iTunes for linux!!! Join me!!!

[ShinHadoken]

First of all, I didn't have a clue where to put this, so if a mod would like to move it to another category, please do. Now, to the issue at hand.

Friends, those of us with ipods know that it's really a pain in the butt to try and sync things back and forth on an Ubuntu PC. Okay, maybe not for regular ipod users, but definitely for touch and iphone users. You can either run a deprecated version of iTunes in Wine, which is stupid because you lose a TON of functionality, or you have to jailbreak you touch/iphone, which takes a lot of effort, which in turn goes down the tubes when you update your firmware. What we need is a version of iTunes for Linux. A free, fully compatible solution for those of use who need to use proprietary software on a non-proprietary OS.

So what did I do? I emailed our friends at Apple about the problem. Here's the response I got (which I half-way expected):

Dear (ShinHadoken),
>
> Hi, this is Jason from the iTunes Store Support. I understand that you
> are wondering about itunes compatibility for the Linux operating system.
> I am sure you are anxious to find out this information so I will do
> whatever I can to look into this right away (ShinHadoken).
>
> As of yet, there is no version of iTunes that would be compatible with
> Linux. The reason why, my guess, would be that not enough people have
> voiced support or requests for it.
>
> I can provide you with a link below that is used to request content on the
> iTunes Store. It won't be a perfect fit for what you are asking, but you
> would still be able to input "Support for Linux" which will get your voice
> heard.
>
> http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunes.html
>
> I hope that this has gotten you headed in the right direction reading
> support for your OS (ShinHadoken). If you do have any further questions regarding
> this issue, do not hesitate to email me back, and I will help in any way I
> can. Enjoy your day!
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Jason
> iTunes Store Customer Support

So what now? Let's take Jason up on his offer. I'm cordially imploring of the Open Source community, specifically, the Ubuntu community to join with me a let Apple know that Linux users want to be included! I'm sure if enough of us speak out, that Apple will have to take some sort of action in response, and that could mean iTunes for Linux! Here's the link again:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunes.html

Thank you very much, and may we all see Linux support for our favorite music device soon!

Cordially, and with great Hope and Expectations,

ShinHadoken

[SuperSonic4]

Why would I want bloatware on my computer?

I did not vote in that poll since although I use amarok my iPod is a classic so it doesn't need jailbreaking. When this one dies I'll get a generic mp3 player that will be plug and play and linux compatible

[Cresho]

ohh my god i feel like barfing! what the heck is it with itunes! its junk! and bloated with crap.

[Cresho]

ohh I just converted my nephew to ubuntu. He uses rhythmbox. works fine with his itune players. before he was using winamp with itunes plug ins. He hates and loathes itunes.

[SuperSonic4]

Don't forget spyware. Look at the genius plugin. It suggests songs from the store and openly admits scanning what you listen to. If that isn't spyware idk what is

[zmjjmz]

I use sftp to put Music on my iPod Touch and then use the MyMedia app (jailbroken) to play it.
And I use Rockbox on my iPod Video, so no worries there.

[Joeb454]

First of all, I didn't have a clue where to put this, so if a mod would like to move it to another category, please do. Now, to the issue at hand.

And so done - Moved to Recurring Discussions :)

Personally, I use a Windows VM to sync it if I'm in Ubuntu, and iTunes to sync it if I'm running Vista (which is rare).

Both the VM, and the Vista install, run the same version of iTunes, and use the exact same iTunes library

[houbysoft.xf.cz]

I voted for GTKpod, but I usually just put the .mp3 files anywhere in my iPod! I use rockbox, and it's really great. Try it on rockbox.org. You won't need iTunes or anything anymore!
(sorry if this looks like an ad :D)

[mrgnash]

iTunes is a horrible program. Both my sisters have Windows on their laptops and they still choose to use Songbird to sync their iPods, because iTunes is just that bad. Don't want or need it on Linux, thanks :)

[Sorivenul]

May be too late:
iTunes may close down (http://www.9news.com/life/entertainment/article.aspx?storyid=100887&catid=343).

[dioltas]

Some of the solutions mentioned here aren't as easy if you have an ipod touch / iphone. I ordered a touch off the net ages ago and it never came :( If I had it though I would prefer to use the jailbreak option, so I voted for that. Don't think my machine is powerful enough to run itunes in VM!

