Bye bye Nullsoft
For those of you not paying attention to tech news this week, fabled internet and computer software veteran Winamp if finally bowing out of the stage. Once the MP3 and desktop music player of choice, Winamp aged over the years, overtaken by competition and destroyed by management (as described in this Ars Technica piece), what was once the world's best and most recognizable music player is now less than a month from going the way of the dodo. Owner and operator AOL has decided at last to pull the plug.
Yes, much to the surprise of most who remember Winamp, AOL is actually still around (I drive by their Silicon Valley office occasionally). The owner of the Huffington Post Media Group, AOL has somewhat rebranded itself into a media company, one that makes actual money (somehow), partially by selling off the remaining products and patents they accumulated during their years of actual relevancy. But one storied internet giant has decided not to postpone the demise of another, and so Winamp exits, stage left.
Well, eventually. Should you be overcome by nostalgia you still have until December 20th to download the last build.
Yes, much to the surprise of most who remember Winamp, AOL is actually still around (I drive by their Silicon Valley office occasionally). The owner of the Huffington Post Media Group, AOL has somewhat rebranded itself into a media company, one that makes actual money (somehow), partially by selling off the remaining products and patents they accumulated during their years of actual relevancy. But one storied internet giant has decided not to postpone the demise of another, and so Winamp exits, stage left.
Well, eventually. Should you be overcome by nostalgia you still have until December 20th to download the last build.