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0 pointsyummyfajitas15y ago0 comments

Some "features" of iTunes:

When I import my music folder, iTunes copies all the files to it's own private directories, using the filesystem as an index. Thanks, but my music is already arranged the way I like.

iTunes doesn't play flac or ogg. And when I rip a CD, it wants to save it in some proprietary flac-like format (which, as far as I know, does not work on non-macs).

I enjoy controlling my music from a phone/tablet/other computer. Shameless plug: http://github.com/stucchio/DJ-Pirate http://cims.nyu.edu/~stucchio/software/djpirate/screenshot1.... http://cims.nyu.edu/~stucchio/software/djpirate/screenshot3....

iTunes + iPod also has some extremely unpleasant anti-features: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1202

(Note: this may not all still be true, haven't used iTunes since 2007. )

0 comments

tvon15y ago

> When I import my music folder, iTunes copies all the files to it's own private directories,

This is optional and IIRC, not on by default.

I have to add:

> Thanks, but my music is already arranged the way I like.

This just baffles me. Why would you ever manually arrange your music? I used to do this when I use Linux because I basically had to if I wanted to browse it in any sane way, but I much prefer having some app do it for me. It just strikes me as one of the many things that my computer can do well, so it should do it.

> iTunes doesn't play flac or ogg. And when I rip a CD, it wants to save it in some proprietary flac-like format (which, as far as I know, does not work on non-macs).

I have no clue about non-macs (iTunes generally sucks in Windows IMO) so I can't really help, but in OSX if you have the codec installed, it will work.

> I enjoy controlling my music from a phone/tablet/other computer.

Google around, there are a lot of remotes for iTunes (free one from Apple for iOS, one for android here: http://dacp.jsharkey.org/).

iTunes is one of the main things that I'd miss if I switched to Linux full-time.

yummyfajitasOP15y ago

It is more or less automatically arranged (by grip). I make the occasional tweak when grip screws up. As far as browsing goes, mpd supports all of that based on file metadata. Having a filesystem arrangement under my control is useful for this purpose:

    $ cp /misc/music/Johnny_Cash/American*/* /media/generic_non_ipod_music_player/

Since I have more music than normally fits on a portable player, this step is unavoidable (I can't just copy everything over).

(Actually there is another step involved since I store music as lossless flac files, which most portables don't play. See http://github.com/stucchio/Mp3FS for details.)

djacobs15y ago

> Having a filesystem arrangement under my control is useful for this purpose:

> $ cp /misc/music/Johnny_Cash/American/ /media/generic_non_ipod_music_player/

Why can't you do this with iTunes' automatic arrangement? What am I missing?

I've found that iTunes organizes music in a very reasonable way > 90% of the time. Added benefit: When I add title/album/artist metadata (say it was missing or incorrect when I imported it into iTunes), the hierarchy and filenames automatically rearrange and rename themselves, no intervention on my part required.

tvon15y ago

    $ cp /misc/music/Johnny_Cash/American*/* /media/generic_non_ipod_music_player/

You lose me there. Why would you want to manually copy individual directories to your music player? How do you handle playlists, or worse, smart playlists?

I'd go insane if I had to manually move files over like this.

1 more reply

koeselitz15y ago

Some people like to manually arrange files they way they'd like to. Like, for example, many of us developers. It's fine that some people don't want to, and I don't think it means much beyond personal preferences; but it isn't exactly astounding that developers might sometimes feel plenty comfortable manipulating files manually.

Besides, yes, it's easier than people think moving files around via command. And when I do it by command, I know what I did, so I can see what happened, and it's all under my control.

silentbicycle15y ago

The Venn diagram of (people who like iTunes, people who like mpd* ) would look like two circles, separated by hundreds of miles of barren tundra. That's like the intersection between plumbers and meerkats.

