iTunes alternative?

[mastersword]

Hey all,

I've been using Suse 10.2 on my Dell Inspiron 5160 for some time, slowly migrating from windows. As of now, I have everything I could possibly need either natively in linux, or running in Wine for the special cases, except something for my ipod. I do have Amarok installed, as well as gtkpod, and both are great for updating my already ripped m4a files on (or off when needed) my player, however as Apple as changed things a little with iTunes 7, I now have no way of updating the firmware for the little guy when they release it. I'm also looking for something to rip audio cds to the m4a format, as I'm not particularly fond of mp3 and there isn't much else that can be played on my ipod (ie. no support for ogg, or flac). Has anyone out there got any programs or solutions I can try as I've never been able to get itunes 7 to run under wine properly, and I'd much rather use native linux software anyway. Thanks for your help!

[antidrugue]

You can perhaps change the firmware on your iPod for an open source one, like RockBox (I tryed it some time ago, it's nice):
Rockbox - Open Source Jukebox Firmware

That way your iPod will be able to read any format:
Rockbox - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Of course you can always rip your CDs in AAC (m4a) format if you want to. Search for "CD ripper" in YAST, as many will do the job (grip, ripperx, sound-juicer, and others can all be configured to rip using the AAC codec).

[mastersword]

I'd rather not change the firmware on the device But for sure I'll try the ripping applications, anyone in particular you can recommend?

[mastersword]

I had actually never heard about Rockbox before, and am currently investigating it, and quite frankly very intrigued. Does anyone have any feedback for Rockbox running on a 5th gen iPod video? What kind of risks are involved? (I'd really hate to brick the little guy as I don't have money to replace it)

[Wolfman18336]

There is also a formidable piece of software called aTunes. The looks are similar to that of iTunes, however this is open source. You can learn more and download here

[mastersword]

Looks like an intersting program. I like the intergrated cd ripper (a feature I was suprised to find missing from Amarok) but according to the documentation it will only rip mp3, ogg, or wav. I've currently got my KAudioCreator setup to rip in AAC (m4a) for my iPod which seems to be working alright. My biggest concern at this time is getting the firmware updated once it is released. Thanks for the tip though! I'll keep my eye on it.

[yamfox]

Songbird=
i686
x86_64

[mastersword]

Someone from another board refered me to Songbird. The project does look interesting, but doesn't seem to offer anything that aTunes or my current setup is lacking unless I am mistaken.

[J.Michael]

I think when I was looking at SuSE demo you can use the Banshee or something like that and it is ipod compatable.

[mastersword]

In the past I had been refered to Banshee as well as gtkPod for updating files on my iPod. I've never tried Banshee, but gtkPod works very well with my setup in terms of changing the tracks on my device. My understanding is that neither software will touch the firmware in anyway.