Possibly won't be getting my ipod so I mightn't have this problem, but I'm still gonna follow that link and suggest "Support for Linux" because although I don't like itunes and agree that it's bloatware, I think people should have the choice. Also it's one of the main reasons alot of people give for not switching to linux.

[Flynn555]

using amarok to sync my ipod...*works like a charm.

i've always hated itunes. infact i didnt even use my ipod for the longest time because i didnt want itunes on my new laptop(winamp +1). then one day i pluged it in to my ubuntu box and bam! amarok picked it up. so i started using it again. thx amarok!

[EnGorDiaz]

iTunes is a horrible program. Both my sisters have Windows on their laptops and they still choose to use Songbird to sync their iPods, because iTunes is just that bad. Don't want or need it on Linux, thanks :)

songbird is so good except the crashes

[jrusso2]

My solution is don't buy an iPod, buy a device that works with Linux.

[Cresho]

ya, get a device that works. Who ever said ipods are easy to use?

[kc2bxn]

how about Zune than I wont need windows at all except ZUNE of curse of a big HD player for linux! ;-)

[aysiu]

Why would I want bloatware on my computer? If iTunes is ported to Linux, you don't have to install it on your computer.

[kc2bxn]

well let me clear that up a big HD player built for Linux also or that can use Windows explorer to manage it
with robocopy or something( /MIR) ;)
i manage most of my music in explorer anyway i don't need software to screw it up for me I've had that happen and 25 gigs of mp3s is too big for some ITunes or some other music buying control of your life software to poop it up

[SunnyRabbiera]

May be too late:
iTunes may close down (http://www.9news.com/life/entertainment/article.aspx?storyid=100887&catid=343).

Yeh but here is one of the few times I side with apple, trying to keep downloadable songs at a reasonable rate is perhaps apple's most noble cause.

[Sorivenul]

Yeh but here is one of the few times I side with apple, trying to keep downloadable songs at a reasonable rate is perhaps apple's most noble cause.
Not arguing at all with that. I'm all for one of the major players attempting to keep downloadable songs reasonably priced, and am glad Apple seems to be taking this stance. I guess we wait and see.

[cardinals_fan]

Yeh but here is one of the few times I side with apple, trying to keep downloadable songs at a reasonable rate is perhaps apple's most noble cause.
...which is why I listen to public-domain music that I can download for free legally :)

[RedGreen]

May be too late:
iTunes may close down (http://www.9news.com/life/entertainment/article.aspx?storyid=100887&catid=343).

I wonder how much weight Apple carries, and if their threat will actually impact anything. iTunes is too central to the iPod/iPhone line, Apple would not shut down the service.

Don't forget spyware. Look at the genius plugin. It suggests songs from the store and openly admits scanning what you listen to. If that isn't spyware idk what is

Then don't use it, Genius has to be enabled, and it clearly states what is going on before you are even able to use it. Spyware is not a feature that tells you what is going on, and gives you the option to use it or not.

[Sorivenul]

iTunes is too central to the iPod/iPhone line, Apple would not shut down the service.
This is true of their own products, true.
The effects of this on the music/media industry in general would be interesting to see if they follow through. If the artists and labels suddenly stopped receiving their profits from iTunes, what would happen? I live in a relatively small city and most people I know spend between $100 to $250 US dollars per month in the iTunes Store. Take that and apply it nationally/globally. I'm not an expert, but I think things would be rough for a time in the industry.
That said, in short, it may simply be a ploy to keep the NMPA at bay.

[emshains]

The thing here is not to ask why isnt there an linux version of iTunes but to complain about that you can't find a Linux version in the downloads site. That's what I did yesterday. :)

[emshains]

I wonder how much weight Apple carries, and if their threat will actually impact anything. iTunes is too central to the iPod/iPhone line, Apple would not shut down the service.



Then don't use it, Genius has to be enabled, and it clearly states what is going on before you are even able to use it. Spyware is not a feature that tells you what is going on, and gives you the option to use it or not.

Well, you never know what exactly are they sending, right? I always pressed the "don't send" button instead of the "send report".

[billgoldberg]

I'm cordially imploring of the Open Source community, specifically, the Ubuntu community to join with me a let Apple know that Linux users want to be included!

