I feel dirty

[Aboobie]

Originally Posted by NokkonWud

Another here who hates iTunes, only last week I was telling Leo of my hatred for that horrible program.

I too hate it with a passion and I've never really understood the whole Apple fanaticism.

When I bought my first mp3 player about a year ago I did quite a bit of research and ended up with an 80GB Zune player which I got for c. £120 which I still love. The Zune software is head and shoulders better than iTunes and handles mine and my wifes podcasts without any hastle.

Still, ... enjoy your new toy!!

[Matblack]

Originally Posted by Davey_Pitch

MB, you should consider ditching iTunes and using Media Monkey instead. It's a much nicer piece of software for transferring your tunes over, and still use it to subscribe to podcasts. I highly highly recommend it

I'll have a look but I don't fancy going through and adding all my album covers again!

MB

[Matblack]

Hmmm sounds like this Monkey Media thing might be worth the effort, I'll have a look over the weekend

MB

[LeperousDust]

Originally Posted by Aboobie

I too hate it with a passion and I've never really understood the whole Apple fanaticism.

When I bought my first mp3 player about a year ago I did quite a bit of research and ended up with an 80GB Zune player which I got for c. £120 which I still love. The Zune software is head and shoulders better than iTunes and handles mine and my wifes podcasts without any hastle.

Still, ... enjoy your new toy!!

You're right iTunes is crap, but the iPod hardware itself is pretty much unparalleled for price/size/ease of use etc... I was like MB about a year or two ago, i didn't want to like my new iPod but as soon as i used it i realised i was onto something very good. Once i'd found a suitable iTunes replacement. MediaMonkey will connect to anything (even my phone over bluetooth ) and auto sync for me if i want it to. So the only thing i need to worry about is hardware now days which is why i have an iPod and i will continue to have an iPod until something similar/better comes out from someone else which generic storage interface

[BBx]

TRAITOR!!!!

BB x

[BBx]

*rolleyes*



BB x

[iCraig]

The bane of the iPod, is indeed iTunes. Even on a fast PC, it seems clunky and fat, if you know what I mean? It's a far cry from the simplicity and speed of foobar/winamp. I've tried 3rd party programs and plugins to manage it, but it's either too unpredictable or just doesn't work. Maybe I'm setting it up wrong, I don't know. The point is though, it shouldn't be so difficult to put music on a music device. I can understand why Apple make you use iTunes, but a little bit of freedom would be nice sometimes. DRM-free music is a step in the right direction but if I knew of a program that was fully comptatible with the iPod, let me manage my music on it properly, I'd use that instead in a heartbeat.

As for the whole OSX and it "just works" argument, I completely agree. In my experience, OSX was fantastic to get along with. It will do what you want, no mess, no fuss. However this is a double edged sword because the reason it works so well in my opinion is because of how closed it all is. With all the complicated stuff tucked away, and only simple settings ready for editing, it's not going to break very often is it? OSX reminds me of those flashy trainers you used to get. The ones where you walked, and the lights in the heel came on. All great until it's time to change the battery, or swap the LEDs for a new colour. No. All locked down. "Go away user, haven't you got some photos of other people's kids to be flicking through in iPhoto?"

My boss is currently developing ticketing software for mobile platforms. Where wardens take photos of an offending car, and the software does all sorts of clever things. The ANPR gleans the reg plate, and the VBasic software collates all the info and beams it back to base for the company to process and mail out the fine. With Windows, you can unpack your program on the phone, fiddle with the GPRS settings and generally get on and do it. A company asked him if he could do it for iPhone. After all, Apple brag it's fit for enterprise use, so why not? Well, all of the custom app building aside, he's struggling at the first hurdle with GRPS settings etc. There simply isn't any. You've got very basic customisation ability. It's like Apple just don't trust the end-user with anything complicated. All the cogs and wires are all locked away, never to be touched.

Same with OSX on the desktop. I struggled to really get under the bonnet of it like you can in Windows. Rename the Recycle Bin? Pop into Regedit. Change the icon path for certain files? Pop into regedit. If you know what you're doing, and you're careful, you can have a good play. Apple says no to this im my experience, and just waves something shiny in your face to get you away from all the wires and flashy lights. Linux, well, no need to moan there. It arrives with the bonnet already up and the rest of it needing assembly.

[Burble]

Originally Posted by iCraig

However this is a double edged sword because the reason it works so well in my opinion is because of how closed it all is.

I can see your point, but I don't entirely agree. True, if you're just using the GUI then a lot of stuff is locked down but if you delve into the terminal it is far more open than it first seems.

It's the same with Windows too, all the very useful and useful stuff is CLI.

[Aboobie]

Originally Posted by LeperousDust

You're right iTunes is crap, but the iPod hardware itself is pretty much unparalleled for price/size/ease of use etc... I was like MB about a year or two ago, i didn't want to like my new iPod but as soon as i used it i realised i was onto something very good. Once i'd found a suitable iTunes replacement. MediaMonkey will connect to anything (even my phone over bluetooth ) and auto sync for me if i want it to. So the only thing i need to worry about is hardware now days which is why i have an iPod and i will continue to have an iPod until something similar/better comes out from someone else which generic storage interface

I think you're probably right as my experience comes from using iTunes for years on my PC and not from any extensive use of an iPlayer or iPod. My best mate swears by all his Apple gear and his iPlayer is very nice

[LeperousDust]

Originally Posted by iCraig

The bane of the iPod, is indeed iTunes. Even on a fast PC, it seems clunky and fat, if you know what I mean? It's a far cry from the simplicity and speed of foobar/winamp. I've tried 3rd party programs and plugins to manage it, but it's either too unpredictable or just doesn't work. Maybe I'm setting it up wrong, I don't know. The point is though, it shouldn't be so difficult to put music on a music device. I can understand why Apple make you use iTunes, but a little bit of freedom would be nice sometimes. DRM-free music is a step in the right direction but if I knew of a program that was fully comptatible with the iPod, let me manage my music on it properly, I'd use that instead in a heartbeat.

I feel like i'm repeating myself here, but i don't think people have ever read my blatant promotion threads before (namely opera, picard, MM and Digsby). MediaMonkey!

Originally Posted by iCraig

Same with OSX on the desktop. I struggled to really get under the bonnet of it like you can in Windows. Rename the Recycle Bin? Pop into Regedit. Change the icon path for certain files? Pop into regedit. If you know what you're doing, and you're careful, you can have a good play. Apple says no to this im my experience, and just waves something shiny in your face to get you away from all the wires and flashy lights. Linux, well, no need to moan there. It arrives with the bonnet already up and the rest of it needing assembly.

[/quote]

You can get away with doing a LOT on OSX its just all hidden completely away from the GUI, which actually is how it should be. It's windows thats making things too easy for you