Hi,

I like to maintain a dual boot system (windows & linux) to enjoy best of both worlds. However, I have started using napster to legally download my favourite songs in Windows.

However, is there an way of listening to these songs in Linux. Is there any program that can use the same lisence to play these files as players do in windows? I already enjoy sharing my old mp3s between windows and Linux. Could someone advise me how to make my future collection available too?

Thanks

You could install wine & try running the windows media player with it. . . Any DRM-beating solution would, of course, be a violation of the DMCA and therefore off-limits for discussion on here. . .

Well, you are right and I do not want to break the DRM and violate anything.

In windows, any program capable of playing wma files even plays the DRM enabled file. Hence the files are not limited to Windows Media Player only. Winamp e.g. somehow accesses the license and plays them succesfully.

Hence I was wondering why can't the same be done on Linux. My windows partition in available in Linux, why can't some software read my license file and decode the songs as winamp does on windows. i.e. completely legally.

A little radical, I know, but did you try putting "linux" and "napster" into a google search? It reveals a number of possibilities. . .

Those possibilitie are all relating to the availability of Old Napster client for Linux.

Maybe a project on this possibility can be started!

Linux doesn't play .wma files ... and it shouldn't. Actually nobody should play or rip .wma files. Xmms or any of a few dozen other programs will play .mp3 or .ogg files located on your Windows partitions.

You only resonable option is to convert the junk (.wma files) to another format. If you can play DRM protected .wma files on Windows, you either ripped them on the same machine or downloaded a license to play them on this machine. In either case, you have to play them, pick the stream up from the soundcard using a .wave file editor, then convert the .wav to another format.

In case it's not clear, my attitude is that anyone who insists on saving music in .wma format deserves to use Windows.

Well, rikh,

With all due respect, I don't agree with your openion. A format of a file doesn't have anything to with the OS. If its not possible in Linux, in my eyes it is a limitation which needs to be addressed.

As far as I am concearned, the matter is closed casue clearly a shortcoming of Linux and the attitute of people that promote it. This Windows vs Linux thing is really childish!

Thank you all

It cannot be addressed. And it has do to with OS. MS licensing requires a royalty fee paid to MS for every device which is capable of decoding wma. There is no legal way to play back it under Linux. Unless you can buy a lincence from a MS representative.

The original poster is from Pakistan (according to the location below their name). I'm not familiar enough with Pakistan law to claim that the DMCA is applicable there, but I am pretty sure US Law does not completely rule the world, which would include the DMCA. Other countries certainly adopt most laws the US passes as does the US adopt laws other countries pass in the interest of continuity and trade. But it doesn't mean we should automatically assume ANYONE is automatically going to have to uphold US Law. We, as a community, IMHO, should certainly be on the lookout for people trying to purposefully circumvent any system and not respond to those issues. This person is, again, IMHO not one of those people. A simple answer of possible solutions are very welcome. A list of reasons why they shouldn't try is probably best kept to one's self.

I've had [some] success in playing wma's using mplayer.

Cool

Now this reason makes more sence! Thanks for the insight Emerson

Not DRM protected ones, I'll bet.

The original poster's (apparent) location is the only thing that kept me out of the thread for a while, but when he started in on the track about not playing DRM protected .wma files being a shortcoming in Linux, that pushed me over the edge.

...and I did (perhaps in an unnecessarily confrontational manner) explain the only way I know to circumvent the DRM.

My reply wasn't to suggest everyone tell us how to circumvent the DRM. I was simply pointing out that a fair number of linux users aren't from the US of A and that when we quote US Law to them, they could very well be oblivious to it's applicability. And my [some] probably does mean no DRM ones, I didn't take the time to find out before removing the files a long time ago DRM Free in 2003, or something like that. However, I wouldn't be surprised if mplayer has since then found a way around DRM (luckily, yet unfortunately, for these circumstances I have no DRM media to find out with).

Cool

US law does not rule the world indeed. However, from ethical point of view. MS owns it. They invented it and they have the right to cash in for it as far as I am concerned. I'm just avoiding it as does rickh.

Quite right. However, LQ's rules clearly state:
So regardless of where the original poster is, a response of "Do this to bypass the DRM" is not admissible on this forum. Even if it *is* legal for the OP to use it in his country.

Don't use DRM on linux. I never download .wma, .ra, ...
Anyway, aren't you scared by an audio format that is able to open html files (under windows at least)
http://www.security.nnov.ru/news1894.html