How to Use Your iPod Under Linux

Jon writes "For those lucky readers who received an iPod for Christmas I've put up an article on LinuxLookup.com on how I got my iPod working under Linux. I've given a little overview on the different options available, and which one worked best for my needs. All in all, I'm extremely happy with the outcome. I can transfer my music, create playlists, and add all of my contacts. The only thing missing is a nice GUI."

Comments

Goodbye "Not Invented Here" days

[Spencerian]

There was a time, not long ago, where Apple made interesting, even innovative technology--but designed it so it worked only with its Macintosh hardware.

It's great for the industry and many others that Apple is slowly crawling out of the mindset that all of their products must work strictly with a Mac. Their move to Mac OS X would be contradictory to such a philosophy since *nix is a widely supported and tinkerable OS.

The iPod is mostly a glorified FireWire drive, so this software doesn't impress me as much as the relative enthusiasm of developers to make it work. Even if you don't use it, Mac OS X and the iPod is a nice catalyst for a drab, uninventive computer industry at the moment.

Re:Goodbye "Not Invented Here" days

[nullard]

So.... just like the iPod then, which works on other platforms only due to 3rd parties reverse engineering parts of the on disk format?

Here is proof to the contrary. It took them a while, but Apple did release a Windows compatible iPod.

Even Dell sells them.

You must have missed the announcemnt a few months ago.

Anyway, the Mac version just uses HFS. There are 3rd party HFS readers for *nix and Windows. I don't know if they were reverse engineered or created from Apple specs.

Except OS X isn't tinkerable at all. Practically all the code Apple has written is closed source, and the Mac parts of MacOS are generally only capable of doing things one way.

If you ignore the fact that you can recompile the kernel and change most OS variables using XML plists and NetInfo, you are absolutely correct. If I ignore my need for oxygen I can breathe in space too.

Re:Goodbye "Not Invented Here" days

[SensitiveMale]

So.... just like the iPod then, which works on other platforms only due to 3rd parties reverse engineering parts of the on disk format?

mmm, go to www.dell.com and buy an iPod for windows by ..... wait for it .... Apple. Or buy an iPod for windows by Apple. Or do you consider the manufacturer of the iPod a third party?

Except OS X isn't tinkerable at all. Practically all the code Apple has written is closed source, and the Mac parts of MacOS are generally only capable of doing things one way. Unlike every Linux and Windows, MacOS is still not capable of being themed by 3rd parties (unless you consider a grey version of the default a "theme").

I could list half a dozen OS X theme managers AND a few dozen themes. Sure, there a lots more for windows but OS X has been around much less time than Stardock.

As for the "OS X isn't tinkerable at all' look at the hundreds of programs that 'tinker' with OS X. Fruitmenu, XSounds, WindowShadeX, ASM, CeePeeYou, A-Dock, Synergy, and tons of other cursor, menu items, haxies, and other enhancements.

And if you want a full cocoa Finder you can get Path Finder from cocoatech.com.

Just because you don't have the source code of OS X doesn't mean that you can't tinker with it to your heart's content.

Re:Nifty, but...

[tbmaddux]

Apple should start researching OGG, as it seems much more likely than MP3 to remain un-DRM-contaminated...

MP3 is already un-DRM-contaminated. For it to become contaminated, it would have to be changed, at which point I would argue it's not really MP3 anymore. And all the old MP3 files and codecs would still work just fine, unless Apple starts playing games with our software. And as you noted, Apple's cultural position is opposed to that.

It's my understanding that OGG is a good format, but my gut says is you're more likely to see MP4 support on the iPod first.