# .ram file? What software? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 12, 2002, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334 "2002-12-12T21:15:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/1 "2002-12-12T21:15:48Z")
What kind of viewer/player software do I need to view a .ram file? Thanks in advance for your help! -Ivar ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/2 "2002-12-12T21:19:31Z")
You’ll need a Real player, [available free here](http://www.real.com/realoneplayer.html?pp=home&src=121002realhome_1). If memory serves, .ram means Real Audio Media. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/3 "2002-12-12T23:09:33Z")
Just to warn you, Real media is unloved by all. There were about three pit threads within a week about Real pretty recently. It installs itself pretty deeply in your computer. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/4 "2002-12-12T23:26:27Z")
Agreed. Unless you absolutely, positively, must see the file, do yourself a favor and never, ever download that virus of a application. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/5 "2002-12-12T23:32:24Z")
It has spyware. I refuse to install it. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/6 "2002-12-13T00:03:30Z")
It was definitely a bitch to get it off my machine, and I _understand_ how to use my machine. I pity the people who install it and don’t know how to get it off. Be warned, **Ivar**. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/7 "2002-12-13T00:09:43Z")
Real Player used to be essential software, but the RealOne player is just plain lousy. It does install a lot of crap and affects performance. It’s enough to make you go to Microsoft’s Media Player. ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/8 "2002-12-13T12:56:10Z")
At least in my experience, a .ram file is just a text file containing a URL to a .rm file on a server somewhere. Unfortunatelly you need the real-media player to download the actual file. Once you have downloaded the .rm file, it’s not yet over. Last time I checked there are no general-purpose players that can decode the .rm format. What I did on my (linux-) machine was to _install_ the real-one player. I never, however, _execute_ the actual player. Instead I use **mplayer** , which calls the real-audio libraries to decode the file. Then you can capture the output, and convert it to something usable. The sound-decoding libraries aren’t all that bad. It’s true that they’re maybe not as neat as some other codecs, but they do work (more often than not). It’s that [expletive deleted] piece of [expletive deleted] front-end ‘real-one’, that keeps installing all kinds of spy-ware, popups, and others. But as long as you don’t actually _run_ it it’s OK. (Note, I’m talking from a linux point-of-view here. Although I have heard of similar set-ups for windows, I’ve not really used it.) ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ram-file-what-software/142334/9 "2002-12-13T13:48:09Z")
Does anyone know if there’s been a Real Media plug-in for WinAmp?