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Apple iPod on Linux Project

Posted by pudge on from the where-there-is-a-financial-investment-there-is-a-way dept.

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 ..."

21 comments

  1. FireWire Harddrive? by TheDawgLives · · Score: 1

    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
    1. Re:FireWire Harddrive? by peperone · · Score: 3, Informative

      That is correct. However, the file system is HFS+. On Windows for example, you need something like MacDrive to mount it...

    2. Re:FireWire Harddrive? by jasonwileymac.com · · Score: 4, Informative

      Only for files and folders. You can't just fill up the HD with music and expect the iPod to play it. When connected to iTunes, it creates a hidden folder with it's own database of music, and that is the only way the interface itself will see the tracks.

  2. Idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    This person seems like possibly the biggest moron I've ever heard of on the internet. Why didn't you look around and see what the status of iPod-on-Linux was before buying the iPod? And are you too lazy to look up this information yourself, so you expect everybody to do all the Googling for you?

    I hope your iPod breaks and you're out the $400. Retard.

  3. There's a surprise... by ringbarer · · Score: -1

    Wanting to run the theftPod on an OS used entirely by Leftist cowards so wrapped up in their own hubris that they believe they have the right to deprive artists (both musical and coding) of an income.

    Is NO shred of Intellectual Property sacred? Clearly this sends out the message that there is NO REWARD for thinking, innovation and being creative. Imagine if Beethoven lived an environment like this, where every scrap of music he wrote was duplicated and 'shared' to the point of being made worthless by commonality. Would HE have been inspired to make the contributions to music that he achieved in more well-reasoned times?

    --
    "Why did they cancel my favorite Sci-Fi show? I downloaded ALL the episodes!"
    1. Re:There's a surprise... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Could someone mod this up? The Beethoven comments are as funny as hell...

    2. Re:There's a surprise... by raytoler · · Score: 3, Informative

      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."
    3. Re:There's a surprise... by EddydaSquige · · Score: 1

      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.

    4. Re:There's a surprise... by raytoler · · Score: 4, Informative

      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...

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      --
      "Words are relative. They're only symbols. If we don't use ugly symbols, we won't have any ugliness."
    5. Re:There's a surprise... by switcha · · Score: 1
      Maybe I'm taking the bait here, but the irony of this post from someone who's sig links to a slashdot recycler is simply too much.

      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? ... A little club soda *did* get that out!
    6. Re:There's a surprise... by SirRichardPumpaloaf · · Score: 1

      If it were me, I'd want access to an iPod compatible Mac...

      Hey, that's what your friendly neighborhood CompUSA is there for!

  4. Why VMWare/NT? by PoiBoy · · Score: 1
    I don't claim to know anything about this type of hacking, but it seems to me that using an app courtesy of VMWare and NT is just an added layer of complexity.

    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)
  5. Darwin must have HFS+ code by Whatchamacallit · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.

  6. unless this is your site... by paradesign · · Score: 1

    you go here
    http://neuron.com/~jason/ipod.html

    --
    I want 2D games back.
  7. not as easy as just writing mp3s to disk... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

    1. Re:not as easy as just writing mp3s to disk... by EddydaSquige · · Score: 0

      The MP3's on an iPod are stored in a hidden file, just tell your system to show all files, including the hidden ones, and they will show up.

    2. Re:not as easy as just writing mp3s to disk... by self+assembled+struc · · Score: 3, Informative

      the problem with them not showing up is not how they're stored, it has to do with the iTunes database.

      the iTunes database is a binary proprietory format from Apple that stores much the information that the ID3v2 tag in your MP3 stores. This allows iTunes and the iPod to sort through your mp3 files quicker and the such.

      In order for files copied into the iPod to show up on the playlist, they need to updated in the iTunes playlist stored on the iPod's harddrive.

      This would require someone to figure out how to parse the iTunes database format and update the database when the files are copied over, so you would need some sort of tool to do this automatically for you on Linux.

  8. iPodSupport.framework by usr122122121 · · Score: 1
    Either port the framework (and make someone else's future projects easier) or communicate with the iPod as an external firewire drive.

    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

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    -braxton
  9. hacks available to reveal MP3 folder by johnpaul191 · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

  10. progress? by plastik55 · · Score: 2

    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?

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    I have a positive modifier on Troll. When I mod someone Troll their karma should go UP!

  11. Maybe? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    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.