Even though it's a point release, the latest Amarok comes with some major new features and all the benefits of the 2.2.0 release. Dubbed "Weightless," the 2.2.1 release is full of bug fixes and polishing from 2.2.0 release as well as improvements to music management, podcasts, and the ability to update Amarok scripts.

Amarok is already speedy when processing large media collections, but this release includes a tweak to take it up a notch. In the past, Amarok would scan an entire directory -- including sub-folders -- when the main directory had changed. Now Amarok can just breeze through the main directory if the subdirectories haven't been modified, making it even faster. And it's plenty fast already: I've passed a 57GB collection through Amarok in just a few minutes.

If you use iTunes to manage your music, then you know it's handy but has a few significant limitations. Fortunately, the open source community has come to the rescue with some great little apps designed to make using and working with iTunes a little easier and less frustrating.

Firefly Media Server - Here's a great little tool for sharing MP3s across your network with any computer running Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X. It has support for dynamic or static playlists and a Web-based administration dashboard for easy access from anywhere. In addition to working with iTunes, Firefly Media Server also integrates with the Roku Soundbridge to play music right through your stereo system.

The open source jukebox and iTunes competitor Songbird is out in a new version 1.2 for Windows, the Mac and Linux, and it's worth getting, even if you're a dedicated iTunes user. There are several new features, described here. It's now much easier to work with files and folders, and there are many new ways to work with Last.fm, especially when discovering new music.