On Tuesday 26 July 2005 10:40 pm, Derek Neighbors wrote:
I bought one of the first mp3 players in the Diamond Rio PMP 300 many
moons ago. After a long stint of just burning things to CD, I am in the
mode where I think a large capacity portable probably makes sense. Some
key features would be minimum 1gig storage. Ability to broadcast to FM
receiver. Under $300.
I prefer something that can play OGG or at a minimum MP3 formats. I
don't own a windows box and run Debian/Ubuntu desktops so need something
with software that will run with minimal fuss on Debian/Ubuntu.
Well, an iPod technically fits most of this criteria. They work great with
Linux, have much more than 1G for $300, can transmit to FM using an iTrip (or
similar), and have (IMO) the best interface for playing MP3s.
However, they don't play Ogg Vorbis files and likely never will. And they are
consistently more expensive than the competition. Honestly, if I wasn't an
iTunes and Audible user, I would likely have picked something else.
I ended up with an iPod as I just couldn't resist the rave reviews
those close to me were giving them. I am sure I could have gotten
something cheaper and with better specifications. However, I think
that the interface and usability on the iPod just crushes the
competition. Combined with the iTrip it is my new best friend. I have
moderately given up on OGG as most of my cd's were ripped long ago in
MP3 format any how. As I get older I am less idealistic and more
interested in things "just working". :)
The second part of the question is I would like to use an online music
source like napster, itunes or the likes. What services are the most
GNU\Linux friendly?
None of the major online music stores are Linux friendly. iTunes can be made
to work with Code Weaver software (and maybe CVS WINE by now as a result?).
I don't know how reliable it is. And if you go with iTunes, you have locked
yourself in to getting an iPod since that's the only player that can play
protected AACs.
Mind you, if you use any of the other major online music stores, you'll have
to use Windows since they use some variation of DRMed WMA files. Lots more
players support WMA than AAC, though.
The only possibly-legal source of mainstream music in non-protected form that
I know of is www.allofmp3.com. AllOfMP3.com is a Russian site that has a
massive library and it's all available in whatever format you want (including
FLAC for some of them) for 1 cent a megabyte. It's a phenomenal deal and
works perfectly on all OSes and all players.
On the flip side, it's not 100% clear how legal they are for American
citizens. They have an agreement with the Russian version of the RIAA and
they claim that this effectively carries over to us (they have a FAQ on the
topic)... but IANAL so I don't know how true that is. Also, there is a lot
of speculation that they are heavily connected to the Russian Mafia so if you
have moral qualms about that, then it's something to keep in mind.
I will give allofmp3.com a try otherwise I just won't give the online
providers my business.