[ale] MP3 Players

[aaron]

Previously, Casey Allen Shobe typed into the ether:
> (All Manufacturers got a request for Linux support, of course... along
> with a reminder that Micro$haft now intentionally cripples the MP3
> facilities in all of their bundled and downloadable media players).
> 
> Eh, what's this???  Did I miss the latest "feature" of WMP?

To my understanding (and this info is published, I just can't recall
the exact source) M$ is intentionally crippling the MP3 playback data
rate in it's current and future WiMP (media player) programs. IIRC,
MP3 through WiMP will be restricted to 28kbps playback, and that is a
little "b" for "bits" there. I'm not sure if any of the WiMPy utilities
will now support MP3 encoding / recording at all.

The result (and goal) is that WiMP will make even the highest quality
MP3 sound like dog farts while the proprietary Micro$haft formats will
not suffer from this purposely compromised fidelity.  This is a pretty
miserable stunt from M$, even before considering the questionable,
invasive copy protection schemes burried in the WiMPdoze media formats.
There is, of course, no connection here between these manipulated media
format control schemes schemes and Micro$haft's monopoly expansions
into major media content provider arenas over the past several years...

peace
(after justice)
aaron











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