away

Reply #29 –
Quote from: C.R.Helmrich on
Fraunhofer (still) have no influence on that, we just provide a codec library, and Nullsoft/AOL create the DLL. You could ask them if it's OK to post the DLL on HA's upload forum after Christmas (and meanwhile I'll ask my former boss what Fraunhofer thinks about that).

Btw, I'm just as surprised as you are about this complete halt of development. Glad I managed to get some very-low-rate CBR tunings into the 03.02.16.

Will there be anyone else to keep creating the DLL/s after Fraunhofer updates and improves features?

Thanks for the tuning.

Quote from: C.R.Helmrich on
Quote from: SigHunter on
time for foobar to brighten up the default config

I second that! Foobar needs an easier, more colorful default GUI for beginners.

100% disagree, like marc2003 said. I love how minimal and clean foobar2000 is, whoever doesn't can use something else like:

Quote from: nu774 on
I think real beginners are just using WMP, iTunes or something.
As an alternative player, I'd rather recommend MusicBee.

Winamp going away

Reply #30 –
Quote from: eahm on
I cringe just to look at his name. He has no idea how to perform a test, and said by me that never took a public one means a lot.

After being reminded of the Terms Of Service, you just continue in a different thread? Really, how immature.[/offtopic]

It has been a long time since I last used WinAmp too. I remember the recent involvement of Benski at the flac-dev mailinglist. It's a pity it has to end like this.


Music: sounds arranged such that they construct feelings.

Winamp going away

Reply #31 –
ktf, you're right, apologize about that.

Winamp going away

Reply #32 –
Quote from: Canar on
*looks for benski*

Good night, sweet prince.

Winamp was what I switched to foobar from.


I left Nullsoft a few months ago and now work at Spotify (I guess my forum title needs to be updated) which is why you haven't seen me around here much. 

This moment has been coming for a while, starting with the shut down of AOL Music back in April 2013, and really a long while before then.  A considerable effort was made to save/sell/spinoff the product, but it just wasn't meant to be. 

There was a lot of hope with the Android app (and I put a ton of work into what was essentially a brand new media playback engine).  Sadly, AOL decided to focus our development efforts on other thing and we just didn't have the time to keep either the Windows or Android apps up-to-date with new features (and new Android OS versions that always broke little things)

-benski

Winamp going away

Reply #33 –
I switched to foobar long ago, but I still remember sitting in IRC in '97-'98 waiting for the newest drop of winamp. 

Thanks for the memories, guys, and a really nice app.

Winamp going away

Reply #34 –
I've used Winamp from the get go.  Never had sufficient reason to switch.  So now I have to ask: What about all my plugins?  Does any other player support Winamp plugins?  Thanks for help.




Woody

Winamp going away

Reply #35 –
A really sad demise.

I'll always cherish that now far away day in August '98 when I first installed it & though other players took over its place (Foo, cough, bar) it has been constantly installed on all my PCs ever since, just in case.

I guess I've learned to associate it to MP3 somehow - though MP3 itself hasn't seen much of an use from my part lately, like Winamp, I guess I'll always have a soft spot for it.
• The older, the lossier
• Listen to the music, not the media it's on.
• "União e reconstrução"

Winamp going away

Reply #36 –
Quote from: woody_woodward on
I've used Winamp from the get go.  Never had sufficient reason to switch.  So now I have to ask: What about all my plugins?  Does any other player support Winamp plugins?  Thanks for help.


Woody


I'd risk saying users like you won't be left in the lurch somehow, given the sheer number of competent & generous programmers always happy to oblige. But that's obviously to be seen.
• The older, the lossier
• Listen to the music, not the media it's on.
• "União e reconstrução"

Winamp going away

Reply #37 –
Quote from: woody_woodward on
I've used Winamp from the get go.  Never had sufficient reason to switch.  So now I have to ask: What about all my plugins?  Does any other player support Winamp plugins?  Thanks for help.




Woody

There is a foobar2000 plugin that allows Winamp DSP plugins to be used in foobar2000. Not sure about other plugin types.

Winamp going away

Reply #38 –
Quote from: woody_woodward on
What about all my plugins?  Does any other player support Winamp plugins?

AFAIK XMPlay supports input, DSP and vis Winamp plugins.

(But Winamp itself still works, so why switch to another player?)

Winamp going away

Reply #39 –
Quote from: TomasPin on
Well, that's unfortunate. Never used it but a few friends did and still do; it was good software. Guess a whole new infux of foobar2000 users is coming!

It's be nice if it would result in a greater variety of visualizations DSP-s, and other third party stuff.

Winamp going away

Reply #41 –
Quote from: dhromed on
I'm more curious why there's not a peep about the reasons for this sudden disappearance of Winamp.


