Amarok vs. iTunes
In my old company long standing employees get an iPod when they leave. I'm happy with my Sansa Clip+, but since my wife wanted one I was very ok with that. Since it's currently not possible to set up an iPod Nano (6th gen) with Amarok as I was told on IRC I finally installed iTunes. And I must say I was impressed.
Impressed by the amount of crap people deal with every day. I mean, this is the media player with the most coverage in the media? That everyone that has an iDevice is forced to use? OMFG! I once again learned how much I should appreciate Amarok and all the goodness it brings. I now understand why Wil Wheaton was impressed by Amarok, although he was talking about much older versions of Amarok and iTunes.
It began at the download, they asked you for your email to send you all sort of crap. Instead of giving them my address I removed the two checkboxes and gone for it. Right after the installation you got an "learn how to do" window, similar to the tooltips you are used to from KDE programs, but with pictures. I don't liked it because it wasn't that clear where that window ended and the main window started. Bad UI design by Apple, so don't copy everything. Ok, the main window. And now? The HIG guys will probably second me when I say that if you don't know what to do from the main window of an application you know what it is for you did something wrong.
Ok, somewhere there is a "Music" point, where you get some sort of introduction window where you can scan for your files. Ok, copied something over (WinSCP to the rescue) and let it search them. All found. It also found the ringtones for the old mobile phone of my wife. No idea how they get them out again. No idea how to select which things to sync to the iPod.
So all things were put on the device. Unplugged, it showed the files, mission completed. Now I thought about putting another bunch of files onto the thing. Copied the things over and, ehm, yes, I don't know. Where the heck can you tell iTunes to rescan? The music introduction window is gone, you only get the lists of tracks now that there are tracks. Plug in the iPod again, no idea how to remove tracks from there. So, the pod stayed with the few tracks. And the ogg support is unclear.
Oh, and the license. No, not of iTunes. Of the "iPod software". I only half read it because I had no choice then using this anyway. But hey, I (or someone else in my case) has bought this device. Apple, fsck off! This is my thing. I'm ok when you tell me I must not decompile your crap, but the other things did not sound like they understand the concept of selling.
Ok, this wasn't using iTunes as player. This was only using it to feed the iPod device. And I really hope someone finds out how to write the iPod database using Amarok.
Ah, maybe I should tell that to. You don't plug in an iPod into a computer and just put data onto it. You need iTunes to write some sort of database. It's not that then the advanced features wouldn't be available. It's about no music at all.
I recently read "Love the devices, hate the company." about Apple. I don't think the devices, at least this one, does deserve loving, too. The combination of Sansa Clip+ and Amarok has worked smoothless for me. Nothing near the iTunes experience.