I just got my iPhone and I noticed that there are some blogs about iPhone being supported by Ubuntu and stuff. Digging a bit deeper it turns out that it might or may not include iPhone 4. Is this true or has someone had some success?

Mine is recognized - the Rhytmbox and F-Spot are launched. There is an iPhone desktop icon. However, if I launch Rhytmbox the icon dissappears and I do not know how to get it back - except plug and unplug the USB cable. Can not do much with Rhytmbox either - if I leave it running and do plug/unplug the phone appears but nothing underneath - I'll have to make yet another trial.

This is, however besides the point - as I am not really interested playing music from iPhone with my laptop. I am interested in getting music data copied up on my iPhone from my Ubuntu Laptop.

I can see Photos on my phone immediately if I do not start Rhytmbox or F-Spot and double-click the desktop icon straight ahead. I can also see a iTunes folder, but underneath under a music folder there are some about 40 folders, some empty some not - if there is mp3s they have some non-descriptive file names. So I assume iTunes just takes the files and somehow renames and places them under the iTunes - Music folder.

Is there any easy way of just copying and pasting the stuff on phone folder with nautilus so that the phone's iPod program can play it?

I've never used any Apple stuff, but going from what I've read, the iPod (and I assume by extension the iPhone) can act as a mass-storage device, allowing you to copy any files you want to it. However it uses a proprietary database system for the music player, so just copying the music files to it won't make them playable. Music syncing therefore needs to be done through gtkpod or a similar syncing program.

Apple does appear to periodically change the database format and/or the way it's accessed, so there are times when the linux versions need to play catch-up. I haven't seen anything about the status of the iPhone 4 though.

I wonder if there might not be a separate player app that could play independent files? Or has Apple excluded anything like that?

(PS: I know the word is a bugger to spell, but the correct name is "Rhythmbox". )

Yes, I was also wondering a separate player, but then on the other hand I am ok with iPod - in the end I think they need to hack it for iPods again so I think it is just a matter of time. I dared not try copying the files over just like that, I suspected that it will happen as you wrote and iPod won't play them. If Rhythmbox (<-) starts playing music from iPhone, I assume that the database compability is solved. It is just pity I need to boot to windows everytime I want different music on my phone...