| Review: Nullsoft Winamp 2.75 Someone mentioned earlier that a review of Winamp would be nice so here it is. 
Ease Of Use: 
The best just got better, and easier, when Nullsoft released Winamp 2.75. The layout is the same as it has always been, and there were no real changes as far as the program as a whole goes, but making your own skinned Winamp is the easiest I have ever seen a player. If you want to update a skin, you browse the Winamp site, select the skin you want, and after download Winamp will set the skin up for you. This is a new feature to Winamp, and a very handy one that helped the best get better.
Layout/Design:
There is nothing that Winamp has, as far as design goes, that can compete with Sonique. However, Winamp comes in at a strong second. The color scheme and overall look is above average. My favorite part about the layout of Winamp is the ability to move windows within the program, like the playlist and equalizer, anywhere you want. Or, if you have no need for these windows, you can close them. This feature puts Winamp ahead of the rest in the layout portion of the category.
Playlist/Library:
As mentioned in Layout/Design, the detachable and hideable feature of the playlist makes it a very efficient and easy to use option. Winamp opts not to use a library, and I will mention something about the library function when I reach system performance. The playlist is very visible and easy to use. It allows you all the regular features of saving and loading playlists, and even includes a jump feature that allows you to type in keywords of a song title or author (basically whatever your file name is) and search through the loaded files in the playlist. Overall, a very solid category for Winamp.
System Performance:
So I promised you an insight into the libraries and system performance and here it is. My theory is that library features spend so much system memory listing even a mere 150 MP3s, that it forgets it still has to decode an audio file. Don’t get me wrong, libraries are a great feature, but there is some polishing up needed in this feature. Do a test of your own if you want. Run a playlist in Sonique or Winamp of only 10-15 songs. You should get a smooth performance with no glitches (if you get a glitch, time to take that Cyrix MII back to the store). Now try running the playlist with 50 or more songs. Scroll through the list, do you notice the difference when playing a song? Libraries cause this system lag the entire time, what a pain. Winamp only loses points in system performance for their Quick Launch feature. What a pain!
Extras:
Nothing special with Winamp in the Extras category, that is, when you download. Winamp 2.75 was packed with a special Radiohead skin and free live WMA file ("Dollars and Cents"). It’s this kind of support from great bands like Radiohead that makes Winamp almost unstoppable. After you download, you have access to the most plug-ins and skins imaginable. The array of choices and different options is almost unbelievable. All files are available from Winamp's site.
Overall:
You’d think that after pioneering the MP3 player industry, a company would slow down or maybe face stiffer competition, not Winamp. These guys continue to grow and show no signs of slowing down. They have become the most trusted name in the MP3 industry and produce high quality programs release after release. I highly recommend Winamp to anyone looking for a quick and easy way of playing their MP3 collection.
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"Big deal... death comes with the territory. See you in Disneyland!" - Richard Ramirez (sic)
[text was edited by author 2001-06-01 17:35:02]
[text was edited by author 2001-06-01 21:45:02] |
| reply to snapcase$
Thx Snapcase. BTW, do you know if, in the future, if Winamp is going to add CD ripper? That would be nice to see. |