* Self included. Lua mpd library, FWIW: http://github.com/silentbicycle/lua-mpd

docgnome15y ago

You can turn the copying files "feature" off. Still annoying. I also hate iTunes.

jonknee15y ago

On one hand there's DJ Pirate, on the other there's Apple Remote. I'm not a fan of iTunes, but for me Remote is a big win.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/remote/id284417350?mt=8

dzlobin15y ago

I'll say that it's not perfect, but there have been pretty big improvements since 2007. Just turn off the option to copy files into a new iTunes location(I think it prompts for this upon first load) and it's a pretty solid player.

The lack of FLAC is indeed a pain in the ass though.

drivebyacct215y ago

You forgot the part where it takes two hours to properly import 30GB of music on a fresh install of the OS. And then it forgets the index if you use a non standard location. And then it forgets it again. And then you delete iTunes and use Doubletwist.

Then you find out it sucks too and you wish for rhythmbox or amarok.

wtallis15y ago

Do you really think that poor support for non-standard music library locations is a legitimate complaint? What's so horribly wrong with ~/Music/iTunes as the location for your iTunes music library?

yummyfajitasOP15y ago

I had a macbook with an 80gb HD, and a music collection that was about 400gb. I suppose I could have configured ~/Music/iTunes as an NFS mountpoint. But why bother with this when iTunes won't play my ogg or flac files?

1 more reply

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0 comments

tvon15y ago

> When I import my music folder, iTunes copies all the files to it's own private directories,

This is optional and IIRC, not on by default.

I have to add:

> Thanks, but my music is already arranged the way I like.

> iTunes doesn't play flac or ogg. And when I rip a CD, it wants to save it in some proprietary flac-like format (which, as far as I know, does not work on non-macs).

I have no clue about non-macs (iTunes generally sucks in Windows IMO) so I can't really help, but in OSX if you have the codec installed, it will work.

> I enjoy controlling my music from a phone/tablet/other computer.

Google around, there are a lot of remotes for iTunes (free one from Apple for iOS, one for android here: http://dacp.jsharkey.org/).

iTunes is one of the main things that I'd miss if I switched to Linux full-time.

yummyfajitasOP15y ago

    $ cp /misc/music/Johnny_Cash/American*/* /media/generic_non_ipod_music_player/

Since I have more music than normally fits on a portable player, this step is unavoidable (I can't just copy everything over).

(Actually there is another step involved since I store music as lossless flac files, which most portables don't play. See http://github.com/stucchio/Mp3FS for details.)

djacobs15y ago

> Having a filesystem arrangement under my control is useful for this purpose:

> $ cp /misc/music/Johnny_Cash/American/ /media/generic_non_ipod_music_player/

Why can't you do this with iTunes' automatic arrangement? What am I missing?

tvon15y ago

    $ cp /misc/music/Johnny_Cash/American*/* /media/generic_non_ipod_music_player/

You lose me there. Why would you want to manually copy individual directories to your music player? How do you handle playlists, or worse, smart playlists?

I'd go insane if I had to manually move files over like this.

1 more reply

koeselitz15y ago

Besides, yes, it's easier than people think moving files around via command. And when I do it by command, I know what I did, so I can see what happened, and it's all under my control.

silentbicycle15y ago

* Self included. Lua mpd library, FWIW: http://github.com/silentbicycle/lua-mpd

docgnome15y ago

You can turn the copying files "feature" off. Still annoying. I also hate iTunes.

jonknee15y ago

On one hand there's DJ Pirate, on the other there's Apple Remote. I'm not a fan of iTunes, but for me Remote is a big win.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/remote/id284417350?mt=8

dzlobin15y ago

The lack of FLAC is indeed a pain in the ass though.

drivebyacct215y ago

Then you find out it sucks too and you wish for rhythmbox or amarok.

wtallis15y ago

Do you really think that poor support for non-standard music library locations is a legitimate complaint? What's so horribly wrong with ~/Music/iTunes as the location for your iTunes music library?

yummyfajitasOP15y ago

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse