Pardon my rant

kri · Post by **kri** » January 24th, 2006, 4:26 pm

I hate RealPlayer!! I hate RealPlayer!!! I hate RealPlayer!!!

I have my file associations set to exactly what I want. Specifically, I have Winamp as the default player of MP3s. That is, until I open RealPlayer, and it automatically (without asking or notifying) changes itself to the default player for MP3s.

I hate RealPlayer!!

kayray · Post by **kayray** » January 24th, 2006, 5:29 pm

Uninstall it! RealPlayer is *evil*

I figure any media that's available only in Real format, I don't need to hear that much anyway ;-)

kri · Post by **kri** » January 24th, 2006, 6:19 pm

I've tried to, but for some reason the computer says there's some reason or other I shouldn't. I haven't bothered to take the time to figure out what the deal is, but perhaps I should...instead of complaining

johngon · Post by **johngon** » January 24th, 2006, 8:16 pm

If you'll notice, those warnings to not un-install it are from the realplayer itself - not from Windows. I get along fine without Realplayer and have from 3+ years.

kayray · Post by **kayray** » January 24th, 2006, 8:25 pm

And run a spyware remover after you've uninstalled it.

GordMackenzie · Post by **GordMackenzie** » January 24th, 2006, 9:35 pm

Once you've successfully uninstalled it and scrubbed your computer's harddrive with disinfectant, you can go get the RealPlayer Alternative, an open source, spyware/malware-free "alternative":

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm

This lets you play Real files, without the horror of actually having RealPlayer on your system.

Izze · Post by **Izze** » January 24th, 2006, 9:41 pm

Burn RealPlayer onto a cd, uninstall it, and then burn the CD in a fire to cleanse your computer. Or nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

kri · Post by **kri** » January 24th, 2006, 9:42 pm

GordMackenzie wrote:Once you've successfully uninstalled it and scrubbed your computer's harddrive with disinfectant, you can go get the RealPlayer Alternative, an open source, spyware/malware-free "alternative":

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm

This lets you play Real files, without the horror of actually having RealPlayer on your system.

That's excellent!! By the end of this week my computer will be a RealPlayer free computer.

vee · Post by **vee** » January 25th, 2006, 7:30 am

Hmmm... I don't know what I did, but I think I was able to domesticate real player. I do try to install it first with minimal options, and then install quicktime and winamp afterwards to take over the associations.

Other than NPR I think everyone else offers their content in multiple formats. I wish those cartalk guys had stuck to their guns and dropped real altogether.

ChipDoc · Post by **ChipDoc** » January 25th, 2006, 7:34 am

Be thankful that NPR uses RealPlayer. If it did, a lot of folks who are drawn to LibriVox would never have showed up...

GordMackenzie · Post by **GordMackenzie** » January 25th, 2006, 8:10 am

ChipDoc wrote:Be thankful that NPR uses RealPlayer. If it did, a lot of folks who are drawn to LibriVox would never have showed up...

Huh? Not sure I follow...

ChipDoc · Post by **ChipDoc** » January 25th, 2006, 8:35 am

I can't help but feel that NPR appeals to much the same audience as LibriVox - people interested in filling otherwise unused/unusable time with information gathering. But NPR chose to use RealNetworks, which doesn't allow conversion to a portable format like mp3 or wma - so they've essentially limited themselves to those folks who are actually sitting in front of their computers as they listen.

Not everyone does this; I listen on my motorcycle and at this point it's unreasonable for me to expect to maintain a connection in that enviroment. But I can plug in my iPod and bring that anywhere! It's perfect for LibriVox, but simply won't work with NPR. So I'm here at LibriVox.

I'm pretty certain that I'm not the only one...

vee · Post by **vee** » January 25th, 2006, 9:06 am

ChipDoc wrote:Be thankful that NPR uses RealPlayer. If it did, a lot of folks who are drawn to LibriVox would never have showed up...

I think a lot of NPR programs also sell their content on Audible for download. It's a revenue stream for them.

Chip - the confusion in your sentence might be that you said "If it did, ..." maybe you meant, "If it didn't"? That would make more sense in the context of what you're saying.

kri · Post by **kri** » January 25th, 2006, 9:07 am

I think I've solved the problem, but that doesn't change that I'm uninstalling it. I've always hated it for various reasons. I went to the preferences, and unselected mp3 as a file type associated with RealPlayer.

ChipDoc · Post by **ChipDoc** » January 25th, 2006, 9:24 am

vee wrote:Chip - the confusion in your sentence might be that you said "If it did, ..." maybe you meant, "If it didn't"? That would make more sense in the context of what you're saying.

Hmmm... looks like I need a proofreader in addition to a prooflistener...