Tech question

[Paul Mather]

On 20 Nov 2007, at 3:34 PM, David Kuznick wrote:

> Quoting Paul Mather <paul at GROMIT.DLIB.VT.EDU>:
>
>> You can get non-iTunes software to manage your iPod (e.g., GtkPod,
>> gnupod, and I recall Amarok has built-in iPod support), but usually
>> these are for people running unix-like systems, not Windows or Mac...
>
> Nonsense.  I use MediaMonkey on Windows and it works great.  For  
> pulling stuff off of an ipod (MediaMonkey does not have great  
> support for that), or to put video off and on (which MediaMonkey doe  
> snot support at all yet) I use sharepod, which can install on the  
> ipod itself.


I think "nonsense" is a bit unfair: the reverse-engineered iPod  
software game got going on unix-like systems because, just like DVD  
playing, there was no official licensed, proprietary option for using  
the kit on those platforms.  But, I do admit I don't use Windows at  
all nowadays and so there may be plenty of alternatives there now.

As for SharePod, the phrase "which can install on the ipod itself" is  
a bit misleading.  Sure, you can have the program stowed on there, but  
you couldn't, say, plug that iPod into my iBook G4 and hope to get  
anywhere with SharePod (even if you did go to the bother of  
downloading Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0).  The same could go for  
Windows 98, actually...

I do believe that someone has installed a Linux distribution on an  
iPod, though. ;-)

Cheers,

Paul.

Disclaimer: I don't own an iPod, but I did use a video iPod under  
FreeBSD 6 for a time.

e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production
  deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
         --- Frank Vincent Zappa