Slashdot Mirror
Real Feels iTunes Backlash
BunkAsInBed writes "CNET reports RealNetwork's recent campaign against the iTunes music network that involved tactics like slashing the costs of their downloads in half, reverse engineering Apple's FairPlay format (Harmony), and recently an online petition and bulliten board have received the opposite reponse that was anticpated."
The next step--a campaign and petition to get music fans to support the company's open stance--hasn't worked out quite as it might have hoped, after some people besieged the petition with obscenities and anti-RealNetworks postings.
The petition, on RealNetworks' www.freedomofmusicchoice.org site, is entitled: "Hey Apple! Don't break my iPod."
Now while I understand the zealotry and the hatred for someone daring to stomp on Apple's parade I can't understand the "break my iPod" bit. If anything they have "fixed" the fucking iPod allowing it to play even more formats.
Now, now, all you iPod fans are going to jump down my throat about Real's shitty codecs and how Apple's non-sense is so much better... I just can't agree with you. I haven't heard Real's code but I have heard 100s of samples of Apple's *and* 35 full length tracks. Apple's codec sucks compared to even MP3 and I won't even get into what they sound like compared to FLAC/SHN. Granted, you are paying less than the average CD in a store but I can certainly hear the difference. I don't know if I would be so inclined to support any more artists that sell their music there. I'll continue to stick to SHN/FLAC encoded music distributed by the fans of the same bands.
This sounds a lot like what happened with the Katie.com bullshit. People flooding Amazon with bad reviews, trolls, and downgraded marks. They were successful in getting the name changed... Do the Apple zealots think that this is the best way to approach this? Personally, I think that the Appleaters should be thrilled that more codecs could come to their beloved device. Perhaps these Apple lovers have become so accustomed to vendor lock-in that they don't want any competition in the codecs available for this device?
I guess you'd have to ask an iPod user.
Real neglected to realize that Mac people are a cult like scientology and the Golden Dawn before them. Cultist get rather pissy like the Transcidental Movement did and while the Mac types try to spiritually levitate while praying to the unnamed spirit guides while pondering astral travel as they launder money by buying parish members $120k cars tax free in Hollywood . They obviously would follow their personal God Jobs commandments all the way to the comet's tail and a new dawn where computer are not mesured by performance and reliabilty but rather by how fruits and pretty they are. Let us pray and ascend beyond the constraints the Demi-Urge has place upon as and reach spiritual purity while crying that the infidel M$ hasn't ported a newer version of office for our perfect OS and condemn the bastards at Real for doing what their God Steve did to Xerox.. Ohh wait.. STRIKE THAT SENTENCE FROM YOU MIND OUR LORD GOD JOBS COMMANDS IT!!
Did that make any sense? Neither to Macs.
Best Mac cult sticker: Mac is a console game that plays adobe products!!
Aww we love you Mac your just too cute to hate... All.. hail... Wozniack...... Hail to
-=[ Who Is John Galt? ]=-
Sure in the past they have been pretty crappy, but its cheaper and the files themselves are better quality, It's just religious Mac users.
I wonder if Mac users take offence at clone inket refills in the same way, or buy genuine Epson, HP or Lexmark cartridges. It really is exactly the same thing.
that's where there are only 5% of them
did you forget to take your meds?
apple fans who in the face of facts prefer manufactured "I switched propaganda" I would not be in the least suprised to find out many of these so-called fans were in fact apple employees posting under false names. While the same people scream hysterically about M$ and other vendors, if apple pulls a boner, and they DO, the apple fanboy club is busy screaming its a feature....
The road goes both ways and apple is no more our friend than MS or HP is. They all want your money, and would like to ensure they can get it in the future in any way they can. Morals are foreign to a corporation.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
Apple is a good brand ?!?! Err if you are a fanboy, otherwise they are a hugely proprietary, offensive company that regularly sues and threatens there own support base and customers.
Now they DO make some SOLID hardware, and have a decent return to the community policy, but they are proprietary software on a proprietary hardware platform, and even more closed than M$.
Note : I don't really like either company, they've both gotten greedy and think they DESERVE to make a profit rather than have to work at it. Neither entity is above utilizing the DMCA or any ohter method to ensure there continued profit, at anyone elses expense...Corporations and MORALS are mutually exclusive...
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
Mac's iTunes won't run on linux unless I buy third party software. Apple says they support OpenSource, well why don't they release some of their apps for other OS's than just Mac, Or is Apple only OpenSource if you buy all your stuff from them? Like I said at the begining Real Supports Linux, Apple Doesn't, that makes my decision easy.
Kosh: "Understanding is a 3 edged sword, your side, their side, the Truth."
Apple rarely fucks anyone over.
Except their customers of course.
Cheers
Stor
"Yeah well there's a lot of stuff that should be, but isn't"
So you want to download their player and be able to do everything possible? They should give it to you for free?
How do they make money then?
Don't want them to make money? Don't buy anything.
Quit bein' fuckin' pissed off that no one will give you want you want for free. Write the damned thing yourself.
I mean, what board do you think you're on, anyway?