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Apple Updates, Cripples iTunes
squiggleslash writes "Apple has issued an update to iTunes 4, iTunes 4.0.1. It can be downloaded via Software Update. The big change seems to be that iTunes will now only stream music to other Macs on the same subnet. This is presumably a response to people publishing public lists of shared iTunes playlists, though it does mean that anyone wanting to stream music from home to work or vice versa is SOL. Oh well." You can't share between 4.0 and 4.0.1 iTunes, so be careful in updating. AppleScript access to shared playlist tracks is fixed, though. Woop woop.
there are a million ways around this, though assumingly unbeknownst to most mac users.
Haven't tried setting up a VPN, but I have tried using a SSH tunnel and that does not work with iTunes.
Netjuke...streaming, admin, etc. Internet access galore....just the thing for home to office. I use it daily. Just between me and me.
Note Netjuke uses PHP, Apache & MySQL, and can be tricky setting up on OS X, but once it's done you are set for remote music access/admin.
I have tried a SSH tunnel, and it does not work with iTunes.
iTunes 4.0 shares on a local network appear grayed out and will not let you connect. The "connect to shared music (CMD+K) button" is removed as well meaning that only shares found by rendezvous are accessible. Clicking on daap:// links causes the current song to stop and itunes to sit idle.
Fortunatly you can run iTunes 4.0 and 4.0.1 on the same system without any trouble.
I used to share (stream) with a couple of neighbors but looks like those days are over. I don't believe that this was done to save iTMS from the wrath of labels: m4p files wouldn't play unless you had been authorized - and all files from iTMS were in the protected format. Standard MP3/M4A files would download and play without incident so the pirates will just move on to gnutella and not think twice.
Why not a file format that would stream but not download or require authorization from the streaming computer to play - that way you'd only have to download it once. If you ony let 1 user play at a time it would be like a library.
It was fun while it lasted.
Don't be silly. There is no shortage of alternatives for an Apple customer, if Apple becomes just like everybody else. It's a good bet to assume that Apple understands that its survival depends on being better.
This is simply a case of a little secret that people should've just enjoyed quietly. As for the indignant protests from people who want to stream music from home to work: do you really think your IT department will not pay you a visit once more than a few people start continuously sucking 128 kbps each?
There is nothing preventing you from authorizing your work computer as one of your 3 machines. Then you can listen to your music in both places without having to worry about packet drops, etc. When you change jobs, you can just de-authorize your work computer.
I've tried this myself and it works great.
Whatchutalkinboutwillis?
This worked just fine from both a local Linux and Solaris box:
ssh -g -L 3689:homemac:3689 me@homemac
Then point the workmac -> daap://worklinux
The trick is, you can't set up the SSH tunnel *from* the Mac itself, because iTunes doesn't like connecting to localhost or even 127.0.0.1 (or maybe it was ports other than 3689).
All this time, I thought the subnet restriction was already in place because the README had already stated it. I guess 4.0.1 simply implements what the documentation said all along. (and to think that I could have streamed from my LAN to wireless at home all this time.. I should look into bridging..).
Yes they could and would sue Apple. Unlike apache, microsoft and ibm the apple server exists for one purpose - to serve music. And if that music is being illegally shared.. shrug.
I wouldn't put it past them to sue apple or - at the very least - cancel their contract with apple which would cause apple's Music store to fail miserably.
Certainly, or use SSH port forwarding.
For an application yes, but for vpn no (or atleast it's not a good idea). The concept of running ppp over ssh to create a simple vpn is not really as good as it may sound at first glance. The problem arises from two TCP:s being stacked. The TCP always presumes that it's being run on unreliable medium (which is not the case for the TCP that application uses on top the ssh/ppp stacking) where packets are lost incase of congestion.
All this results in the presense of normal net congestion into huge lags and even connection breakage on top level applications.
A lot of references can be found from the net about this issue, I'm not even going to bother quoting here.
