[olug] linux streaming servers

[Ryan Stille]

I'm starting to look into options to offer audio or video streaming from our web portal software written in ColdFusion.  Has any had experience with seting up streaming servers on linux?

I'm not sure why a server is even necessary.  Most players can start  playing an .mp3 file or .mov file or whatever right away, you don't have to download the whole file first.  Is a streaming server only necessary when you want people to be able to view/hear live content?

I've started to do a little research.  It seems there is an open source product called Shoutcast, or at least a product that uses a protocol called Shoutcast.  Ever used this?  I did a search for some Shoutcast content, and found a radio station that offered it.  Winamp popped up and started playing the stream right away.  

We will need something that is easy for people to use.  Do you think most people have Winamp installed on their computer?

Thanks for any input.
-Ryan