Winamp Upgrades User Identity System

Winamp Upgrades User Identity System

Category: Winamp Updates Posted by Tarik, May 7th 2009 9:50AM

As you may be aware, we are in the process of upgrading Winamp.com to a more robust and secure registration and authentication system.

This new authentication system will also support "Screen Name Service" (also referred to as "SNS"), which is owned and operated by Nullsoft's parent company, AOL LLC ("AOL").

This is the first of many steps Winamp is taking to offer other authentication methods and this upgrade will enable some pretty exciting new Winamp features... stay tuned to the blog... more information to follow.

So what does this all mean to Winamp.com users? For the most part, these upgrades will not change your login. You can continue to use your existing Winamp name and password at the current login page. In some cases, you may need a new account if your password was not secure (see Winamp.com Password Update). What does change, is that your Winamp account will provide you with access to additional AOL products and services.

Once the new user identity system is launched, the only action required on your part, is that the first time you login with your new SNS-enabled account, you will be required to agree to AOL's terms of service (TOS) and privacy policy, which governs your use of SNS. If you happen to be a current AOL user, and registered for Winamp with your AOL or AIM screen name, then you can use your existing AOL screenname and password to log into Winamp.

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***Clarifications posted on 14-May***

We are seeing some comments about the log-in system we just launched and we want to clarify a few points. This log-in upgrade does not affect the Winamp Media Player, and no additional software applications are being installed. This change is only related to the log-in on Winamp.com, as the previous system did not support the new features we have planned.

Additionally, Winamp did not change owners. AOL has been Nullsoft's parent company for 10 years and during that time Winamp developers have had the flexibility to produce great features and will continue doing so. Leveraging the AOL log-in system allows the Nullsoft team to focus on what we do best... building a great media player.

If you have any specific concerns, please send us a note at support@winamp.com with the subject line "NEW LOG-IN".

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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)

21. i am confused as to what you guys are freaking out about. my understanding is that winamp.com's login system is being powered by aol and that's all (aol own winamp for long time now)l. what is i'm missing?

Posted at 9:13PM on May 13th 2009 by rock2it

22. There's nothing to worry about people. WinAmp has been owned by AOL since 1999 (the past 10 years for those who are bad at math). You guys are freaking out over nothing. However I still agree that all of AOL's OTHER products are nothing but spyware/adware/hackware/whatever. Still it makes me sad that they're integrating it more with their system because I can't see it improving from that. Only improvement will be a wide amount of users able to log in since AIM is still widely popular (though I use Pidgin to interface with it and not their crapware).

At any rate those who are giving up on WinAmp just because it's in the same sentence as AOL is just silly. If you're that worried about spyware then use something like RegShot and do registry compares on the installer to make sure it's not harming your system. Further more get process monitoring software and keep track of what WinAmp does. That's for those who are actually worried and not to lazy to find out for themselves if it's harming their system.

Posted at 12:54AM on May 14th 2009 by Sam Gleske

23. I'd like to have a had a link included in my email to AOL's terms of service.

Posted at 1:55AM on May 14th 2009 by Viki

24. RIP

Posted at 9:46AM on May 22nd 2009 by E Tan

25. AOL Sucks, i'm sorry but is true.

Posted at 5:28AM on May 14th 2009 by reepot

26. AOL is DOA in my mail box

Posted at 2:43PM on May 14th 2009 by Bill Jewell

27. i have been using winamp since 2005 i love it .it gives me what i want . i will not allow AOL TO INSTALL in my computer. bye for now.

Posted at 2:11PM on May 14th 2009 by joy

28. As a long-time Winamp user and a one-time AOL tryout, I need reassurance that AOL will not make any changes to Winamp and that AOL will not be invading my computer or emailing me or spying on my computer or in any way trying to pursuade me of anything. I have copied my entire CD collection to my machine and Winamp is its randomising dukebox. I want it to stay that way. But, knowing AOL, I must find other software that can do the same things for me, including copying more CDs to the highest standard mp3, as I buy them.

Posted at 11:14AM on May 14th 2009 by julianbury

29. I have been using winamp since 1997. And I think it's high time to say goodbye to it. I love winamp but I hate AOL. nobody can force me to use AOL. If that would mean leaving winamp for good, so be it!

Posted at 11:37AM on May 14th 2009 by dodong flores

30. I can`t not log into Winamp site with my AOL Screen Name or My old Winamp login info What going on?

Posted at 9:21PM on May 20th 2009 by Kagome D

31. no

Posted at 11:46AM on May 16th 2009 by jenia dimitrova

32. Hello everyone, it’s the Winamp team. We’ve updated the blog post today with additional information to address comments around exactly what has changed and why.

Posted at 5:41PM on May 14th 2009 by The Winamp Team

33. Uh, guys...AOL bought Winamp a long time ago...in fact, Winamp has been owned by AOL since 2001.

That said, I had bought a license of Winamp a few years back (without knowledge of AOL). Used it. Then the last time I went to install it (on XP 64) I had a few problems. This is where I found out AOL's involvement. Funny that a few years ago there was seemingly NO AOL 'involvement' in the product. But now AOL seems to be putting more and more fingers in the pie, so to speak. Hence, this year I switched to VCL Player and haven't looked back.

Posted at 9:17PM on May 14th 2009 by pming

34. AOL? Not big in Australia, not big anywhere. Just a big corporation in themselves,
a big, money-hungry corporation. Winamp, however, is the complete opposite - eventually Winamp may become part of AOL and we have to PAY to use it - don't do it, keep the internet free.

Posted at 6:24AM on May 15th 2009 by Spannerz

35. very good

Posted at 11:27PM on May 15th 2009 by jusuf r sofjan

36. very good

Posted at 2:13AM on May 20th 2009 by jusuf r sofjan

37. Very good!

Posted at 11:54AM on May 16th 2009 by zhenya dimitrova

38. I don't use MSN or AOL. never liked ether ... so I'll probably stop using Winamp too! Too bad it is or was a very good Media player.

Posted at 2:49PM on May 16th 2009 by Allen

39. WinAmp has been owned by AOL for some time now. All this blathering is ridiculous.

Posted at 10:19AM on May 24th 2009 by John Collins

40. NO! AOL will NOT be installed on any of my computers.