Why the tech community is mourning Winamp's death

AOL just pulled the plug on the venerable MP3 player

Winamp
(Image credit: (Facebook.com/Winamp))

The news dropped on Wednesday: After 16 years, the pioneering desktop MP3 player Winamp will be put out to pasture on Dec. 20. In a world dominated by iTunes, "the first reaction to Winamp's closure might be surprise that it still exists in the first place," says Tom Gara at The Wall Street Journal. But it does, in the shadows, as it has since AOL acquired it in 1999 with its $80 million purchase of Nullsoft.

The AOL subsidiary has even continued tending to its venerable MP3 player, releasing updates and versions for Mac OSX and Android. Winamp made its announcement as it released its latest — and last — update to its Windows software. This and other versions will still work after Dec. 20, AOL said, but "Winamp.com and associated web services will no longer be available" and "Winamp Media players will no longer be available for download."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.