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Comment by Mithrandir | Hacker News Reader

I remember Winamp; haven't used it in probably 7-8 years. I gave it up for RealPlayer (which I couldn't stand) and eventually VLC.

Anyone here know the main advantages/disadvantages between Winamp and VLC?

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VLC is great if you want to keep it lean, Winamp will give you better library management, upnp device support, Android support (wireless as well) and easier discovery.

If you want to keep it lean, remove the plugins you don't use from WinAmp, and use the classic skin. It basically becomes version 2.x, which is a fantastic player.

I still use Winamp 2.89. IMO, the greatest media player of all time.

> I gave it up for RealPlayer (which I couldn't stand)

How come?

Oh, the player repeatedly crashed and the Message Center pop-ups were annoying too, although I did eventually disable them. Later, the proprietary license was a (no pun intended) real turn-off for me.

But why did you switch to RealPlayer from Winamp?

Because RealPlayer was better. And that's not saying much.

Well, I wasn't a big music listener; I really used RP at first because its browser mode was the only browser on my WinME computer that worked. Then I started listening to music and browsing the web, and I thought 'I don't need Winamp! This program is cooler! It even has a dancing sheep!' After RealPlayer got on my nerves, and I got a new computer, I used Win Media Player instead and completely forgot about Winamp. :)

I, for one, even bought a "real player gold" license. Ha!

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