Re: iTunes. Worst software ever produced?

In article <_9ednYrjrrn-RAjbnZ2dnUVZ_ruknZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxx>, MuahMan
<MuahMan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Thank God MSFT knows how to properly deal with music files. In WMP11 I
select it to monitor my music folder. And wala!!!!! No duplicates. It
actually "monitors" the folders for changes. Put a file in your music
directory and it adds it, remove a directory, and it removes from your
library!!! Amazing. So high-tech. NOT. But still to high tech for Apple
to figure out. I still have to go into my music folder and see if stupid
P.O.S. iTunes actually made more files or if just keeps redundantly adding
to the library. How bad does it suck for you fanbois to only be able to add
files once and NEVER make a change to your directory. iTunes has to be the
worst media manager in the past 10 years. Atrocious, how can anyone use it.
God help you if you go to the iTunes store. It's like a giant flash ad
board, trying to get your buy Britney Spears music. Ads flashing all over
the place. Ugh. Holy adware. Pretty pissed that Alpine all but forces you
to use an iPod instead of just an aux port on their head units.


Okay, so to your cited article:
Yeah WMP11 is just horrible:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-6526496-1.html
(beta WMP 11, 5/06)

Here are my 10 reasons to love WMP 11:

? 1. Inspired by iTunes
Cleaning up the interface was the most critical mission for the
developers. Microsoft admitted that emulating Apple...
No need to comment, there. Did you read this?
This is supposed to be evidence proving there are reasons to prefer WMP
over iTunes.

? 2. Hard-core performance
It's keeping up with the need for better application databases.
So has iTunes; iPhoto needed a change just a couple years ago.

? 3. Deft music store integration
Microsoft finally sees the importance of creating a seamless
jukebox-music store experience.
A principle common to all Apple, and many Mac OS, programs.

? 4. Content choices
In addition to Urge, you can access Napster, Rhapsody, CinemaNow, and
many other audio and video sites.
Provided they use PlaysForSure DRM, right? Weren't you people extremely
upset about this behavior, now you're gonna champion it?

iTunes-like video integration could be much tighter, and this should
come soon, though Media Center Edition owners probably don't care.
Because doing it like iTunes is desirable.

? 5. Networking
While WMP 11 doesn't have built-in networking--one of the few flaws of
this version--you can still stream content to devices such as the Xbox
360 using a separate piece of software.
It doesn't do it, but this is given as a major new feature? I guess he
needed to pad out the list of ten.

? 6. Two-way street
Without third-party software or other techniques, you can transfer
content only one way on an iPod--that is, from iTunes to iPod. But WMP
11 allows you to transfer (automatically if you like) files from your
portable device back to WMP 11. Dubbed reverse sync, this function is
especially nice for digital images or video that you capture or
transfer to the device or for songs that you purchase over the air.
Not quite right. The only content that doesn't move is music tracks,
right? But since that came from the computer in the first place, you
shouldn't have any reason to.

? 7. Device-friendly
the hyped-up gas gauge gives you a visual indicator of how much space
Very handy. Can't believe it hasn't been there for years.

Also, when you connect any MTP player, an image of
the player will show up in the sync area.
This is neither impressive nor meaningful.

Also, Microsoft
has tightened up the specs for PlaysForSure (now 2.0)
This isn't a benefit for anyone but Microsoft. And I thought it was
still a very sore point for some people in this group.

? 8. Fill in the blanks
WMP 10 utilized text-based databases for identifying files without
correct ID3-tag metadata. WMP 11 uses audio-waveform matching
That's very cool. I don't know other players that do that.

? 9. Cool tricks
Dig a bit deeper, and you'll find some awesome features, such as CD
spanning, which queues up subsequent discs
Meaningless when you already have much more useful Smart Playlists.

as well as ripping to WMA Pro, Microsoft's 5.1 or
7.1 surround format.
Very cool; I don't know Apple's plans or abilities here. Can't be far
away, with such DVD-authoring designs.

? 10. Microsoft's new ecosystem
Again, this just makes it look better when compared to iTunes.

So there are two points in this article that are actually better
regarding iTunes. One doesn't matter to most users (5.1 or 7.1 sound
for DVD authoring), and one is a convenience without consequence
(waveform-matching for metadata). Huh.
None of the points make iTunes look bad; in fact, the author seems to
hold it in high regard.
.

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