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http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/08/02/itunes.for.linux/

CodeWeavers brings iTunes to Linux users

updated 08:05 pm EDT, Mon August 2, 2004

 

iTunes for Linux


CodeWeavers said that it has to its software that lets Windows programs run on Linux, according to CNET News.com: "CrossOver Office 3.1 adds support for the jukebox and music download software. The version is currently in preview form and is being made available only to existing CrossOver Office customers..... A final version is expected later this year. Apple has not created a Linux version of iTunes, though the company has already shown a willingness to go beyond the Mac in creating the Windows version. Apple's iPod also works natively under Windows and the Mac OS, though the company does not support Linux."


by MacNN Staff

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Comments

  1. EMC

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2002

    0
    08/02, 09:03pm | report spam | Reply |

    apple sux

    porting iTunes to linux would take a whole ten minutes. they already have gcc-compilable source code.

  1. daphnediane

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2002

    0
    08/02, 11:49pm | report spam | Reply |

    Native port, re:apple sux

    LOL nice troll, but I'll bite anyways...

    A native unix/linux X11 port would take more than just a recompile with gcc. The work of making a native port would require atleast the following:
    1. the GUI would have to be rewritten to target X11.
    2. the sound output would have to be retarget to a new sound API. (It would probably be easy for a 3rd party tool to slip between the iTunes program and the sound device. Most likely Apple would have to at-least consider this risk.)
    3. A new method of securing the iTMS keys. (It would probably be broken, but again Apple would have to try.)
    4. The interface to USB/Firewall would have to be ported so it would work with an ipod.
    5. Likewise for the CD-Rom/CD-R drive. (Probably the simplest part of porting.)

    The Microsoft Windows port had the advantage that quicktime was already ported and made a lot of the existing APIs available. It's likely that if Apple ported iTunes to linux, that porting quicktime might be a good first step.

    Getting back to CodeWeaver. From what I recall they already had Quicktime working in linux. I imagine because of the similarity of the code bases it probably wasn't that much further to get iTunes to work.

  1. aristotles

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Jul 2004

    0
    08/03, 01:25am | report spam | Reply |

    iTunes relies on carbon

    They would have to port carbon in addition to the other things mentioned in the comment above.

    EMC, please take your trolls elsewhere.

  1. slipperfrog

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2002

    0
    08/03, 10:56am | report spam | Reply |

    wait...

    Why is iTunes a carbon app? Shouldn't it be 100% Cocoa? For that matter, shouldn't ALL of Apple's apps be written in Cocoa? There's no need to support carbon anymore, since nothing they've released recently can run in MacOS 9 anyway. Wasn't the whole idea behind carbon was to allow apps to run in both 9 and 10 without too much work? C'mon, Apple! Give us a 100% Cocoa iLife suite!

  1. outZider

    Junior Member

    Joined: Sep 1999

    0
    08/03, 12:25pm | report spam | Reply |

    well...

    Because Carbon is an equal API to Cocoa, now, and not just a hack. It works well, and if written well, is on par performance-wise to a a Cocoa application.

    That, and the fact that QuickTime is essentially a Carbon library, it really makes sense.

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