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Syncing Music Players In Linux?
Daengbo writes "I recently sold my old laptop to a friend, and she asked me to keep Ubuntu on it rather than installing Windows for her. To help her with the transition, I wrote two intro lessons for her, but we've hit a stumbling block. The iRivier Clix (4GB) she's been using syncs with Windows Media Player. My research shows that the model has both an MTP for the sync and a UMS mode which acts as a mass storage device. Rhythmbox's 'Scan Removable Media' doesn't pick up anything from the USB mass storage device, and although Syncropated claims to support these types of devices, it doesn't find any supported devices. Unless you use an iPod, this appears to be a real weak point in the Linux desktop. Do you sync your mass storage devices and music players? What do you use?"
Amarok
Summation 2
My experience with iRivers is a bit old (it's before there was a libmtp), but here goes.
a tibility) but note I've never used that model. The sparse Syncropated page doesn't say if it actually *uses* libmtp, and in fact, I can't see any mention of MTP on their website; it only mentions mass storage.
a ture.php). The mother company is Korean, so the website and docs can be a bit funny with the English at times, but otherwise it's a great product. Rockbox (http://www.rockbox.org/) is a safe firmware replacement, and it also, well, rocks. In either firmware, the device is a simple mass storage device (with no funny business other than an obnoxious adapter necessary for USB), and KDE ([insert dig on Gnome]) picks it up immediately.
libmtp should work, in the normal "well, it's supposed to work" sense, (as listed at http://libmtp.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=comp
My iRiver required some incantation when turning on the device to put it into mass storage mode, I would assume this is still the case. I think you had to hold stop while turning it on, but it's been so long and it was so immediately frustrating that I've purged that experience from my brain. It could have been anything.
Since this is an Ask article... I use an iAudio X5 (http://www.cowonglobal.com/product/product_X5_fe
For actually syncing, I'm a junkie for simplicity: I use rsync and a directory full of symlinks to the music I want.
Write your own Driver you n00b!
Seriously though.
I use AmaroK. It works with my 4g iPod and my Blackberry Pearl. It will sync any generic mass storage device also. I'd give it a try.
From that project: Personally, (most) MP3 players I've hooked up to Linux through a USB have been recognized as just plain old drives. You put the MP3 in the right folder (sometimes takes testing) and there it is, ready to play.
My work here is dung.
Mounting won't do it for a lot of players. I have a Samsung YH-925 and although it functions as a UMS, when files are copied to the player they are not indexed, meaning you can't play any music without syncing it through a program like Windows Media Player.
Some people in the Sandisk Sansa E200 Linux forum have run MTP Mode on Linux...
Z.
-- Under/Overrated is meta-moderation, and therefore is Redundant.
From the bottom of the first tutorial...
Cassandra said...
this is awesome Dan thanks!! you OBVIOUSLY have way too much time on your hands...lol but i'm glad to benefit from it!
In other words, DENIED! Sorry, man, we've all been there.
My thoughts exactly.
It's obvious that this girl is interested -- otherwise, why else would she switch to Ubuntu?
Advice to the geek who posted this: This is not about the OS or her mp3 player or whatever. This is about her wanting to get with you. That's why she kept Ubuntu, because she wants to show you she's open to the things you like. She could give a rat's ass what OS she uses otherwise.
Go get some.
I buy players wisely first. I make a point of researching beforehand and only buy players that:
1) Appear as a generic storage device when plugged into USB and doesn't require drivers or other software to be installed on your PC.
( this gets around any Windows-only and most DRM limitations, and also means I can use it as portable storage for other files).
2) Supports ogg ( and FLAC if possible )
3) Doesn't contain DRM
I don't use KDE, but I use Amarok. Honestly, it is the only media player on Linux worth anything. Banshee and others look fine at first, but you will realize they are unstable pieces of junk if you try to add more than 50 songs to the library. Also, if you use an iPod, you can get it to work with Amarok or other Linux apps quite easily. However, the experience will never be as smooth as iTunes. This is a serious problem. This is why even though I run Linux on all my machines, I still use an iPod with a Mac mini for podcast listening. There simply isn't any other solution that works as smoothly.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
Advice to the geek who posted this: This is not about the OS or her mp3 player or whatever. This is about her wanting to get with you. That's why she kept Ubuntu, because she wants to show you she's open to the things you like. She could give a rat's ass what OS she uses otherwise.
Slashdot: Relationship advice from my mother's basement, next caller please.
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