Migrated my wife to Linux when her old computer broke. She has an old iPod (one of the first ones to show video) that has music and playlists on there. I know how to sync podcasts to my iPod shuffle with gPodder and GTKpod.

But how would I sync up files with her iPod? Also, what program would I use to automatically sync the iPod with any music dropped into her Music folder? This should be as painless as using iTunes or she won't do it.

Thanks,

Hello,

One of the things you can do, which is not as automatic as iTunes but might work is using Amarok.
Amarok's playlist is automatically updated when new songs are dropped there but I don't think they can be automatically synced.
But then, to transfer those songs to the iPod it would the a right click and a left click.


Anyways, I've been developing for a while an application for converting and uploading videos in a painless and safe way(gtkpod can also transfer videos but their implementation has bugs that make the video crash every now and then)

I'll try to add a feature for automatic song syncing over the few next days and I can drop a line here when I get it done.
If you can tell me the distribution your wife is using I can create the necessary packages and give a link to the app's HP as soon as I get that working

Thanks for all that. She's using Ubuntu 10.04. She never uses videos, it's just that version of the iPod. With gtkPod, would it be possible to just tell it to sync up with the music directory? I'll also look into Amarok.

ipod
iphoe
ipad

just that

ipod
ipone
ipad
all these

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Go post idiotic remarks some place else.
Reported.

@viviandding - if you have nothing useful, or on topic, to add to a thread then do not post in it. If you have a technical answer to give for syncing Apple products with Linux, feel free to post.

@DJOtaku - have you looked at GTKPod? It's one of the best tools out there, I believe. Should be available through your repositories.

XavierP, as I said above the random noise of viviandding, I've used gtkPod with my shuffle. But that's only for my podcasts to listen to as I go to work. So I don't use it to sync up music or anything. I'll google around for gtkPod resources and see if it meets my needs. I just wasn't sure if it was the easiest thing around. My wife is a quick learner, but she also has a short temper and anything that's going to be too much more annoying than iTunes will be a pain in my butt because I'll have to hear the griping.

I know there's probably always the solution of installing iTunes via Wine. I was just trying to see if any of the programs out there have gotten around Apple's idiotic insistence on keeping everyone on iTunes when it's such as piss-poor product on non-apple platforms.

To top it all off, I def don't want to do something that will end up erasing the music already on there if it won't be easy to get it all back on.

rhythmbox (the default music player for ubuntu 10.04) recognises and syncs with my ipod touch "out of the box". No messing about(AKA "Configuration", was was required at all.

I was dumbstruck

Start rhythmbox.
Plug in i-thingy.
Two windows pop up, cancel them both.
"Tred's iPod" appeared on the desktop and under "Devices" in thythmbox.
Drag 'n' drop music.
Use the "Eject" icon before you unplug it.

Is it possible to mount the iPod as a USB storage device and copy music to it with the file manager of your choice?

If you are referring to the ipod "touch", then the answer is "Not really".

I can open the device with a filemanager, and see files, directories and unencrypted mp3's, but how these are organised is beyond me: It's not immediately apparent. It is not the simple /artist/album/track that linux uses.

This doesn't stop rhythmbox from transferring albums, or individual tracks, to and from it though.

Music from Itunes is unlikely to transfer as it has DRM. I don't use win, so don't have any music from itunes to test this, just mp3's from my collection.

Note: My ipod touch is not "jailbroken", but it does work perfectly with rhythmbox (although not Amarok)

Right. This much I know. But is there a way to tell Rhythmbox to just sync with your iPod? So as you add music into your ~/Music folder it adds to your iPod rather than having to manually add it? That's why I was thinking that maybe gtkPod would maybe be able to sync up folders based on some stuff I've seen while poking around.

GTKPod will sync/auto-sync. It's a very simple interface (think, the early iTunes interface) and is pretty intuitive.

Thanks Xavier! I'll give that a shot!

i'm having problems with gtkipod. i don't know if it will sync as i can't get it initialized. i added a repository but it won't initialize.

trying amarok, and i think that amarok worked in the past, it automatically initialized the ipod (if that is good i got lucky). but now what? it found music on the HDD, but it isn't showing me the means to move it onto the ipod. in what menu of Amarok would i find "sync" or "transfer" files?

i think mine is a "shuffle" first generation 1Gb. but all i see on the packaging and manual is 1Gb shuffle. there are many shuffels of 1GB (green, pink, etc).
i'm a friggin' idiot with linux so please don't feel like there is a possibility to help me.

The best quote i've heard lately, that in a way applies here: Home Depot Associate, "i'd get the metal kind so you can mash and bash it together. the plastic stuff breaks." "It" being a roof gutter system.