n00b questions about ipods and linux (fedora 6 and 7)

[Craig White]

On Sat, 2008-01-12 at 13:35 -0800, Dean S. Messing wrote:
> Craig White wrote:
> > On Sat, 2008-01-12 at 12:41 -0800, Dean S. Messing wrote:
> > > Rick Stevens wrote:
> > 
> > > > Amarok works very well with iPods.  I use it with a 30GB video iPod and
> > > > an iPod Touch.  Try to get a Windows-compatible iPod.  If you get a
> > > > Mac-formatted iPod, you need a friend with a Mac to turn off the HFS+
> > > > journal or Amarok won't be able to read or write the playlists or sync
> > > > it to the Amarok collections.
> > > > 
> > > > You will probably also need the amarok-extras-nonfree RPM from livna to
> > > > get MP4 and AAC playbacks from the iPod.
> > > 
> > > Rick, is your iPod a Generation 6 device?  Also, how can I tell when I buy it
> > > whether it is "Windows-compatible"?
> > ----
> > Rick misspoke. iPods now come 'uninstalled' and the first
> > computer/iTunes it is connected to becomes the determinant format for
> > the iPod. If the first computer you attach it to is a Macintosh, iTunes
> > will make the filesystem on the iPod HFS. If the first computer you
> > attach it to is Windows, it will become VFAT. I don't know that you can
> > have anything but an overengineered USB disk if you connect it to Linux
> > first.
> 
> More evidence of my n00b status: I though iTunes was basiclly an
> on-line store where teenagers could download (for $) the latest "pop
> tune".  Now I hear you saying that I must connect the iPod to iTunes
> to get it to work.
----
Apple does have an 'iTunes Store' accessible via the iTunes program.
Obviously this iTunes store is not accessible via any of the Linux
programs discussed. The iTunes program is a bundle on Windows (Quicktime
and iTunes) and both are automatically installed on any Mac with OSX.
----
> 
> Maybe I'll reconsider my purchase.  (half kidding.)  Though I'm not an
> OSS purist, I absolutely _hate_ being made to use a non-linux OS.
> Since my VMware XP installation is not set up to do USB diddling, I'm
> not sure what we'll do.
----
It might just work, or it might take some diddling. Perhaps it will run
under Wine (I would tend to doubt that). You probably don't need to do
that. Once it's been set up, you can simply use Linux and if for some
reason you need to update the firmware or 'restore' the settings, you'll
have to find a Windows or Mac to perform that...like going to a doctor.
If you buy it at an Apple Store (or perhaps even a dealer), perhaps you
can get them to do the initial setup for you.
----
> 
> Question: If I break down and have it "become VFAT", and later my daughter
> wants to use it with an Apple computer, what then?  
----
If it gets set up as VFAT, A Macintosh will be fine with that. If it
gets set up as HFS, connecting to a Windows system with iTunes will
probably gag...don't know, never tried that route.

Craig