RealPlayer

RealPlayer is a cross-platform media player developed and marketed by RealNetworks, compatible with a number of multimedia file formats. It runs under an underlying open-source media engine known as Helix.

Why it Sucks

 * 1) Buffers at a pathetically slow rate and is really unstable.
 * 2) Takes forever to open and due to instability, you'll end up quitting it once it opens.
 * 3) Like other RealNetworks software, the program is riddled with ads and in earlier versions, spyware because the developers are money-grubbers. Every action you take includes an ad and it even creates a whole process dedicated to showing ads. Even upgrading to paid versions doesn't remove the ads, the only way to remove ads is to disconnect from the internet.
 * 4) In the past, AOL forced this software to be used as their default media player. Up until the days of Adobe Flash Player becoming popular, many websites forced this software to be used for streaming clips.
 * 5) Video compression is horrible.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) Plays nearly almost every media format and has a great media library. It can also burn and rip CDs.
 * 2) You can download videos with it, but due to copyright reasons, you can't download certain material.
 * 3) The spyware and tracking software was removed in later versions.