Better approach is to place the vpn layer into a medium similar to the medium that IP packets usually experience. Thus approaches like cipe and OpenVPN, both of which use UDP as their transport for the encrypted ip packets and thus preserves the feel of the actual underlying medium. Ipsec, although somewhat different, performs equally well, because there the encryption is brought to the actual IP level, where thus in some sense the IP serves as the transport for the encrypted IP packets.
Bottom line is, ssh port forwarding for actual applications is a handy tool, but to mix vpn into that is not a wise decision. Any 2nd year cs student should understand why, but it's the problems with two tcps stacked is something that most even more experience cs engineers tend to miss.
1 Earth is warming, 2 It's us, 3 it's royally bad, 4 we need to take action NOW
THIS IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND APPLE COMPUTER, INC. (?APPLE?) STATING THE TERMS THAT GOVERN YOUR USE OF THE ITUNES MUSIC STORE SERVICE. [...] IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, DO NOT CLICK ?AGREE,? AND DO NOT USE THE SERVICE. [...] ... APPLE MAY REFUSE ACCESS TO THE ITUNES MUSIC STORE FOR NONCOMPLIANCE WITH ANY PART OF THIS AGREEMENT.
... include a security framework using technology that protects digital information and limits your usage of Products to certain usage rules established by Apple and its licensors (?Usage Rules?). You agree to comply with such Usage Rules, as further outlined below, and you agree not to violate or attempt to violate any security components. You agree not to attempt to, or assist another person to, circumvent, reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise tamper with any of the security components related to such Usage Rules for any reason whatsoever. Usage Rules may be controlled and monitored by Apple for compliance purposes, and Apple reserves the right to enforce the Usage Rules with or without notice to you. ... You agree not to modify the software in any manner or form [...]
.. Apple suspects that you have failed to comply with any of the provisions of this Agreement .... Apple, at its sole discretion, without notice to you may: (i) terminate this Agreement ... and/or (ii) terminate the license to the software; and/or (iii) preclude access to the Service (or any part thereof).
... to disclose any Registration Data [to] a third party, as Apple believes is reasonably necessary or appropriate to .. verify compliance with any part of this Agreement
... this Agreement and to impose new or additional rules, policies, terms, or conditions on your use of the Service. Such updates ... will be effective immediately and incorporated into this Agreement. Your continued use of the iTunes Music Store following will be deemed to constitute your acceptance of any and all such Additional Terms. All Additional Terms are hereby incorporated into this Agreement by this reference.
[...]
You understand that the Service, and products purchased through the Service
[...]
You agree that you will not attempt to, or encourage or assist any other person to, circumvent or modify any security technology or software that is part of the Service or used to administer the Usage Rules.
[...]
Apple reserves the right to modify the Usage Rules at any time.
[...]
You acknowledge that some aspects of the Service, Products, and administering of the Usage Rules entails the ongoing involvement of Apple. Accordingly, in the event that Apple changes any part of the Service or discontinues the Service, which Apple may do at its election, you acknowledge that you may no longer be able to use Products to the same extent as prior to such change or discontinuation, and that Apple shall have no liability to you in such case.
[...]
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, Apple and its licensors reserve the right to change, suspend, remove, or disable access to any Products, content, or other materials comprising a part of the Service at any time without notice. In no event will Apple be liable for the removal of or disabling of access to any such Products, content or materials under this Agreement. Apple may also impose limits on the use of or access to certain features or portions of the Service, in any case and without notice or liability.
[...]
THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE OR ANY PART OF THE SERVICE, EXCEPT FOR USE OF THE SERVICE AS PERMITTED IN THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED AND INFRINGES ON THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OF OTHERS AND MAY SUBJECT YOU TO CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES, INCLUDING POSSIBLE MONETARY DAMAGES, FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.
If
[...]
You agree that Apple has the right
[...]
Apple reserves the right, at any time and from time to time, to update
Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, don't it? Kinda like a microsoft EULA but in a nicer font!
