Comments on: My windows box inches its way towards …. the window.

By: prikolchik

prikolchik — Sun, 02 May 2010 19:29:50 +0000

Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx supports out of the box both jailbroken and unjailbroken iPod Touch 2g/3g, iPhone, iPad. Plug in your iPod via USB, open either Amarok, Rhythbox or gtkpod and your iPod shows up and it _just works_. No need to compile or install any packages (well, except mp3 playback and Amarok if you choose). Can copy to/from iPod and supports cover art. What more can one ask?

Oh btw, you can try it all without even installing Ubuntu. Just use LiveCD.

Good-bye M$ Windows…

By: uqbar

uqbar — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:37:51 +0000

I have been using VirtualBox on Ubuntu to support a Windows VM for some time now. However, I don’t use iTunes so I can’t say whether it would work in a VM or not.

Actually, I can’t remember the last time I booted up the Windows VM to actually use it (I run it every so often to get security updates). I keep it around for “just in case” business reasons.

I’ve become a big fan of VirtualBox – it’s a good way to test run new versions of Ubuntu (and other Linux distros). I just hope Oracle keeps it free and supported.

By: MadScientist

MadScientist — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:22:12 +0000

Resist the urge to fling things out the window – it’s a potential lawsuit that’s hard to win.

I’m cursed to run Winduhs thanks to annoying clients who insist on attempting to do their work on Winduhs. I just wish I had enough work that I could tell those clients to go away.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:32:29 +0000

Marion, you’ve got to throw out that old iPod touch!

Maybe it’s time for you to get an iPad…

By: Marion Delgado

Marion Delgado — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:20:20 +0000

Greg:

Re: not having to upgrade OS to upgrade iTunes, and not having to upgrade iTunes to keep your ipod touch or iphone working, even if you upgrade their OS:

So far, very much so. This is because there’s no connection whatsoever to the software version of the iPod Touch/iPhone/ etc. and iTunes software version.

Also, all or nearly all of the iTunes are back-compatible. I still have the titanium G4 and it happens to have the latest iTunes on its Tiger OS. I use Tiger only for PowerPCs, because that way I can use my old Classic programs, and because Tiger and Snow Leopard are low-RAM systems, and Leopard seems like a RAM hog in comparison.

I found jailbreaking a nuisance after a while, and never did for my iPhone, because I worried about warranty and applecare. that’s why I recommend DiskAid/TunesAid (from the same company. The photo program they also make, if memory serves, is 2 x the cost and almost entirely worthless, so I never “got” that business model, though maybe it was based on how hard it was to do.)

The only thing I routinely keep jailbroken is my first iPod Touch. Somehow its wifi chip got broken irreparably, so it only has net through ssh and bluetooth or the usb cable, and every time I upgrade the OS, I have to re-jailbreak if possible, then build everything back up from scratch to get it internet again. Which, as I said, is not that different from having to build my wifi driver from scratch every time I upgrade ubuntu on my Acer.

By: RSG

RSG — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:22:43 +0000

I have a Sansa Fuze that I like very much. Having the microSD slot is essential for me. I mostly just transfer the music to the card via a cheap card reader, and it’ very quick. I will never buy an iAnything because of the unreasonable DRM issues, even if Apple has changed things. It started out with it, and I still resent it. People report that Amarok, Rhythmbox, and Banshee work with iPods, but I can’t verify that at all.

By: itzac

itzac — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:31:38 +0000

I’ve been using VMWare around my house for years. Right now I keep Windows as my main OS because I play a lot of games, and have a linux Virtual Machine that I boot up any time I need an X server. It works great, and boots up pretty fast, resumes from suspend even faster.

I’ve also run Windows 2000, and 2003 Server in a professional setting using VMWare server on Ubuntu Server. Again, it worked great.

Having a newish CPU with VM extensions helps tremendously with performance, but you still shouldn’t expect it to do anything that requires graphics acceleration. Otherwise it’s not too different from having two physical boxes.

By: Rob Monkey

Rob Monkey — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:22:56 +0000

I had a bit of trouble with the Rhythmbox/Amarok programs because they didn’t update the software on the iPod, which caused it to suddenly stop charging when I connected it to the computer (even in Ubuntu!). Weird, but I’m doing the dual-boot thing, so maybe that makes a difference. My excuse for keeping windows is I couldn’t get Ubuntu to show up properly when I used dual monitors (I connect the laptop to my TV to watch downloaded shows). I also couldn’t find anything to download my podcasts that worked as easily as iTunes, but I’ll admit I didn’t try all that many programs. I will say the next player I get will probably be non-iPod. My first player was a Creative Zen, which was simple, had a lot of space, and kicked the comparable iPod’s ASS in terms of battery life, which was very important for my use. Then a few years later when it finally died, I found that every player on the market cost about the same as an iPod, i.e., too fucking much, and they all had pretty much the same specs, so I bought the iPod. I’ve been happy with iPod’s performance since then, I just hate spending that much on something I carry all the time. I buy reasonably-priced phones and digital cameras because I don’t want to shit my pants if I drop or lose it.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:03:56 +0000

I think I generally draw the line (to use the car analogy) at when the manufacturer decides they want to control how I drive.

Strangely, I use a similar analogy in the post I just put up!

By: Spiv

Spiv — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:00:20 +0000

Understood; there are certainly places where it’s ‘unreasonable’ to go truly open (your car, for example, could be converted to MegaSquirt fuel injection. Not without significant time and/or financial expense).

I think I generally draw the line (to use the car analogy) at when the manufacturer decides they want to control how I drive. I avoided itunes in the beginning because of drm. I avoid it now because I havn’t figured out a use for it. If ipods are the players you’ve got to have, I guess apple gets to tell you how to drive unless you’re willing to make some sacrifices on principle.

I really appreciate manufacturers who simply let the device act like a usb flash drive when plugged in. I can drop the audio files on regardless of operating system and what software is loaded. It also lets me drop songs off on a carPC without it having to be tied to an operating system. Or a dedicated music box (which sadly is windows right now because me, linux, and bit-perfect are not good friends yet. But will be. I hope).

*I use the 3 dollar earbuds at work.