The thing i dont get is how come limewire is still in service, and hasnt been shut down?

No, you're forced to use iTunes software. You can use any player you want.

If you use iTunes and downloaded their DRM music, you are forced to use an Ipod, unless that is no longer the case? Right or wrong? You can't purchase music from the ITMS and load it on other media players, unless that has changed.

Would iRiver, or other mp3 players, be able to utilize some Microsoft software, on a winbox, as we would use iTunes for managing songs, and then use that software to put the songs on the player?

I once had an mp3 player, the brand of course I can't recall, which used compact flash cards to store the songs. It came with some proprietary software with which I was able to either drag songs from where iTunes had stored them on my old OS 9.1 powermac, or navigate to them and click on them. This added them to a playlist which could then be copied to the compact flash cards.

It wasn't as convenient as an iPod, but it worked pretty well. The sound quality of my second gen nano far exceeds that of the old mp3 player, and having an extensive library of songs at the touch of the scroll wheel is quite nice.

Do other mp3 players' software enable one to do something similar now on a mac?

No, but the iRiver works with a third party company like Real, to download their music for example.

I listed the easy steps necessary to play ITMS tracks on a non-Apple player previously in this thread. Furthermore, those steps are unnecessary for about 25% of the ITMS library, which do not contain DRM.

Went googling for mp3 players compatible with the mac.

Found this url for the Creative Nomad, which mentions a freeware app enabling its use with Panther and Tiger.

Found on Apple's website, this page regarding third party mp3 devices, which describes converting the aac files to mp3, so that they can be loaded into third party devices. It also lists compatible devices. Quite a long list.

C/Net Reviews had this to say about third party players for the mac. If I follow it correctly, DRM protected files can't be played on these players, but files that were stored on the computer from CDs can be. On page 2 of this thread, J Christopher mentions burning Fairplay tracks onto a CD, then importing the tracks from the CD, so that there is no longer an associated DRM. (did I say this correctly?)

Googling found quite a few more interesting sites.

I think when I'd had that other mp3 player years ago, I'd had no problem using the files stored in the library by iTunes because all songs had come from imported CDs.

And today, all my songs are from CDs. I've yet to use the iTunes Music Store, as I prefer having the whole album. In the days of vinyl, I rarely purchased 45rpm and primarily purchased 33 1/3 albums.

Yes, I think so. It's not as convenient as syncing an iPod and iTunes, but it works, and creates a backup playable in nearly any CD player.

Fighting for open standards
 

I couldn’t agree more, cwt. A free market necessitates effective antitrust laws and practices in order to avoid de-facto monopolies. (A monopolized market is UN-free.)

In Norway there is a huge stink right now about Microsoft’s highly questionable strategies for fighting against the government’s preference for implementing open standards with regards to publishing documents on the Internet. (In other words ODF instead of Microsoft’s Office Open XML.) The leading business daily (Dagens Næringsliv) has had a number of articles on this, as have other newspapers and publications.

I hope to get back to you on that one as soon as time allows -- perhaps in a different thread.

Respectfully,
:) ArcticStones

DVD-Jon offers a Double Twist
 

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One more thing: You may wish to take a look at the latest development from my compatriot, DVD-Jon -- Double Twist software.

Here is Wired’s article on Double Twist.

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