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Songbird Flies Today

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the free-as-a-bird dept.

fr1kk writes to tell us that with the recent advent of a preview version for the new open source response to iTunes, Songbird, BoingBoing has taken a few minutes to interview team lead Rob Lord. While this program may be a great alternative to the DRM ridden iTunes and Windows Media Player platforms it is still only a Windows release. The good news is that by being open source that will (hopefully) not last very long. The Songbird site appears to be swamped right now, but there are several different mirrors available to download the client.

13 of 412 comments (clear)

  1. Not invented yet? by mccalli · · Score: 5, Funny
    From the article: Songbird can connect to any a la carte media store -- downloadable music, radio, video, P2P networks, and classes of services that haven't been created yet.

    It can connect to classes of service that haven't been invented yet? Impressive. I shall go away and ponder the transdimensional time-travelling inplications of this statement. Over a large brandy.

    Cheers,
    Ian

  2. wonderful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    it's always nice to see someone doing what's been done before, only prettier, with a GPL, no support and random crashes.

  3. We Need an Extension by jgbishop · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is there a SongSomething extension to rename this program? I prefer Songfox to Songbird...

    --
    Go, and never darken my towels again! -- Rufus
    1. Re:We Need an Extension by Afrosheen · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah but you gotta love the icon choices. An egg for the installer and a feather for the Songbird player itself.

        Too bad he doesn't have one theme that's worth a shit. Black or dark red? What is this, the vinyl choices for the interior in a 57 Chevy? Give us the iTunes gray, or a glossy white theme, anything but these dark, hard-to-read interfaces.

    2. Re:We Need an Extension by seanmeister · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Give us the iTunes gray, or a glossy white theme, anything but these dark, hard-to-read interfaces."

      chrome\skin\bland.css is in the Songbird install dir.

      hack away!

  4. Say what what? by SEWilco · · Score: 3, Funny
    "a preview version for the new open source response to iTunes, Songbird, BoingBoing"

    Which what what?

  5. Re:Yes, 'cuz that's what teenaged music fans want. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    > Open Source is a good start. But it appears that there is only a Windoze version...how open is that?

    It's called "Open Source" because you are allowed to see the code, it's not "Omni Source!"

  6. In re: "from the free-as-a-bird dept." by Caspian · · Score: 4, Funny

    In re: 'from the free-as-a-bird dept."
    Attn: Robert Commander Taco Malda, Jeff Hemos Bates

    I represent the law firm of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe, on retainer for Apple Corps d.b.a. Apple Records. Our clients hold international legal and commercial rights to the recording Free As A Bird.

    Your unauthorized distribution of lyrics to this performance constitute, at a minimum, a violation of U.S.C. 666-69-3117 and of the provisions on distribution laid out in the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). You are thus ordered to cease and desist the distribution of these and any other Apple Corps lyrics in your "dept" headings. Our firm has not ruled out further legal action to enforce our clients' Intellectual Property rights.

    Signed,

    Robert Cheatham, Esq.
    Dewey, Cheatham and Howe

    --
    With spending like this, exactly what are "conservatives" conserving?
    1. Re:In re: "from the free-as-a-bird dept." by Kiaser+Zohsay · · Score: 3, Funny

      In re: 'from the free-as-a-bird dept."

      What song is it you want to hear?

      --
      I am not your blowing wind, I am the lightning.
  7. Is that iTunes? by jpsowin · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes! Another open-source copy of a commercial app!

  8. Microsoft should hire these guys! by Deep+Fried+Geekboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    A clone of iTunes which doesn't interoperate with the iTunes store, play any of my DRM'd music, work on a Mac or under Linux, or interface with my iPod. Its only selling point being vaporware plugins.

    Bzzt! Next!

    --

    I'm not wrong. You haven't thought about it hard enough.

  9. Re:Mozilla-based? by iabervon · · Score: 3, Funny

    You should know it's Mozilla-based because the name ends with "bird". Of course, they'll probably have to rename it to "Songfox", which should clarify things further. (For that matter, foxes are cuter than birds.)

  10. Speaking of birds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...what kind of bird doesn't fly? A jail bird - and that is just what all of you heathens with your new fangled technology are going to be if you keep abusing it. I know this for the RIAA tells me so.