Speaking of RealNetworks, does QuickTime 4 have them quaking in their boots? We certainly assume so, though they claim otherwise. Not only are users reporting better results with Apple's live streaming implementation than with RealVideo (especially at higher connection speeds), QuickTime 4 means live video can be included in any application that supports QuickTime-- no more reliance on betas of RealPlayer that frequently lack features in the Mac version. And to add to RealNetworks' headache, Apple's released its QuickTime Streaming Server as an open source project, now known as the "Darwin Streaming Server." Stalwart developers can download the source code for free and tweak it to their hearts' content, whereas RealNetworks' server software is closed-- and it costs. Quite a lot, so we're told.

However, according to a CNET article, RealNetworks claims to be "unimpressed" with Apple's open source initiative. Steve Zaballos, their director of systems marketing, says that he's having "a hard time seeing what Apple announced as open source" and that "it's not free." Apple countered by stating that they're "giving away an entire QuickTime streaming server" that people can use "in an IBM server or a Linux box" for any purpose. While we don't really feel like reading through the entire Apple Public Source License (newly-updated to address concerns raised by some members of the Open Source community) just to get at the gory details, we figure we'll live dangerously here and take Apple's word for it.

So the big question is, will Apple's open source streaming server win any ground over RealNetworks? Apple's banking on it, likening the cost of the Real server to a "RealNetworks tax" that people are tired of paying. Without developer interest, though, the Darwin stuff could easily go the way of Netscape's Mozilla project, which has been widely considered a big open source failure. Interestingly enough, when last we checked, RealNetworks' stock was way up, and Apple's continues to edge downward-- though whether Wall Street knows what's on developers' minds remains to be seen. Personally, we think QuickTime 4 is going to be big. Real big. And eventually, bigger than Real. Of course, we're eternal optimists who should probably be medicated, but that doesn't mean we're not occasionally right.