Winamp releases source code, asks for help modernizing the player.
The iconic Winamp media player has fulfilled a promise made in May and released its complete source code on GitHub, inviting developers to collaborate on the project.
Winamp is a media player launched in 1997 by Nullsoft, which gained massive popularity in the following years, coinciding with the rise of MP3s music files. The player featured a simple yet powerful customizable interface, broad audio file format support, visualization add-ons and skin system, and the ability to stream internet radio or podcasts.
After Nullsoft’s acquisition by AOL, its development slowed, and in 2013, Winamp was discontinued.
In 2014, new owner Radionomy took over the project intending to resume development. However, it failed to bring Winamp to its former glory, with the market having moved on to music streaming services.
On May 2024, Winamp’s team announced it would release the source code for the media player on September 24, almost three decades after its initial launch.
Yesterday, the Winamp source code, build tools, and associated libraries for the Windows app were published on GitHub, allowing anyone to provide bug fixes and new features to the iconic media player.
However, its license prohibits the distribution of modified software created through the release of this source code.
