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."
What's The Point?
by
rsmith-mac
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· Score: 5, Insightful
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?
by
ItMustBeEsoteric
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· Score: 4, Insightful
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?
by
nathanh
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· Score: 5, Insightful
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.
Re:Hacking
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Insightful
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@
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:Is it just me
by
falcon5768
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· Score: 4, Insightful
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
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"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
Re:How hard can it be?
by
burns210
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· Score: 4, Insightful
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?
by
Spolster
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· Score: 5, Insightful
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.
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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.
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@
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.
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.
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
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
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.
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.