Why isn't winamp Open Source

[One Eyed Pimp]

I have been involved with open source for a couple of years now and I would like to see winamp go open. I started using winamp about 2 weeks ago and reading the forum this week and I have read so many bug reports, complants, and feature request. I don't see why it wouldn't be openned. It's not like Nullsoft is going to sell it, and winamp is definitely having some trouble competing with some of the other players. As soon as the code was released the bugs would be fixed, and the features would be added. There would be big support from the Open Source community. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

[penguin22]

AOL owns winamp. Nullsoft sold out a while ago (they said it in one of their releases, not me). I take it that it meant that they could dedicate themselves to the winamp development making it a career instead of just a side project. Because of this, I don't think that AOL would permit this. Also, look at Linux, so many great versions, but also so much differences between one from another. If winamp went open source, everyone would add a bit here, a bit there and over time it might do one of the following:

Slowly become bloatware.
Eradicate old bugs, create many new ones!
Slow down development in place of organization.

These are just some of my opinions, feel free to speculate and pick them apart.

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Dave - penguin22

Beware The Penguin

[One Eyed Pimp]

Well winamp is not an OS its a mp3 player. All patches would be submited to nullsoft and there for if they didn't like the patch or though it was 'bloat' then they wouldn't put it in. I have worked with open source for a while and haven't ran into any of these problems, ever.

[penguin22]

Good points, well maybe a moderator can answer this? or an administrator... maybe even Justin? Let's wait and see.

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Dave - penguin22

Beware The Penguin

[Reverend Ike]

As stupid as AOL is, I highly doubt they are dumb enough to spend $80 million (or whatever the exact purchase price was) and then allow the source code to be distributed in any fashion.

Plus, since Nullsoft can't even keep their beta testers from leaking new version screenshots, etc., I don't think that AOL would be real confident about the security of a developer network.

So my guess is Winamp -> Open Source ain't gonna happen.

[Rosyna]

Why open source it? Name one open source product that has benefitted and is not an OS?

(Look at netscape, it has gotten MUCH worse since then)

[Winsane]

LAME

[implode]

AbiWord - http://www.abisource.com/

[HazE]

argh... i don't want to sift through 10 zillion lines of code to phuck with one small thing... does anybody really?

[iomegajaz]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by One Eyed Pimp:
All patches would be submited to nullsoft and there for if they didn't like the patch or though it was 'bloat' then they wouldn't put it in.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You must be joking. Do you seriously think that developers are going to go to the trouble of fixing bugs, adjusting shit (etc), and then be happy when Nullsoft says "No, we aren't gonna put your patch in the release"? Developers would release their own patches through alternative outlets, and we'd have billions of different Winamps out there, and in short (fuck this, I'm getting tired) IT WOULD SUCK ASS.

Bleh. Open source. Did wonders for Mozilla.

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Use verbs. http://www.iomegajaz.com -|- jaz@iomegajaz.com

[penguin22]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by iomegajaz:
You must be joking. Do you seriously think that developers are going to go to the trouble of fixing bugs, adjusting shit (etc), and then be happy when Nullsoft says "No, we aren't gonna put your patch in the release"? Developers would release their own patches through alternative outlets, and we'd have billions of different Winamps out there, and in short (fuck this, I'm getting tired) IT WOULD SUCK ASS.

Bleh. Open source. Did wonders for Mozilla.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep, I agree. You would hear, what version of winamp are you running? a lot more.

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Dave - penguin22

Beware The Penguin

[JMPZ]

I do like the developer network idea though. Don't make it completely open-source, but enlist a few good programmers to assist in bug-fixing and feature adding and stuff.

[penguin22]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JMPZ:
I do like the developer network idea though. Don't make it completely open-source, but enlist a few good programmers to assist in bug-fixing and feature adding and stuff.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I really like this idea. A developer forum would take a lot of burden off of the programmers shoulders, but it would have to be highly regulated, or things could go wrong. Imagine a copy of winamp source code falling in soniques hands.

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Dave - penguin22

Beware The Penguin

[Phyltre]

Imagine indeed!

I wish somebody would go ahead and leak the code so it'll be out of AOL's hands. Then we could crossbreed it with (free) Moodlogic and wage war against the RIAA.


Capitalism must be tempered by the will of the informed!!!

[MegaRock]

It's not a ghost....it's a thread BACK FROM THE DEAD!

[ctn|chrisw]

*chris smites the recoverer

[Too-DAMN-Much]

*turns away from this thread entirely shaking his head, open source much bad juju, me no likey

[DuaneJeffers]

HOLY SHIT! I have seen people there that were starting to go non existent when I joined!

-Duane

[Too-DAMN-Much]

*waves to duane

you can't get rid of Too-DAMN-Much, he just lurks big time :D

[Bizzeh]

it boils down to 2 things
1. because they dont want it to be open sourced
2. because it makes money, open source will stop that

[fwgx]

3. Bugs just wont get fixed as described.
4. There's no point at all.

[Jay]

5. They got to eat too.

[DrO]

Developers would release their own patches through alternative outlets, and we'd have billions of different Winamps out there, and in short ... IT WOULD SUCK ASS.and i totally agree with that sentiment. all of the views on open sourcing Winamp have never convinced me and the potential of multiple different versions really isn't good imho.

if Winamp does die i'd rather it be left as a solid and stable version (as it has become) instead of going back to the old 2.6x/2.7x days that i was aware of. but hey i break winamp enough as it is so who am i to say anything :)

-daz

[Bilbo Baggins]

Phyltre, why are you resurrecting and REPLYING to threads that are years out of date?

[Phyltre]

It's nostalgia. Plus I said I would in a post like two days ago, and that's just a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And hey, people sure seemed to still have similar sentiments...

I might do this once a week/month, it's fun. It could become an art.

[Too-DAMN-Much]

can i help? ;)

[prodangle]

Originally posted by Phyltre
I might do this once a week/month, it's fun. It could become an art.
Who knows, you might bring olde forum hacks back from the dead too... :D

[Bilbo Baggins]

Originally posted by Phyltre
It's nostalgia. Plus I said I would in a post like two days ago, and that's just a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And hey, people sure seemed to still have similar sentiments...

I might do this once a week/month, it's fun. It could become an art.

Or it could lead to a lot of locked threads. You choose.

[Phyltre]

No, that would be YOU choosing.

See, you're a mod and I'm not.

[Banjo]

well without them being brought back they're as good as locked anyway..