Install iPod Update in Linux

Espectr0 writes "Following the recent iTunes update, someone has been able to install the iPod update from Linux! The article explains how to hack the iPod's firmware in order to get it installed which is required to take advantage of new features in iTunes 4.5 and the iTunes Music Store."

Comments

Hacking

[Anonymous Coward]

Is illegal hacking really the best way to show our gratitude, after all of the great things Apple and its iPod have done for us?

Re:Hacking

[Anonymous Coward]

I paid hundreds of my hard earned dollars for this iPod. I will do whatever I damn well please with the software and hardware I rightfully have a right to use as I please@

Re:Hacking

[gid13]

Let's see... Users supporting a platform Mac hasn't bothered to... Could lead to more iPod sales... I'm going to go with yes.

Re:Hacking

[Anonymous Coward]

The fact that this got a modded as Insightful has caused my to remove Apple from my Slashdot profile.

The story earlier today showed how easily Apple can change it DRM scheme which could potentially effect your entire music collection and thousands of dollars tied up in the hardware and music files and you are happy about it and actually justifing the action. Meanwhile completely oblivious to the fact that you have absolutely no control over what they decide to do and you have no choice but to accept it. If MS, the RIAA, TurboTax, or any one else for that matter did something like this, it would be the collective trend that it was a scary thing. Not with Apple though. I feel sorry for you guys/

What's The Point?

[rsmith-mac]

I don't mean to undermine what the author did, but what's the point of being able to do so? I mean, you have to pull the Firmware from a Mac/Wintel machine in the first place, and even when you get it updated, you still can't actually use the iTunes Music Store on Linux to take advantage of any of the new features in the Firmware. It's a cool hack, but a useless one at that.

Re:What's The Point?

[ItMustBeEsoteric]

I can see a use or two for it. You have a firewire card, iPod, and no Windows. You want the latest firmware for whatever reason. Your friend has Windows, but no firewire card. You have him let you borrow his machine, get the firmware output, and then use your machine to put it on the iPod.

I know, a bit of an exotic situation, but I can see it.

Re:What's The Point?

[nathanh]

I don't mean to undermine what the author did, but what's the point of being able to do so? I mean, you have to pull the Firmware from a Mac/Wintel machine in the first place, and even when you get it updated, you still can't actually use the iTunes Music Store on Linux to take advantage of any of the new features in the Firmware. It's a cool hack, but a useless one at that.

It's not useless. It's another piece of the puzzle. This guy works out how to upload the firmware. Another guy worked out how to unlock his downloaded songs. Another guy worked out how to download and play the previews from the iTunes Music Store. Another guy worked out how to upload songs to his iPod. You highlight that obtaining the firmware requires Windows or MacOS. So that means getting the firmware purely with Linux is the next piece of the puzzle.

You remind me a little bit of the people who said the same thing about Linux back in the early 90s. "It doesn't have SCSI". "It doesn't have networking". "What's the point, without the feature I need it's useless". Ok, maybe it was useless to them at that time. But Linux isn't useless now. You keep adding a piece at a time until the entire solution is there.

iPod on linux

[Stevyn]

Wasn't the iPod and iTunes supposed to lure windows users over to apple? I'm not surprised apple hasn't been quick to do this themselves.

Re:Now we just need phpTunes/itms-4-all working ag

[Anonymous Coward]

what the fuck good is purchasing protected AAC files when you can't play them?

How hard can it be?

[Fiz Ocelot]

If iTunes works in OSX, why is it they don't release a linux version? Can it really be more difficult than creating a windows version?

I know they have some marketing sence, so why not?

Re:How hard can it be?

[Anonymous Coward]

As a poster previously pointed out, itunes relies heavily upon OS X libraries. It seems that a lot of people have the misconception that it's not that hard. When you have a massive application such as itunes, converting graphical interfaces really sucks and is not that easy/worth it for a small user base. Some things, I imagine, wouldn't be that hard to replace with opensource libraries but then there would be DRM issues(RIAA would not be happy about easily hacked software). Plus compatibility would become a big issue from box to box. Apple probably could have a little bit better success using the windows code to port, but writing from scratch is probably the best option. The only problem is that the cost does not outweigh the profit. In fact, Apple would probably use money. Steve Jobs and his cronies aren't morons, they know that the linux user base if they are going to buy an ipod, will and they will find a way to use it(most wouldn't use itunes anyway). On the other hand, it makes sense to port it to windows, because most teenagers with affluent parents or just most users, won't deal with setting up ephpod; the windows users just won't buy it if it doesnt work.

