Music player issues: Amarok 2 not working for you?

[NorthernSpy]

That seems to be a common complaint.

If you've upgraded to Ubuntu 9.04, and are tired of struggling with Amarok 2, you have the option of going back to Amarok 1.4 for the time being. Hooray for this smart guy who tells us how:

• First, make sure you're connected to the internet.
  
  
• Next, click on Applications > Accessories > Terminal.
  
  (A terminal window will open.)
  
  
  
• At the terminal prompt, type this in exactly:
  
  

  gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list.d/amarok.list

  
  
  (A file window will open)
  
  
  
• Now, type the following in that file window:
  
  

  deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/bogdanb/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
  deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/bogdanb/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

  
  
  (You see the links that DU's software has automatically made clickable? Don't worry about that. Just type in the URLs as you see them.)
  
  
  
• After you've done that, go back to the terminal window and type this:
  
  

  sudo apt-key adv --recv-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com \
  0x1d7e9dd033e89ba781e32a24b9f1c432ae74ae63

  
  
  
  
• Still in the terminal window, type the next three lines:
  
  

  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get remove amarok
  sudo apt-get install amarok14

  
  
  
  
  And then the system does its thing.
  
  
  I followed these instructions exactly, and they worked! Now I can play my music, AND I can feel pleased with myself for doing something on the command line.
  
  
  :)
  
  

[SKKY]

1. Amarok 2, at least for me, did not work...

...iPod integration was crap, and generally had a worse layout than 1.4. I "downgraded" back down to 1.4.

[NorthernSpy]

2. I like the way Amarok 2 looks, but it's currently unusable.

I'll upgrade when they've fixed it.

For now, Amarok 1.4 works like a charm.


Why won't Apple release iTunes for Linux? They already give iTunes away for free, and they're apparently following the rest of the herd toward DRM-free music. So what's their issue, exactly?

I believe the iPod Touch and the iPhone both require activation using a computer that has iTunes installed. Supposedly, some people have managed to get iTunes up and running in WINE, but I don't know how reliable it is.

[Syrinx]

3. I've actually been mostly using mpg123 lately

I was disappointed when Ubuntu dropped support for XMMS. That's what I used. I like that Winamp clone a lot.

Used Amarok for awhile, but noticed that it was using insane amounts of memory. Sometimes a gigabyte of real and virtual memory! Just for playing music. That's crazy. I'm running mpg123 right now, and it is using about eighty kilobytes.

EDIT: My bad. I was thinking of Rhythmbox. That's the one that used so much memory. I don't remember if I've tried Amarok or not.