Real Networks promises GNU move

INTERNET SITES are reporting that Real Networks, the company founded by the ex- Microsoftie named Rob Glaser -and which seems to be on the Vole's foes-to-destroy list- plans to release its already-open-source "Helix Player" (the technology on top of which RealPlayer 10 is based) under the Free Software Foundation's GNU licence.

Two years ago, the Seattle-based Microsoft arch rival announced with great fanfare the Helix Project and it contributed "millions of lines of source code as well as patents to the cause". Back then, open source advocate Bruce Perens called the move "a first step". The main complaint at the time was that the company's "crown jewels" weren't included.

According to the Helixcommunity.org project web site, the release of the "helix DNA Client" and the "Helix Player" under the GNU GPL will be implemented "by July 28, 2004". The news reached the Free Software Foundation quickly and they have apparently received it with enthusiasm.

Why a GNU player is important
Some time ago, I e-mailed a link to a video on the BBC web site to Richard Stallman, the Free Software Foundation's GNU project founder and guru. His reply came in almost immediately: "I'm sorry, but to view that video I'd have to install proprietary software, and I only run free software on my computer" -he said.

The BBC video was in "Real" (Real Video) format, and at the moment I thought he was being an extremist by refusing to install and use RealPlayer. After all, I thought, Real has been for some time one of the few video streaming formats which "covers all the bases" meaning the four major operating systems out there are supported: windows, linux, unix, and MacOS. But later I understood the man: Stallman was simply "putting his clicks and keyboard where his mouth is" in other words, he was standing for his beliefs.

Having the Helix client released under the GNU will surely help linux distros make it one of the "Media Players" of choice for penguin-powered desktops. (On top of Helix, you can easily create a RealPlayer 10 for linux just by adding the company's proprietary codecs).

Real Player 10, the standard "Linux Media Player"?
In related news, Real Networks just announced an agreement with Novell, by which the Utah company "has agreed to make RealPlayer 10 for Linux the default media player for RealAudio, RealVideo, Ogg Vorbis and Theora codecs [on Novell's upcoming SUSE linux version]. Additionally, Novell is contributing resources to help qualify RealPlayer on its Linux desktop".

Red Hat, Sun Microsystems and Turbolinux have signed similar deals, according to Rob Glaser's firm, which claims this helps "establish RealPlayer and Helix Player as the new standard for audio and video on the Linux desktop". Beta versions of Real Player 10 and the Helix Player for linux are available for download from this page.
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