OStatic

Sure the world of digital music is loaded with copyright sharks, DRM and other undesirables, but it's also increasingly teeming with cool, free open source tools and applications. Do you want to sync iPods and iPhones to any computer anywhere? How about playing Doom on your own customized OS for iPods or most other music players? Do you need customized music library management for multiple platforms, including Linux? Would you like to mix and record original music online with other musicians? How about a free, streaming radio application for your phone that will automate interesting playlists for you, and play while you use other apps? Here are eight great resources for doing all of this and more.

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.