Hey all,

I am building (or I should say rebuilding) my cousins computer and Im putting XP and Ubuntu on it. I'm tired of fixing her crap and want to get her on Linux but.... She has an iPod..lol. Can I get iTunes running on Ubuntu with wine? Has anyone done this? I think I could get her to use Linux as long as she can:

1. surf the internet
2. edit word docs (open office will be fine)
3. Chat with friends (gaim should be enough)
4. use her iPod!!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

There is another program that can emulate itones for a linux box. Of course, I forget the name. You might be able to get itunes working under wine but unsure of how to do so.

www.google.com/linux

amarok.



kde`s amarok can talk to ipod EASILY and without allot crap.


download or install kubuntu - the kde version of ubuntu or enable the universe distros and isntall KDE...either way amarok is the way to get your ipod and your music singing

Amarok runs just fine under Gnome. I'm not pushing Gnome over KDE, but if you or she do prefer Gnome over KDE - using Amarok won't force you into it.

Since she's a former Windows user, I think she would be more comfortable with GNOME. GTKPod is suppost to be pretty good with talking to iPods. You should check that out. If she wants an alternative to the iTunes Music Store, there's allofmp3.com. Better quality, a lot cheaper, and you can buy in .OGG formate.

Gnome is better for a first time user because the GUI is quite basic. There are not 9 trillion programs or system launchers regarding the basic KDE install. Which is totally annoying even for experienced users.

Let's not turn this into yet another "KDE vs Gnome" debate. I could care less which window manager you use. Whatever you like and are most comfortable with is definately the one you should use. Ubuntu makes is insanely easy to download the kubuntu desktop and run either one you want at will. Install some others and see how you like those - no problem. All I wanted to point out was that while Amarok may have some KDE dependencies, you don't have to be in KDE to run it.

In a complete and total departure from topic....

BarfBag - "Chex Quest", really? What is it, like bowls of cereal battling each other? And your profile says Baltimore, do you belong to any LUG there? I've gone to the Columbia Area LUG and frankly, it really sucks. If my impression of Linux was dependent upon these people, I'd be a committed Windows user for life.

I agree! I was not trying to turn this into a GUI/Desktop debate and thought of the nature of my post when writing it. You could install both and see which one she likes. Then delete the window manager that she does not like.

AmaroK can communicate with iPods and aims to be itunes-like. It's not a complete replacement, though.
Songbird is also an interesting project. It's a cross-platform XUL-based itunes clone, the only thing is it's still in somewhat early development.
You can look at it here:
http://www.songbirdnest.com/
P.S. KDE vs. GNOME - does it really matter? No.

I just noticed that none of us has actually answered the question.

The answer is no.
You can do it with Crossover Office.

The application list at WineHQ.com says no dice: it'll install, but errors out on a bad QuickTime install error when you try to run it.

I've not duplicated this, but I'm tempted to give it a try just to see if I can get past the QT error.

ETA: Anyone out there tried PyMusique lately?

Actually the kubuntu flavor of KDE Doesn't have "9 trillion" apps. Just a app for every task. Now on the other hand the Slackware version of KDE does have "9 trillion" apps. Anyways, both Ubuntu/Kubuntu are equally as friendy to linux newbs. Although I would suggest that you do all of the updating yourself...If I remember correctly Kubuntu 5.10 had quite a few gui problems that were only solved by updating. Or you could just wait for 3-4 weeks for 6.04 to come out.

to answer your questions:

1. surfing...no problem
2. Ubuntu/Kubuntu 5.10 both come with OpenOffice, if I remember correctly. Ubuntu does for sure.
3. gaim works well. Or If she uses AIM exclusively...download the linux native aim.
4. Amarok & GtkPod both work well. Except for the encoding speed, quite a bit slower than in windows itunes. the other option is crossover office, which costs money, it may be worth it for you though.

Hey all, thanks for the replies. I'm just finishing the install now and will probably mess with it more tomorrow night (not much free time). Im willing to try some alternatives to iTunes, but I'd love it if I could just give her a familiar setup. I've already trained her to use ONLY Firefox, so thats done. AIM for Linux should be fairly similar (right?). Openoffice shouldn't be too far off from word so I think she'll manage that one, so really...all Im worried about now is music and that damn iPod. I'll mess with Amarok and see how it goes. Thanks again for all the help!!!

best of luck and ciao, and kudos to everyone who avoided the GUI WM bitch fest