ShinHadoken

You want the Open Source community to get on their knees and beg Apple Inc. for a piece of Closed Source, DRM infected software?

[Polygon]

i would only use it to sync my ipod, since with the newer ipods, espcially the ipod touch and iphone, i dont think can be synced with anything but itunes, and not to mention rockbox wont work on 60% of ipods either, Just having the program available on linux would be good for some people, since my friend for example doesn't want to switch cause he has a lot of songs he bought from itunes.

[rune0077]

I just use Amarok to transfer the songs to the iPhone. Jailbreaking it isn't very hard, and there's tons of how-to's on the Internet. Besides, it only started being a really interesting device once it was jailbroken.

Don't forget spyware. Look at the genius plugin. It suggests songs from the store and openly admits scanning what you listen to. If that isn't spyware idk what is

Jeez, that's a little paranoid isn't it? Last.fm plugins does the same thing in Amarok and Rhytmbox. Amazon does it whenever you buy a book from them. Sure it's marketing, but it's also helpful to me: I have discovered much new music through Last.fm, and read many a good book I would otherwise never have heard of because Amazon "recommended" it to me. Advertisement and marketing does not instantly equal spyware.

[Polygon]

not to mention waht music you listen to isnt an invasion of privacy. you buy your cds's at a local store, on amazon. you post your music tastes in topics on forums.

[Helios1276]

comments bashing Itunes on this thread are pointless, the OP wants Itunes and is seeking like minded individuals. Linux is about choice, if you can have the option of Itunes..surely that is just MORE choice.

[RiceMonster]

With the acception of support for apple Apple devices (ie. iPods, iPhones, etc), iTunes is, in my opinion, the most overrated software audioplayer out there. In my opinion, there is nothing good about it. I have no interest in using their store either.

[bristolbadger23]

Honestly speaking, comparisons of iTunes to Amorak or Rhythmbox are laughable. These applications are good, but primative. iTunes is not a threat, up until Version 8, when admitedly they have started getting intrusive with the "store" links and "Genius" thing, but you can turn off genius, and the store links are hackable... and lets face it, if you'r einto linux, you hack a little.

Oh, and a word of caution to about the original post's clear flaw...

http://www.apple.com/legal/policies/ideas.html

[RiceMonster]

Honestly speaking, comparisons of iTunes to Amorak or Rhythmbox are laughable. These applications are good, but primative.

In what way? Amarok manages my music a million times better than iTunes ever did. It automatically updates my library, I can tag entire albums at once, etc. I also don't have to leave it all night while it "determines gapless playback information" for all of my 7000 songs. Plus, I don't have to sign up for a music store I absolutely do not want to use to download cover art.

I'm not going to argue about Rhythmbox, because I don't think it's anywhere close to good, but I still think iTunes is a horrible audio player. The best audio player out there is, IMO, foobar2000. Now there's an audio player I would be happy to see ported to Linux, but it will never happen, unfortunately.

[amac777]

One of the options in the poll for syncing is to use an older version of itunes in wine.... 1 person voted for this option. Is this even possible? I was told wine doesn't support USB devices.

Anyway, I would like itunes for linux. My wife using it for her second generation shuffle. I tried using gtkpod but it bricked the shuffle. We had to use the reset to factory settings using itunes on a windows box to bring it back alive. So now she just uses itunes in windows on an old laptop running xp. I would like to use a linux program though. Does anyone know of any linux aps that support the second generation shuffle?

About using the apple request form to ask for a linux version, I'm going to do it. But I'm having a hard time filling out the form. It requires you to enter you OS and of course linux is not one of the options and there is no "other" selection....

[Erunno]

I'm probably in the minority here but personally I'm very fond of the iTunes interface, especially the one introduced with iTunes 8. Considering how many different functions are present in iTunes I think that Apple pretty much nailed the interface due to the clean seperation of each category and the reduction of the (obvious) options to the bare minimum. Plus, an iPod + iTunes is very convenient for regular listeners of audiobooks and podcasts due to the neat syncing features.

