Many of the features of Winamp remain unchanged from version 2.24 to version 2.50, but there are significant differences. The most obvious perhaps is the fact that Winamp 2.50 is totally free. That's right, it's freeware, not shareware. Right on the Winamp download page it says so:
" Winamp is now freeware. Download and enjoy it free of charge, free of guilt. "
You can now get the Skins selection menu without fishing through three or four layers of submenus, and record streaming MP3s without the obnoxious prompt at the start of every song (no support for recording from SHOUTcast servers however). Other than that, the changes are underlying code fixes, whose descriptions (listed below) will send the average user into a dim, mind-dulling spiral toward incoherency.
New features in version 2.50 (including mind-dulling code fixes that the average user couldn't care less about):
Winamp is now freeware!
Skin selection menu in main menu, browser in preferences
Built-in visualization settings are now in preferences
Automatic IE integration for SHOUTcast
Added streamed-file saving to in_mp3.dll (no SHOUTcast saving)
Added extended-M3U/PLS support (files include title and length info)
Improved in_mp3.dll's frame sync code
Better multi-byte character set support
Numerous playlist editor bugfixes, and refinements
Fixed some default skin images
Fixed some leak and GDI issues
Fixed some leaks in in_cdda.dll
Restructured some internals of Winamp for bitrate reporting for speed
