do you use iTunes

[ethios4]

I've always admired iTunes' library view, but always hated how much of a resource hog it was for just a simple music player (not interested in the store or all the other 'extra' crap, and it would take FOREVER to start and shutdown). I recently got an ipod and HAD to install itunes to even get it to work (which is REALLY annoying!!), but I was pleased to discover that iTunes is not nearly as painful as it used to be.

Of course, the new windows media player has the same library view, and built in functionality to watch folders for new content, which I'm surprised iTunes doesn't have. Also windows media center connects to my xbox so I can stream all sorts of content into the living room, which is great.

The fact that iTunes doesn't support flac says it all to me....they are more interested in keeping things proprietary than in serving user needs. That's an iFail if you ask me.

[Khazul]

NO! Absolutely not - apple devalued music so they can f*** right off!

[davepermen]

Most infuriating POS ever. It is physically impossible to access the hardware (portable hard drive - not magic, lots of people make them) without installing their sluggish crap software iTunes, and it will not install until it is given permission to phone home via the internet! I mean, wtf, I bought the stupid mp3 playing hard drive, and I can't even use the stupid thing until I help Apple with their marketing. Ok, fine, so I open the firewall, and let their crap call home, and then I can install their crap software - but what is this? It's converting my file formats into some fuckin' Apple thing? Without me asking it to? Who the fuck do they think they are, doing that? Fucking retarded! And unless I tie my computer up for hours and hours changing my mp3 audio books into your bullshit audiobook proprietary format, then they get all mixed up with music when in shuffle, total failure in the usability department. Your slow buggy software sucks, your hard to kill spyware sucks, your condescending dumbing down sucks, your unsolicited file conversions suck, your refusal to be what you are - a portable hard drive that should allow me to create folders and use drag and drop - sucks, in short - you are all style and no substance, exactly what I have come to expect from a company I used to respect. I can't wait for their shit hardware to die, or the unreplaceable batteries, so I can get a real player. Last Apple product for me ever. Colossal fail.

/rant

just to correct one thing of your rant (some is actually true). the file format is not some random apple bullshit, but standard mp4. and it by default doesn't convert mp3 to mp4. audiobooks are mp4, too, just a different fileext to differenciate them.

and no, an mp3 player is not a portable hdd with files and folders. it's a thing to put music on, with favourites, with playlists, etc. higher level abstraction, it's called. doesn't need the proprietarity that is so apple-like, but i see it, in this case, as a minor point.

[H20nly]

@ mojofunk

I know you're not laughing, but if you were, I would be laughing with you.

I hate the way iTunes works. Its a music player first ffs. At least, it should be.

What if you bought a car and found out that it works great, but only makes left turns and the GPS only points to the dealership? Thats iTunes, until you tweak it.. f#@k that.

You shouldn't have to buy a personal music player that forces all the persons to be the same. Its cool to want to be different, but to be different and then force everyone else to be too.... hmpf. Circle jerk manipulation. I prefer to start off in the same common sense way and then mod to be different. This is like reinventing the wheel (Apple shaped). Nice product placement and advertising campaign there Apple, but the manipulation through reversal thing just isn't for me. Having said that... once you get the damn music on there (and don't dare use your friends computer) the player works good and the menu is nice, but just like mojofunk I hate it for changing my files and using my internet connection against my will.

[davepermen]

@H20nly.

well, itunes plays music. so it's a music player that.. uhm.. works?

but it's more a music library that can play, than a player that has to rely on some folder-mess.

and there, it shines. esp. together with the shop.



i'm scared. i'm praising apple. HELP ME!! (*presses the win key repeatedly to see the startmenu popping up and down*)

[ethios4]

What if you bought a car and found out that it works great, but only makes left turns and the GPS only points to the dealership? Thats iTunes, until you tweak it.. f#@k that.

Interesting that there were/are major lawsuits against Microsoft for directing Windows users to Internet Explorer and other Microsoft products, to the point that Windows now goes out of its way to advertise for Microsoft's competitors. Imagine if setting up the iTunes store brought up a whole slew of all the online music retailers, of which the Apple store was but one. Hmmm.....

[H20nly]

@H20nly.

well, itunes plays music. so it's a music player that.. uhm.. works?

true, but only if you follow its strict rules that weren't there before it and... are unique to it.

(*presses the win key repeatedly to see the startmenu popping up and down*)

What if you bought a car and found out that it works great, but only makes left turns and the GPS only points to the dealership? Thats iTunes, until you tweak it.. f#@k that.

