OStatic

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.

I can't help, when hearing more of the details about the EFF and OdioWorks joint lawsuit against Apple, thinking that the whole situation is just broken from any angle. The DMCA isn't without issue and the fact that it was applied to an online discussion about reverse engineering possibilities is a disturbing first. Even more backwards is the idea that a company producing wildly popular devices that are unsupported on an operating platform that's attracting an increasing number of tech- and gadget-happy people would not expect (or tolerate to some degree) discussion about reverse engineering.

Let's put the legal issues aside for a moment -- or the idea that any copy protection systems were going to be stripped and copyright laws would be violated left and right. Wouldn't having a device your company produces but will not (or can not) support on some platforms reverse engineered so that it is able to work on (and with) a larger pool of software going to make your device more desirable?

Popular open source media player project VLC put out a call this week looking for Mac OS X developers. The team released an update solely for Mac users that includes updated libraries, buggy behavior on Power PC-based Macs, and an apology to the entire Mac community.

There were a few reasons I bypassed iPods when I was in the market for an MP3 player a while back. One of those reasons hasn't changed -- I've never been a fan of iTunes. I wasn't impressed with its performance, generally.

Since I primarily use Linux, the lack of a Linux iTunes client was a problem. Previously, iTunes was almost required for access to the new hotness. The new devices, though not tied to any one format, don't play as nicely with Linux as earlier models.

PwnPlayer is an application (currently in beta) for the iPhone and iPod Touch. One feature of interest is file system playback, allowing easy access to the device's music files on Linux.

Amazon turned quite a few heads when it announced that it would be entering the music download business by selling MP3s unencumbered by Digital Rights Management (DRM). Now Amazon is raising the stakes even further by offering its download client for Linux, in addition to the existing Mac OS X and Windows clients.

By dint of its openness and multiple platform support, users should really be looking to Amazon -- rather than Apple -- for their digital music needs.