I hate Grammar Nazi's
So use something like MP3 Sushi Server, works quite well and easy to set up in OS X. Of course it isn't as integrated as iTunes.
yeah, just don't forget the little de-authorization step! You can only forget twice!
Anybody figure out how that works? It must use MAC address or something since a re-install of the OS doesn't et rid of it.
http://www.turnstyle.com/andromeda/home.asp
Been using this for years... easier than iTunes and no restrictions.
4.01 fixes this problem completely which should make it worth upgrading too if you care about the quality of your music.
and speaking of which - where the hell are the indie artists' and their music on iTMS? Huh?
You know, you can suggest recording artists to the iTunes Music Store. Try doing that and also approaching the label; it may be more effective.
It also takes time to encode a label's catalog and to negotiate digital distribution rights with artists whose contracts were written before digital distribution rights existed.
Will I retire or break 10K?
For those who need a GUI.
SSH Tunnel Manager
If you look at 4.0's help files, it states that sharing is only on local networks (you'll have to go through the package contents as Help will fetch the newer stuff off the net)
AC comments get piped to
ifconfig lan0 (ip) netmask 0.0.0.0 broadcast 255.255.255.255
I also just put up a doc with OS X tips including info about configuring it to serve directly from your iTunes folder, as well as configuring it to serve M4A and M4P files, like those from the iTunes Music Store...
-Scott
Here's what I do: Bitty Browser & Andromeda
And an iPod makes a handy firewire drive for moving music around. Or anything else. There's tons of stuff on versiontracker.com for accessing the iPod as a drive.
Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
... iTunes used Rendevous to do the sharing! Rendevous would only allow devices on the same subnet to publish services to each other anyway, so the (un)doings of 4.0.1 is to remove the EXTRA ENGINEERING EFFORT spent to allow iTunes to share to other networks in the first place!
Sorry, but I'm finding myself both stumped and humoured at the same time! (Only because I never share music.)
This may have been posted already, but I didn't see it in a tertiary glance of the comments.
I have been sharing for over a year with previous versions of iTunes. Just set up your home mac for file sharing in system preferences and log into it from another computer using Appleshare over IP (apple-K from the finder). Then make an alias of your home iTunes folder and put it on your work machine in the music folder of your work's home directory. When you launch iTunes everything will be exactly like it is on your home machine, ratings and all. It is just that when you play the music it pulls it through appleshare.
It works great, but can get choppy with bigger mp3 files over my cable connection. It is also admittedly less graceful than iTunes sharing... : \
"The documentation for iTunes has always stated that streaming outside of one's subnet was not possible, it isn't until now that this has been implemented. When I frist read about people being able to connect to iTunes outside of the system's subnet I thought it was total BS because it was contrary to the documentation."
/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/Englis h.lproj/iTunes Help/pgs/695.html.
/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/Englis h.lproj/iTunes Help/pgs/705.html ...where you will see: "To see the shared music on a computer that is not in the same network subnet as your computer, choose Advanced > "Connect to Shared Music," then enter the IP address for the computer."
t ml
Absolutely positively FALSE.
"Show Package Contents" of (the original) iTunes 4. Open the following file(s) in Safari:
There you will see a note from the original help file: "You can also share your music with a computer that is not in the same subnet as you by setting up the other computer to look for shared music at your computer's IP address. "
Also:
This was an intended *feature* of iTunes 4! Not widely hyped for obvious reasons, taken advantage of website owners and hackers, blown out of proportion by the press, and ultimately removed by an overly cautious Apple. Ignorance wins out over elegance. The fact is, Apple did what they had to do for the iTMS to succeed. It's not like the hackers and pirates of the world will give up, they'll just turn to other (more efficient, I might add) methods. And the "regular folk" amongst us just lost a very cool tool.
Ironic that a Windows app (t Media Jukebox Plus) has had this feature for years and no one says a peep.
http://www.musicex.com/mediajukebox/plus.h
(Check out the "Media Server" description.)
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.