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Apple iPod on Linux Project
lotion writes "I'm trying to get the Apple iPod to work with Linux. I want to be able to read/write MP3s, songlists, and so forth. Since I don't own a modern Mac, I'm stuck with a $400 mirror until I get it working. Now if that's not incentive ..."
I'm a little out of my element, but aren't they just firewire harddrives? Shouldn't you be able to mount them and read/write to them as such?
-TheDawgLives suckitdown
Are there open source programs available for Windows that interface to the iPod or any other mp3 player? I'd be inclined to look through that code and try porting it to Linux.
Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
Take a look at the Darwin HFS+ code. http://publicsource.apple.com/
Also look to http://sourceforge.net/projects/linux-hfsplus
Nothing is complete or very useable yet, but if you are a programmer, I am sure they could use all the help they can get.
you go here
http://neuron.com/~jason/ipod.html
I want 2D games back.
the iTunes:iPod combo doesn't seem to just write to disk. If you mount the iPod on a normal Mac's desktop and write mp3's as files to the thing, they won't show up in the iPod's library of songs to play. They're treated as files.
The synched mp3's are there in some other format. Possibly as a single file, or probably just as hidden files or something.
You should figure that out before going any further. Because big deal if you get a 5gb firewire hd working in linux. You can buy those for a lot less than an iPod's price.
I had no idea that Hillary Rosen had a /. account! Welcome Hillary!
(BTW, you might want to revisit your music lit class - the classical composers were constantly "stealing" from each other, e.g. any "Variations on a theme..." piece. None of those compositions, including many of today's classic radio staples, would survive in our overly litigious music industry.)
As for getting the iPod to run on Linux, I agree with the post saying to check through the darwin code for HFS+.
The trick is going to be getting the mp3s into the appropriate folder for the iPod to recognize them. And while the iPod is mostly a 5 gig drive, formatting it will remove the mpeg playback software.
--
"Words are relative. They're only symbols. If we don't use ugly symbols, we won't have any ugliness."
I belive that all the oprating file and what not on the iPod are in the firmware, so formating it won't get rid of any mpeg reading software. It might make it unable to recognize any data on the drive though, effectivly doing the same thing.
I believe this is correct - the iPod OS is contained within the firmware, but it also relies on the iPod disk having a specific configuration, including the hidden music directory. Formatting the drive completely (as opposed to erasing the drive through the Mac OS or iTunes) will destroy the configuration that the iPod's OS expects. I suspect that anyone mucking around with the iPod in a non-Mac OS like Linux runs the risk of formatting the drive in a way that the iPod OS won't like.
Apple Knowledge Base Article 60983 provides information on how to restore a formatted iPod using iTunes. I don't suppose this will help anyone trying to use the iPod with a non-Mac system, but it gives some insight into how the iPod works.
If it were me, I'd want access to an iPod compatible Mac before I started trying to write iPod software for a different OS - it's too easy to cripple the unit with no way to restore it if the Mac's not there, plus it would be helpful to be able to watch the communication between the Mac and the iPod...
--
"Words are relative. They're only symbols. If we don't use ugly symbols, we won't have any ugliness."
I, myself, don't have an iPod, but it has been said that the music is located in an invisible folder on the iPod.
Why not just write some perl code to create playlists from a list of datafiles?
Their "proprietary format" for datafiles can't be too obscure of a format.
For reference sake:
/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/iPodS upport.framework/Versions/A/iPodSupport
-braxton
Oh, and theftPod isn't a very creative put-down. At least have it sound like "i" or rhyme or something. How bout hiestPod, pilferPod, plunderPod, or shanghaiPod?
They should institude a -2 for not just trolls, but for really bad trolls.
By the way, very impressive consistency.
You know what?
If it were me, I'd want access to an iPod compatible Mac...
Hey, that's what your friendly neighborhood CompUSA is there for!
there are easy easy hacks to reveal that "hidden mp3 folder"..... it's Apple's lofi way to discourage mass swapping of MP3s from the ipod (apple legal called for it maybe?). in general Apple's take on the MP3 issue is that the file format should not be blamed for the illegal activities of some users..... anyway i have a few friends with ipods and they all did the hack... though since they are all mac owners, i do not know how that helps it play with linux.
if you did not yet buy one, you might want to hold on a little... the company that makes the HD is supposed to ship a 10 gig drive any day now, and a 20 gig version in about a month. we might see these in the ipod as soon as MacWorld Tokyo (this thursday). ok, that info is mostly from rumor sites, but the ipod has been out about 5 months now and these days that seems to be about how often Apple tweaks hardware. anyway my point is if you were going to buy one tomorrow, wait till thursday to see what happens.
granted 20 gigs of MP3s is an insanely high amount, but the thing also is a portable hard drive, and can be used as a boot drive for macs. kinda cool for a diagnostic tool.
It doesn't look like you're getting a lot of help from the Slashbots on this one, unfortunately...
If anyone with good programming skills is in the mood to help, the best way to help out would be to get reliable write access to HFS+ filesystems, either through the kernel module or the user-mode utilities (the author's page is here)
Anyway, back to Jason, your webpage has listed, for at least a couple monthe now, several people who are "working on" things like write support in hfsplusutils and iTunes database manipulation, but there is no indication of what the status is on those projects. What's happening along those lines?
I have a positive modifier on Troll. When I mod someone Troll their karma should go UP!
Maybe you should go to a Mac friend of yours, add some MP3's to the iPod and look at home (Linux box) what iTunes did for adding those MP3's look for hidden files and folders. Open the hidden playlist to see how it stores the information.
Not sure if you thought about that, I think you did, though it just a suggestion.