Re:How hard can it be?

[burns210]

Apple spent X dollars and Y man-hours porting iTunes to Windows because they had data/figures/hopes that it would Generate A sales for iPods over a given time and B sales on the iTunes store... in a given ammount of time, Apple likely believed that A+B >= X+Y, so it would be profitable to spend the money and port to Windows... can that same calculation have the same result when porting to Linux? Honestly, I don't think so.

Re:How hard can it be?

[Spolster]

Releasing a Linux version legitimises Linux, at least in the eyes of Apple, which is not something they want to do. Apple is competing with Linux for the No. 2 operating system place behind Windows and anything that helps Linux, hurts themselves. For people who are, or become, dissatisfied with Windows, there are basically two choices: Mac or Linux. (I'll admit I'm simplifying slightly so dont complain about me ommitting the *BSDs etc.) Why should Apple give users one less reason to choose the Mac over Linux by porting iTunes over to Linux. It would be like Nintendo porting Mario Kart: Double Dash to the Xbox, it would be one more reason to choose the Xbox over the Gamecube.
With Windows it makes financial sense to port to that platform because of the huge user base, the same can't be said for Linux since the market is relatively small and actually porting iTunes to linux is non-trivial since all of the libraries that iTunes relies on (e.g. QuickTime) would need porting as well.

Re:How hard can it be?

[gremlins]

They could just get codeweavers to add in functions so they can just use the libaries they install, that way they don't have to offically support it but you can do it if you want

Re:How hard can it be?

[trouser]

If iTunes relies so heavily on OS X specific libraries then how do you explain the Windows version.

The big problem with GNUStep is that it looks like shit. I've used it, it's great, all that Objective-C magic with all that NSFandanglery and NSThingamingywhattsit, but the GUI looks terrible.

And the tools crash. A lot.

Mind you XCode, man is that unstable lately.

Re:Is it just me

[falcon5768]

And I will use the standard Windows user line given to mac users, why? there are more PC users than mac users so PC support was a eventual outcome, and it's Apple so mac support is a must, but why does Apple have to support Linux, especially when they might want to persuade linux users to Apple BECAUSE of the fact it has better support from companies but has unix underpinnings so you can still run your linux programs after a few tweeks

If you're running Linux . . .

[levin]

required to take advantage of new features in iTunes 4.5 and the iTunes Music Store.

Did I miss something? If you're running Linux in the first place, what do you care if your iPod can take advantage of the new features in iTunes 4.5 and the iTunes Music Store?

It's doubly pointless.

[BillyBlaze]

to take advantage of new features in iTunes 4.5 and the iTunes Music Store.

Ooh, I can't wait to take advantage of the new features! Like, PlayFair no longer works. Yay! I'll never have to boot Windows again. Unless I want to play my music. I can't wait.

You got to give the title credit...

[Thaidog]

For a second there I thought it was a hack for itunes on linux... but no... Update you fscking firmware on linux! Gee, that's just the thing to get everybody to switch to linux! You can update your firmware... on linux! There's 2 thing's that will never happen for 99% of everybody who owns an iPod... "wft is frimware?..."

Re:I don't understand

[Powercntrl]

You people do realize that your tracks can be burned to CD-R and ripped back into .MP3 form, all without even leaving iTunes, right?

If that level of DRM bothers you, you are heading for a long, boring life devoid of any form of popular entertainment.

So what you're saying is, instead of buying large chunks of music (Read: $$$ for Apple!) and converting them to a DRM-free format en masse while preserving the metadata, I should buy SMALLER amounts of music so it will be easier and less time consuming to convert by the burn/re-rip method? Despite the flamebait mods from ravenous Apple fanboys, I still would much rather purchase my music from iTMS than from AllOfMP3...

Time will tell if FairPlay rides again.