[Nico0020]

yea iTunes may be a completely bloated piece of software, but the more native "popular" software linux has the better right? I dont use an iPod as I have a sansa player that seems to be getting better support now with banshee (YAY!). I'll send an e-mail though on our behalf.

though I would never buy anything from the itunes store. I dont feel like paying for DRMed music. I Personally use the Amazon linux MP3 store/downloader. It is efficient with a growing library. Though I just use it when I want individual tracks, anything I rip.

[BandD]

who needs itunes or the applefirm ware on an ipod (unless you've got the latest and 'greatest')? I use rockbox and dont' even need to hassle with syncing via a media player. I just transfer my files on over as if it were a removable drive (which is what it is, even though Apple would have you think otherwise). There is absolutely NO REASON to have a hashed database on these players. It's ludicrious.

I'd rather petition Apple to stop this LAME A$$ practice, make the thing work in a sane way, play more codecs, and give us a frickin' choice in the matter! That's what we should really want, is a frickin' CHOICE!!!!!! I suppose wanting itunes on linux is a kind of choice, but...at what cost...

[Ripfox]

My solution is don't buy an iPod, buy a device that works with Linux.

Point me to a device that does everything that a Touch or iPhone can do and I will buy it. That includes the touch screens...

Look, it just sucks trying to sync either device in Ubuntu and there needs to be an app. I just don't think it needs to be iTunes. If I could, I would write it (no skills in that area) :)

[rune0077]

though I would never buy anything from the itunes store. I dont feel like paying for DRMed music. I Personally use the Amazon linux MP3 store/downloader. It is efficient with a growing library. Though I just use it when I want individual tracks, anything I rip.

You people do realize that you can buy non-DRM music from iTunes store, right? That's been possible for over a year. I think you just haven't touched iTunes in so long, that you're currently raging against a machine that isn't really there anymore.

[Delvien]

iTunes for linux... No thank you. They can keep their bloated software.

Banshee > iTunes

[AndyCooll]

"iTunes for linux!!! Join me!!!"

- Ermmm ...no thank you.

I've never been tempted or had any need for any of Apples hardware or software. The bling value of the hardware simply doesn't appeal, I prefer the better and more fully functional options out there (not to mention cheaper). And I have no desire to use the iTunes store either. These days I get all my music as free and legal downloads. And Rhythmbox (and/or Amarok) suit my needs fine.

I'm sure there are fans of iTunes out there, I'm simply not one of them.

:cool:

[Sinkingships7]

iTunes is the single greatest music jukebox in the world. The iTunes store sucks, but the software itself is the best, hands-down.

What's all this crap about 'bloatware' I keep hearing? And spyware? wth? I mean, I understand (kinda) the bloatware part if you're trying to run it on a PC with lower-end specs, but being a multi-threaded application, it runs like lightning on my dual-core processor (2.1 GHz), and there is NOT a better library manager out there for organizing your music.

I'm open to be proved wrong, but in my experience, nothing beats it. To counter-argue, perhaps suggest features.

Civilized discussions only, please.

[aysiu]

iTunes is the single greatest music jukebox in the world. The iTunes store sucks, but the software itself is the best, hands-down.

What's all this crap about 'bloatware' I keep hearing? And spyware? wth? I mean, I understand (kinda) the bloatware part if you're trying to run it on a PC with lower-end specs, but being a multi-threaded application, it runs like lightning on my dual-core processor (2.1 GHz), and there is NOT a better library manager out there for organizing your music.

I'm open to be proved wrong, but in my experience, nothing beats it. To counter-argue, perhaps suggest features.

Civilized discussions only, please.
I agree with you completely (with the exception of no global keyboard shortcut support), but it's trendy and "cool" on these forums for Linux users to hate on iTunes and say it's a terrible player or bloated.

Of course, it's also trendy and "cool" here to say you think the Aqua on Mac OS X is ugly or "too much." Everyone I know who is not on these forums thinks Mac OS X is extremely beautiful. I happen to agree, and I've seen just hundreds of Compiz-Fusion YouTube videos.

[Sinkingships7]

[...] but it's trendy and "cool" on these forums for Linux users to hate on iTunes and say it's a terrible player or bloated.

I can see that. :)

It's unfortunate that they must be jealous of what they "can't" have.

[spoons]

I don't want/need iTunes, because on Windows atleast it was crap and because I don't have an iPod it didn't offer anything I needed/wanted. I'm not against it coming to Linux though, I'm sure people will use it which I'm cool with. But I won't be using it myself.

