Dave Winer points to an article by Cory Doctorow about how Apple broke the iPod Download plugin in the iTunes 4.7 release:
'Apple just devoted some expensive engineering hours to updating iTunes to version 4.7, with the "improvement" of breaking iPod Download. That's right — Apple's spending money seeing to it that features are removed from your iPod. Thanks a whole lot, Apple.'
He also has provided some "pre-rebuttal", in anticipation of the responses that he thinks he will get. What he's failed to mention is that the iPod Download plugin most likely didn't adhere to the iTunes licence agreement, as well as that of the plugin SDK. As a result, Apple had the right to force sites to take down copies of the iPod Download plugin, and since that didn't work completely, to prevent it working with iTunes. It might also be important to consider the legal ramifications of allowing the plugin to continue to work with iTunes, since it effectively allows a user to (potentially) pirate thousands of songs, using Apple's own software.
Besides, is it that big a deal if you can't use iTunes to grab songs off an iPod? There's plenty of third party software that does the job (and more): iPodRip (disclaimer: I work for the company that makes iPodRip), PodWorks and iPod.iTunes. Apple has also made no attempts to stop them (and I doubt they will).
On a similar note, Michael over at the darkerside to rants suggests that Apple changed the format of the XML files used to store data on the iPods. I doubt this is the case, as iPodRip still works after using iTunes 4.7 with my iPod. (UPDATE: It is come to my attention that the iPod and iTunes database files are not stored as XML, but rather some other format.)
Besides, the iPod database is not in XML, it is in the exact same format as the iTunes library, or indecipherable to most human beings.
Actually if you look at the iTunes library it is an XML file, unless I am completly mistaken and it does just use it to make it “Readable” to us.
It has been a while (~2 years) since I toyed around with my iPod or iTunes to see how it does things, so my mind is a bit hazy
Michael
No, the database file on the iPod is not XML, and neither is the one used by iTunes. iTunes does generate an XML file for use by third party apps, but changes to it have no effect on what appears in iTunes. The actual database file is a binary format that took a lot of effort to decipher, which is why PodWorks costs money :-).
Actually, iTunes uses this file:
~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music Library
It has the exact same format on the iPod. The XML file is used for iLife, or in iPodRip, etc. It is updated whenever a new song is added/removed/meta data changed but it is far from live annoyingly enough.
What does anyone know about how PodWorks figured out, reverse-engineered, cracked, etc., the format for the iTunes Music Library file format? I’m looking to do a similar feat for a project I’m working on to enable a better and more flexible substitute rating system than Apple and iRate employs.
Thanks in advance for any info!
What does anyone know about how PodWorks figured out, reverse-engineered, cracked, etc., the format for the iTunes Music Library file format? I’m looking to do a similar feat for a project I’m working on to enable a better and more flexible substitute rating system than Apple and iRate employs.
Thanks in advance for any info!
Sorry about that, I got an error so I tried to re-submit. My bad.
Hi Josh, can’t help you out with the PodWorks stuff, but what error did you get? I’d be interested to know, so I can (hopefully) fix it!
Apple really surprise me sometimes. They, like many other electronics and software providers, don’t understand that there will always be someone out there who can create something to cheat them out of dollars. It is only after the fact that they realise they should have had better quality assurance and security to make it impossible to do so. However, there will always be a clever person who figures it all out because they have a knack and passion for this stuff. When will they learn.
My two cents.
Regards,
Nick