Say Farewell to XBMC And Greetings To Kodi For Release 14
Going forward, the software you previously knew as XBMC will be called Kodi Entertainment Center beginning with release 14. Why the name change? One of the biggest reasons XBMC is renaming itself is because it has little to do with Microsoft's Xbox gaming consoles as opposed to when the software was released 12 years ago.
"Six years have passed since the Xbox Media Center became XBMC, and simply put, 'XBMC' fits less now than it did even in 2008. The software only barely runs on the original Xbox, and then only because some clever developers are still hacking on that platform. It has never run on the Xbox 360 or Xbox One," XBMC stated in a blog post announcing the name change.
The developers also want users to view the software as more than just a media center. XBMC/Kodi is capable of hosting addons, it can load games, it can stream content to and from a bunch of different devices, and can act as a complete platform replacement.
Beyond the logistics of what the software does, XBMC has also been battling legal issues. Since XBMC was originally based on the name Xbox, the developers never had legal control over the use of the name, "which has resulted in a slew of problems."
The software itself will continue to run the same as before and the code will still be licensed under the GPL 2.0. Even the numbering scheme will remain intact, as the next release will be called Kodi 14. The only real difference will be an altered splash screen.
"Six years have passed since the Xbox Media Center became XBMC, and simply put, 'XBMC' fits less now than it did even in 2008. The software only barely runs on the original Xbox, and then only because some clever developers are still hacking on that platform. It has never run on the Xbox 360 or Xbox One," XBMC stated in a blog post announcing the name change.
The developers also want users to view the software as more than just a media center. XBMC/Kodi is capable of hosting addons, it can load games, it can stream content to and from a bunch of different devices, and can act as a complete platform replacement.
Beyond the logistics of what the software does, XBMC has also been battling legal issues. Since XBMC was originally based on the name Xbox, the developers never had legal control over the use of the name, "which has resulted in a slew of problems."
The software itself will continue to run the same as before and the code will still be licensed under the GPL 2.0. Even the numbering scheme will remain intact, as the next release will be called Kodi 14. The only real difference will be an altered splash screen.