Interesting that there were/are major lawsuits against Microsoft for directing Windows users to Internet Explorer and other Microsoft products, to the point that Windows now goes out of its way to advertise for Microsoft's competitors. Imagine if setting up the iTunes store brought up a whole slew of all the online music retailers, of which the Apple store was but one. Hmmm.....

There is no other company... only Apple.
Heil Steve!

[davepermen]

sadly, this is the reason i started using itunes. there was NO other online mp3 store for general music (electronic => beatport) that actually sold stuff in switzerland..

that's how it started. since then, i actually love the product. i never had such a clean collection of music before.

and since they dropped DRM, the biggest issue is gone for me. nothing proprietary in terms of the music anymore.

[Martyn]

Heil Steve!

Slightly OT but that reminded me of a clip I saw the other night from Charlie Brooker's excellent 'Newswipe' on the ipad. Kind of relevant i guess.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEfcy_u0-YM

[H20nly]

^

[smutek]

I hate it for changing my files...

I don't understand this - how are you importing your files?

The only time iTunes converts files on me is when I am importing from a CD - and I can control the import settings from preferences.

Say if I rip vinyl and spit out MP3's using Audacity or something I just create a play list in iTunes and drag the files into the play list from my desktop. Same goes with aif or wav files. It doesn't change file format unless I tell it to.

I think phoning home stuff can be eliminated by un-checking "Genius" and turning off the "mini store".

Also, the only customization I've done was to shut down the mini store or whatever it is that comes up with new installs, other than that I don't trick my iTunes out or do anything out of the ordinary and I've been happily using it for years now.

Not trying to sell anyone on it, use what works, it's just that I'm still not understanding the rationale behind the hate.

[H20nly]

^ In all fairness its been a few versions, but the conversion from plain ole .MP3 to proprietary - you can't move this without deleting the other person's library bit just erked me beyond return.

At the end of the day, its a workflow disscussion, but since I have access to about 260 computers at any given moment and I log in to them as Administrator or with an account that has full administrative rights, I'm used to telling computers and software what to do... not the other way round.

[Pasha]

^ In all fairness its been a few versions, but the conversion from plain ole .MP3 to proprietary - you can't move this without deleting the other person's library bit just erked me beyond return.

At the end of the day, its a workflow bit, but since I have access to about 260 computers at any given moment and I log in to them as Administrator or with an account that has full administrative rights, I'm used to telling computers and software what to do... not the other way round.

Now I know you work for NASA.

[H20nly]

Sometimes I think that my bosses all 26 of them, are not Doctors, but grown ups from a far off planet where people become more child like the older they get.

[adventurepants_]

Most infuriating POS ever. It is physically impossible to access the hardware (portable hard drive - not magic, lots of people make them) without installing their sluggish crap software iTunes, and it will not install until it is given permission to phone home via the internet! I mean, wtf, I bought the stupid mp3 playing hard drive, and I can't even use the stupid thing until I help Apple with their marketing. Ok, fine, so I open the firewall, and let their crap call home, and then I can install their crap software - but what is this? It's converting my file formats into some fuckin' Apple thing? Without me asking it to? Who the fuck do they think they are, doing that? Fucking retarded! And unless I tie my computer up for hours and hours changing my mp3 audio books into your bullshit audiobook proprietary format, then they get all mixed up with music when in shuffle, total failure in the usability department. Your slow buggy software sucks, your hard to kill spyware sucks, your condescending dumbing down sucks, your unsolicited file conversions suck, your refusal to be what you are - a portable hard drive that should allow me to create folders and use drag and drop - sucks, in short - you are all style and no substance, exactly what I have come to expect from a company I used to respect. I can't wait for their shit hardware to die, or the unreplaceable batteries, so I can get a real player. Last Apple product for me ever. Colossal fail.

/rant

You can access the hard drive without Itunes, I use mine as a usb drive every day. You can create folders and drag and drop.

It does not need phone home permission to install.

It does not convert your files if you do not want it to, except maybe audiobooks. Who in their right mind wouldnt backup their precious music collection before importing into any program? are you nuts?

The services that install are not spyware. They are annoying but not intrusive, but can be all removed and turned off.

It does convert Audiobooks if you let it. I dont let it. It screwed up a couple of mine once, but then I brought them back from backup. Hardly a big deal.

It is not slow and buggy. Mine has a library of 150GB, is left on for a week at a time, has literally never crashed. It will sort through its XML file to find one song out of tens of thousands in a fraction of a second.

You're right about the Colossal fail part though.