Linux Adds a Media Player

[DudeAsInCool]

In his article 'One Small Step in Uphill Fight as Linux Adds a Media Player', NYTimes technology writer Steve Lohr takes a look at Linux's David and Goliath battle against Microsoft:

Published: June 28, 2004

GNU Linux, the free computer operating system, has had far more success in winning converts in corporate data centers than on desktop personal computers. But as more user-friendly software makes its way onto the Linux desktop, the free operating system is starting to make progress in its David-vs.-Goliath competition against Microsoft, the dominant power in PC software.

Another step in the progress of Linux in personal computers will come today, when two large Linux distributors, Red Hat and Novell, are expected to announce that they will ship the media-playing software of RealNetworks in their Linux desktop products.

RealNetworks, founded by Rob Glaser, a former Microsoft executive, was the early leader in software for playing digital music and video files sent over the Internet. Its media-playing software competes with Microsoft's Windows Media Player.

That rivalry has become an antitrust issue, and the European Commission ruled in March that Microsoft was illegally using its Windows monopoly in PC operating systems to try to control the market for media-playing software. The commission ordered Microsoft to offer a version of Windows without a media player - a ruling Microsoft is appealing. Yesterday, the European Commission agreed not to enforce a deadline of today that would have forced Microsoft to sell the unbundled version in Europe, while a court in Luxembourg considers the matter.

RealNetworks had previously reached distribution agreements with TurboLinux, which is strong in Asian markets, and Sun Microsystems, whose Java desktop software runs on Linux.

"Linux is making rapid progress on the desktop, and this makes our technology the de facto standard for media-playing software on Linux," said Dan Sheeran, a senior vice president at RealNetworks.

You can read the full story at the Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/28/technology/28linux.html

[alliercollins]

Ah god.. Why Real? Anything but Real...

I didn't know there was anyone on this planet who even still liked it. People tend to hate it so much that they had to make Real Alternative just so people could play back the few files still in rm format, without having to install Real Player.

Just when I was about to get my Linux pc kicking again... :(

[DudeAsInCool]

It would have been a better business and technological move to go with Apple... :reallymad:

[HolyLiaison]

RealPlayer isn't that bad on Linux.

Windows? That's a whole nother story....