MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
for an ipod?
try media monkey
Why, exactly? iTunes does everything it needs to do, and unless you're desperate to play tracks in Ogg Vorbis or some equally obscure format, what's the point, other than to join the ranks of the smug 'look at me not being one of the herd with iTunes'. Well sorry, but if that's the case just get a Zune and sit in the outer darkness with Microsoft's crappy DRM'd player.
[i]Why, exactly?[/i]
Same reason people saddle themselves with third-rate mp3 players, I suppose - so they can pretend that they are not "media-led Apple fans". Losers.
"Media player instead of itunes"
How very, very dare you even ASK such a question? Killing's too good for you.
Apparently.
because itunes won't run on linux
[i]Why, exactly? iTunes does everything it needs to do...[/i]
Apart from find Album Art if the iTunes store doesn't stock the album, or finding the correct album art if the iTunes store stocks an album with a similar name. I had trouble with quite a few, I wouldn't mind if it was some obscure Bolivian nose-flute playing thrash metal band, but most of it was reasonably recent and mainstream.
Try Media Monkey.
Tried Media Monkey - didn't really like it, I'm now trying Songbird, not sure if they're Linuxy - yes it seems it is
[url= http://www.getsongbird.com/ ]songbird[/url]
iTunes is truly tragic - only beaten in the crap media player stakes by the abomination that is/was Creative MediaSource
I looked at Songbird, but it feels a bit early yet (no ripping, no video etc)
I've tried of songbird however as IHN says it is a bit lacking and has a truely shocking memory issue as it doesn't handle tracks in the same way as most media players.
In my opinion Winamp has the best playlist editor out there, fairly sure that there must be an ipod plugin for it out there too.
Also if you're on linux I'd try out jokosher, it's pretty good but once again not sure about the ipod support!
Also - I don't use Itunes...because I don't like it. I'm not massively keen on the way the playlist etc... works, I also don't need a media library as I just use explorer to select tracks then enqueue em in Winamp
Songbird has so much potential - the memory issue is what really lets it down.
Not tried media monkey myself, but have heard good things.
If you have the right ipod model then have you thought of loading Rockbox onto it as an alternative OS - you can then just drag and drop files (which is surely the way it should be). Have had it working well on my old 4th Gen ipod - albeit I did until the hard drive in it died again (2nd one in a year - still it only cost me 20 quid anyway as was bought as a an experiemnt in how to fix 'em - currently going the way of the compact flash ipod)
oh and Bimbler, surely Creative Media SOurce cannot out-shite Sony's past effort in Sonic Stage - which surely killed the chances of there otherwise excellent hardware (bomproof, easy to use etc) getting a decent market foothold