[aysiu]

I don't think it's jealousy. It seems to be more of an anti-corporate mentality. Anything corporate or commercial is bad. Anything non-corporate and homegrown / grassroots is better. It's about the desire to be non-conformist; it's not about sour grapes. That's why you'll also hear, unfortunately, some people here refer to Mac or Windows users as sheep. The idea is that people who use Mac or Windows can have no other reason to use their preferred operating system except that everyone else is doing it. Linux users, however, are supposed to be the ones bucking the system and thinking for themselves.

I do have to say while I'm impressed with iTunes, Rhythmbox and AmaroK have gotten me used to global keyboard shortcuts, and I haven't found any Windows programs that allow you to have global keyboard shortcuts with the latest version of iTunes (so my Windows computer at work is sad).

The bottom line, though, is that iPods and iPhones are saturating the portable devices market, and the only program that reliably syncs with every latest version and older version of those products is iTunes, and that's why some people want iTunes ported to Linux. It has nothing to do with bloat or non-bloat. It has to do purely with functionality and integration.

Some iPods work with native Linux music management programs. Some don't. There can be ways to make your iPhone or iPod Touch work with a Linux program, but they don't just all automatically work that way.

My solution was to get rid of the iPod and go with Sandisk, but not everyone's willing to make that shift so quickly.

[cardinals_fan]

I don't think it's jealousy. It seems to be more of an anti-corporate mentality. Anything corporate or commercial is bad. Anything non-corporate and homegrown / grassroots is better. It's about the desire to be non-conformist; it's not about sour grapes. That's why you'll also hear, unfortunately, some people here refer to Mac or Windows users as sheep. The idea is that people who use Mac or Windows can have no other reason to use their preferred operating system except that everyone else is doing it. Linux users, however, are supposed to be the ones bucking the system and thinking for themselves.

That doesn't really apply in my case. I actually prefer the corporate feel in many cases. I just find iTunes to be too much. It does many things I don't want my music player to do.

[aysiu]

That doesn't really apply in my case. I actually prefer the corporate feel in many cases. I just find iTunes to be too much. It does many things I don't want my music player to do.
Fair enough. What I said may not apply in your individual case, but I'm really discussing more model than scope.

[cardinals_fan]

Fair enough. What I said may not apply in your individual case, but I'm really discussing more model than scope.
True enough.

Perhaps it's a bit off-topic, but Consonance (http://consonance.sourceforge.net/index.php) does just what I want. It doesn't have a store, and it lacks many of iTunes' 'features', but it does its job very well. I prefer to legally purchase/download non-DRMed music from either Amazon's mp3 store or public domain download sites such as Musopen. A remarkable number of very good artists make their works available for free - the Peabody Concert Orchestra at Johns Hopkins has tons of music available for free download.

[inxygnuu]

I think that it would be reasonable to email them. I mean, not for just i-tunes, but for other things too, (I'm not an apple person, so don't ask me what). On the other hand, do we want them to expand their business here???...:-k

[BandD]

I would much rather see a petition to apple asking them to make development tools fro the ipod available to programmers, so that third party apps can make better use. What I don't like about Apple or Microsoft in many cases is the lack of choice. It's not su much an anit-coporate thing...rather I feel like I'm being forced into somehting I dodn't really sign up for. That's my main gripe. So rather than seeing itunes ported to Linus, I'd rather see the ipod opened up...

[RiceMonster]

iTunes for linux... No thank you. They can keep their bloated software.

Banshee > iTunes

Banshee = iTunes for Linux. I don't see how you could call iTunes bloated and then go and use Banshee. That's just my opinion, though.

[SuperSonic4]

Everyone I've spoken to says Quicktime is a load of crap though :p

And that is what annoys me most about iTunes, it is bundled with Quicktime when I feel it would have been better to let videos open in an external application or have quicktime as an optional install.

For me personally Amarok is better than iTunes, the wikipedia integration is awesome and lyrics plugin is nice too. Luckily my iPod works in Mandriva and Kubuntu but when this breaks I shall go with a different player, a linux compatible one.

I have Songbird installed on my vista partition which is like iTunes just with nice plugins lol