The legendary Windows program Winamp, created to play local MP3 files when the audio standard hit like a bomb and changed everything just before the 2000s, has found a new way to survive.
After 11 years it happens
The program lost much of its reason to continue when streaming came into full swing and they were not positioned to have a leading position in the new market. The company also offers streaming in the browser from player.winamp.com. In any case, Nullsoft now believes that the solution is to open the source code for the Windows version so that the surrounding community can "help the iconic program to develop." It has taken a long time: already in 2013 there was great enthusiasm about making the program open source – at that time the project received over 12,000 signatures.
The company has therefore announced that the program will be made available as open source code on 24 September this year:
“Winamp will open-source the player used on Windows, allowing the entire community to participate in its development. This is an invitation to global collaboration, where developers around the world can contribute their expertise, ideas, and passion to help this iconic software evolve.”
“This is a decision that will please millions of users worldwide. Our focus will be on new mobile apps and other platforms. We are launching a new mobile app at the beginning of July," explains CEO Alexandre Saboundjian, who adds that "nevertheless, we will not forget the tens of millions of users using the software on Windows who will now benefit from the experience and creativity of thousands of developers. "