I believe it was a board decision of AOL.

Winamp turned into a legacy asset when it tried to be iTunes, but simply couldn't cut anything off its market share. In effect, Winamp became something for a more and more niche clientele, and it simply wasn't earning AOL any money. They've probably evaluated what's gonna happen in 12 months, if Winamp may become something more of a well that's eating money, and how their customer base will change if they close it now.

I believe it was quite apparent, that Winamp is gonna cost more and more, with a dwindling user base. At the same time, when getting rid of it, AOL isn't gonna lose any customers, really. So that decision was pretty much a quick one to make.

The quicker you get rid of something, the quicker you start saving money. It is a bit sad to put it that way, but Winamp simply doesn't matter anymore in a market share perspective.

Even if the market share is still quite large, it is very easy for users to switch, because services like iTunes exist. So getting rid of Winamp, won't set any users "adrift" in a void with no easy-to-use music player.

Personally, I remember using Winamp in the late 90's, and some time after that (I think it was Winamp 2 or something). Later, when doing webradios, I was using shoutcast DNAS for a time, before completely switching to Icecast and Liquidsoap.

Anyway, the stuff about getting rid of Winamp is just speculation of course. Getting rid of something quickly, removes chances for media picking up on it, and putting AOL in a bad light. It's an easy way to remove "drama" when possible.

Winamp going away

Reply #42 –
At my wedding on 9/27/9 I had a Winamp playlist loaded with 10 songs/clips that my fiancee and I particularly enjoyed. This was on a Samsung Q1 UMPC so it was a nice, compact setup. I had the entertainment (Atwater~Donnelly, a Traditional American Folk music duo) connect it to their amp and start the playlist when they took a break. Thank you, Winamp, for being part of my wedding!

Bill

Winamp going away

Reply #45 –
It's been a while since I last logged in here. It so happens that I see this news.

I have not been using Winamp for years, but still sad to see it go.

Winamp going away

Reply #46 –
Quote from: naturfreak on
http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/21/source-mi...inamp-from-aol/

The most reliable German IT magazine, heise.de, mentioned this too and noted that TechCrunch belongs to AOL. So it might be true. I wondered anyway why there was no focus on developing a Winamp app for WP8. Maybe that's one of the things we could see in the future.

eahm, marc2003: simplicity, clarity, efficiency and beauty don't have to be mutually exclusive. Foobar only offers the first three IMHO, Winamp 2.x also offered means for the fourth: skins.
Why not allow simple skinning in foobar, like in Winamp classic?

Chris
If I don't reply to your reply, it means I agree with you.

Winamp going away

Reply #47 –
I'd just like to echo all the other sentiments. Winamp hasn't been my main player for a long time, but it was amazing what it could do early on, and how innovative it was. The huge variety of plug-ins for DSP, input and output made this deceptively little player exceptionally powerful. I think I left it around the "mini browser" era, when the innovations stopped being interesting for me.

Interesting to hear people mention Winamp and iTunes in the same sentence. I know they compete commercially, but they were such different beasts in my mind that I always assumed they appealed to different kinds of users.

RIP Winamp. Glad to hear the plugins are supported elsewhere.

And of course, Winamp still runs, and hopefully will for many years yet. Plenty of software I use daily is many years old, so I don't get too worried about these things. It's the SW element of HW (i.e. drivers for sometimes expensive physical devices) which tend to cause headaches when the world moves on.

Cheers,
David.

Winamp going away

Reply #48 –
@C.R.Helmrich

foobar already offers more flexibility than any other player. you have a blank canvas to do whatever you like.

with default UI, you have to keep the main menu and status bar. everything else is down to the individual...



edit: just out of interest, what other players do you consider to be beautiful? i certainly don't think i've ever seen a winamp skin that would fall into that category.

Winamp going away

Reply #49 –
Quote from: marc2003 on
@C.R.Helmrich

foobar already offers more flexibility than any other player. you have a blank canvas to do whatever you like.
[...]


Most "beautiful" foobar themes require that you use "columns UI" , but I'm not a fan "columns UI" . Last time I tried "columns UI" , I found that the "playlist behavior" was not exactly the same, and I preferred the default one.  Unfortunately lot of  components are available only if you use  "columns UI".

Quote
edit: just out of interest, what other players do you consider to be beautiful? i certainly don't think i've ever seen a winamp skin that would fall into that category.


Mediamonkey offers some "serious" skinning, although it's not enough polished to be pleasing. There's a skin than makes mediamonkey look like itune.
There's also nice skin support for xmplay.  There's a skin to make xmplay look like winamp, that is very well done.