more on Real Audio the only choice

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 13:05:00 -0700
From: Seth David Schoen <schoen () loyalty org>
Subject: Re: [IP] Real Audio the only choice
Sender: Seth David Schoen <schoen () zork net>
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>

Dave Farber writes:

> From: Shannon McElyea <shannon () swisscreek com>
>
> Dear Dave,
>
> I've also found that if I want to listen to something on NPR that I can use
> RealAudio only. I don't want to use it either, because it hijacks my
> applications. And below, the concern of spyware.
> What can be done?
> Thank you...

This may be, in part, a DMCA problem.  The first-ever DMCA case
(RealNetworks v. Streambox) featured RealNetworks using the DMCA to
suppress rival software that worked with RealAudio.  It settled out
of court, and many people are skeptical whether Real would have
prevailed against a vigorous defense -- but it's hard to afford a
vigorous defense.

(I wrote about this case in my web diary years ago, and it continues
to be one of the most popular search requests -- because people are
still trying to find out where they can get the software that
RealNetworks suppressed.)

If we had a really pro-interoperability legal environment today, you
could enjoy things like open source RealAudio players that independent
experts could easily verify were totally spyware-free.

If you want to recommend technologies to people who do streaming audio,
the best is streaming Ogg Vorbis (no patent, DMCA, or trade secret
obstacles to interoperability) and the second best is probably streaming
MP3 (like Shoutcast) (no DMCA or trade secret problems).  I think most
computer users now have a means of playing a Shoutcast stream, and
Shoutcast and Icecast are available for free, so it's getting hard to
find an argument for preferring RealAudio over Shoutcast.

--
Seth David Schoen <schoen () loyalty org> | Very frankly, I am opposed to people
     http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/   | being programmed by others.
     http://vitanuova.loyalty.org/     |     -- Fred Rogers (1928-2003),
                                       |        464 U.S. 417, 445 (1984)  

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