moo used our newssubmit to tell us that the developers of Winamp have released the final version of Winamp 3. After months of testing and beta releases, Winamp 3 is released for Windows and Linux.
Winamp 3 is the next generation Winamp and is able to play both audio as video and ofcourse supports plug-ins and skins, like you were used. It has a totally revamped interface and is ready for the future !
Why is Winamp3 so different then Winamp 2.X? |
Winamp is a complete re-write from Winamp2. The platform that Winamp2 was built on is old and out of date and no longer meet the needs of it's developers. So they created an entirely new system (see Wassabi below). Now while to the average user Winamp3 may look like a few GUI updates there is a lot more then that. Winamp3's component system (known as plug-ins in Winamp2) has been completely re-worked. This makes everything in Winamp3 components running on top of Wassabi. This way Winamp3 can be striped of un-wanted features or developers can make components to add completely new or different functionality to Winamp3.
Where is all this new functionality?
Nullsoft does not have the tome nor resources to fully show all the possibilities on the original release of Winamp3. Though as third party development picks up look to see features like media organization systems, CD ripping systems, CD burning systems, encode in different formats, and so on. These can be made available to users by simple component downloads.
How come Winamp3 is missing features from Winamp 2.X?
Well, as said before, Winamp3 is a complete re-write from Winamp 2.X. Therefore not all features from Winamp 2.X can make the first release. Due to limited resources and time Nullsoft included the critical features to make Winamp3 what it is. Expect more and more feature additions in each release of Winamp3. If your favorite feature from Winamp 2.X is missing be patient, it is most likely in the pipeline.
The mainpage of the Winamp site doesn't show the download yet, but you can download the full version here.
Source: Nullsoft
