Via MacMinute, we find Real Networks’ new anti-Apple site and an online petition. This is a deeply hypocritical move from a company that has a lengthy history of suckage when it comes to DRM and vendor lock-in. In fact, for the past decade, they’ve been advocates of the very behaviour that they criticize Apple for. The site is pitiful, a desperate tactic given that they lost both the format and portable music wars.
Furthermore, Real Networks is just pitching a different flavour of digital rights management than Apple offers. I see that the site is supported by Devo, voices of the Swiffer–what a coup.
As MacMinute reports, they modified their petition because they were getting too much pro-Apple, anti-Real sentiment:
The company has created a new petition with slightly different wording that does not allow comments — only names and email addresses. RealNetworks is now linking to this document from its anti-Apple site, with no mention of the previous petition. Update #2: Several readers note that Real has disabled the ability to post comments to the “stories” on the above Web site due to a deluge of pro-Apple comments.
Now Apple is by no means a pinnacle of honesty and virtue, but they’re better than most companies and have an extremely loyal cult customer following. Clearly, you’ve got to be way smarter than this if you’re going to attack them on the Web.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
As someone who is pretty anti-Real, I feel obliged to point out a great, free piece of software: Real Alternative (http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Real_Alternative.htm).
This will let you watch and listen to Real format media without having to install the beast of a program that real tries to push. It’ll install both a standalone program (which is a version of Windows Media Player 6, the old school one) and the browser plugins, if you want.
Thank you Chris! At last, a method of listening to those hated .ram files. I’ve been refusing to d/l RealPlayer and suffering for it. But now: yippee!
Yeah, I was pretty psyched when I found that. Perfect for watching Pot TV (www.pottv.com)!
I think I remember this site from a few years ago, will have to check it out more closely; my big thing was to finally listen to Apocalyptica (as posted in response to Darren’s musical comments a while ago).