

The Death of Winamp Says a Lot About the Tech World’s Vicious Utilitarianism - RougeFemme
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/11/20/winamp_the_death_of_the_iconic_mp3_player_says_a_lot_about_the_tech_world.html

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bruceb
How did Winamp make money? The problem is for most basic apps there is a free
alternative. This is a basic app. I think the founder got $100mill for it back
in the day.

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ywyrd
These sensationalist headlines say a lot about the media's doom-ridden agenda.

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na85
I signed their petition to open source it. Say what you will about winamp or
its (unbearably shitty) competitor itunes, I'm always in favour of open-
sourcing things.

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od2m
If by "Vicious Utilitarianism" the author meant "AOL no longer wishes to
provide free service users aren't interested in and that will not remain
profitable" then yes, that's vicious.

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gboudrias
So... It maximizes happiness?

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lowmagnet
I'm glad that annoyed you too:

> Utilitarianism is a theory in normative ethics holding that the proper
> course of action is the one that maximizes utility, usually defined as
> maximizing happiness and reducing suffering. Classic utilitarianism's two
> most influential contributors are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

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vezzy-fnord
I still use a flip phone.

I don't think Winamp and iTunes are comparable. The former is a media player
(if a customizable one), whereas the latter is an entire media platform.

I'm not sure if AOL would be willing to release Winamp's source code sometime
in the future?

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andymcsherry
There's a discussion going on in the forums about it:
[http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=373763](http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=373763)

