So RealNetworks and Apple Computer got a lot of ink for themselves by announcing a licensing deal for streaming technology. Let's first talk about what this deal is not.
Tiny footsteps can sometimes lead to a broad reshaping of the constellation.
It is not a deal that will allow Real to support the Quick Time format in its player. Execs from both companies described the policy as a step in the direction of good Internet manners. Apple, which could have owned this market, knows all too well that QuickTime was once light-years ahead of the competition. Just how far Microsoft went remains a matter of debate. Microsoft claims it's all fiction.