Winamp: A Most Splendid British Affair, By Jove!

Gather round, dear chaps and chapesses, for a tale as quintessentially British as Big Ben, red telephone boxes, and Her Majesty’s corgis gallivanting on the lush lawns of Buckingham Palace. Yes, it’s time to dust off your bowler hats, clutch your teacups, and straighten that Union Jack — because Winamp, the venerable, time-honoured titan of the digital music world, has returned in all its resplendent glory! In a move that would make even Winston Churchill raise an eyebrow in approval, the source code has been flung wide open to the public, akin to opening the gates of Windsor Castle for the common folk. It's a true marvel of modern British spirit!

It Whips the Llama’s Arse, Old Bean, and Then Some!

In the grand tradition of great British understatements — such as calling the Channel Tunnel a “rather decent engineering project” — Winamp’s slogan has endured the test of time, much like the Queen herself. “It really whips the llama’s arse” — a declaration so audacious that it rivals even a lively debate in the House of Commons! Now, in this grand new era of open-source, developers far and wide can don their metaphorical top hats, roll up their sleeves, and bring Winamp marching into the future with all the pomp and pageantry of a Royal Jubilee.

Usage: A Task Worthy of a Knight of the Realm!

Let’s not mince words, good fellow — building Winamp is not for the faint of heart, but neither was the British Empire! You’ll need to prepare your arsenal with the precision of a Grenadier Guard on parade. The foundation of this majestic enterprise is Visual Studio 2019 and Intel IPP libs (v6.1.1.035, naturally — no riff-raff will do). Here are your orders, soldier:

• Option 1: The Command Line ChargeExecute the build_winampAll_2019.cmd script, and in a manoeuvre as swift and decisive as Wellington at Waterloo, you’ll produce four versions (x86 and x64, Debug and Release). Visual Studio IDE? Pah! Who needs it? This is the digital equivalent of charging into battle on horseback.

• Option 2: The Visual Studio CampaignShould you prefer a more leisurely amble through the hills and dales of software development, the winampAll_2019.sln file is your ticket to building and debugging in the venerable Visual Studio IDE. It’s as if you’re settling in for a quiet afternoon in the drawing room with tea and biscuits. Marvellous!

Dependencies: A Gathering of Britain's Finest!

Now, no grand British venture is complete without a proper entourage. Much like the chaps in red coats who marched to victory at Trafalgar, Winamp requires its own stalwart companions to see it through to triumph:

• libdiscid: Fetch this trusty comrade from the digital treasure trove known as Metabrainz, and tuck it into /Src/external_dependencies/libdiscid-0.6.2/. Quite right, carry on!

• libvpx: After a quick polish and adjustment, run unpack_libvpx_v1.8.2_msvc16.cmd and it’ll unpack like a fine pair of tailor-made trousers from Savile Row.

• libmpg123: Like a well-bred butler, this library will require some careful handling. Modify, then run unpack_libmpg123.cmd to get the necessary DLLs. Spiffing!

• OpenSSL: For this undertaking, you’ll need OpenSSL 1.0.1u — the Rolls-Royce of cryptographic libraries. A quick bout of building with build_vs_2019_openssl_x86.cmd or build_vs_2019_openssl_64.cmd will have you in top form. Absolutely first class!

The Tools of Empire: By Royal Decree!

Just as Britannia ruled the waves, you too shall rule the build process — but only with the finest tools at your disposal, like an officer preparing for a grand expedition across the colonies:

• 7-Zip: As essential to a British developer as the Crown Jewels are to the monarchy. Retrieve it from https://www.7-zip.org/ and handle it with care — licensed under GNU LGPL, of course, for the most proper of reasons.

• NASM: A tool as reliable as a trusty British brolly in the midst of a torrential downpour. You’ll find it licensed under the 2-Clause BSD License, and just as dependable.

• Perl: Every great British explorer needs a map, and every great British developer needs Perl. Licensed under the Artistic License or GPL, it’s a tool so elegant it might as well be sipping a glass of Pimm's on the veranda.

Final Flourishes: The Queen's English of Coding!

Of course, one does not simply march into battle without a few adjustments to ensure everything runs smoother than a Bentley gliding through the countryside. A key fix lies in atltransactionmanager.h at line 427. You’ll need to change: cppCode return ::DeleteFile((LPTSTR)lpFileName);

to the much more agreeable:

cppCode return DeleteFile((LPTSTR)lpFileName);

A minor change, but much like making sure your monocle is polished and your cravat neatly tied, it’s these little details that separate the gentlemen from the ruffians.

God Save the Winamp!

In conclusion, dear Britons and admirers of all things splendidly British, we are witnessing nothing short of a second Renaissance! Winamp has returned, and it’s up to us — the gallant, tea-drinking, stoically unflappable citizens of this green and pleasant land — to see that it thrives once again. So, raise your teacups high, sing God Save the Queen (or King, depending on the year), and let us embark on this most noble of endeavours!

Winamp forever! God save the llama! And may Britain forever rule the digital waves!