So a short while ago I bough and iPod. I know, I had said I would never get one, but they are finally to the point in terms of storage capacity that I can make good use of it. I ended up with an iPod classic 120GB. Anyway, this post isn’t about my iPod, which I have come to love, it’s about the steaming pile of shit software known as iTunes that it used to manage it….

After I got my iPod I wanted to start loading songs right away. So I opened up the instructions (my first mistake) then proceeded to install iTunes (my second mistake). When it comes to operating systems, I will be the first to admit that Apple makes a solid product. I don’t personally own an Apple computer but I have used them and really I find it very easy to use. However, when it comes to software, Apple falls far short of anything even remotely close to good. I’m sure that a number of people here has used QuickTime in the past and I truly doubt that anyone likes it. Up until buying my iPod, I had managed to avoid all Apple software with the exception of Safari (since I do web design, I need to be able to test my pages in various browsers).

But I digress….after installing iTunes, and saying no to all the prompts from SpyBot to allow all these new programs to start with the system, I fired up iTunes. Granted, it did see the iPod without a problem, and did manage to sync all my music. However, it’s so incredibly bloaty, slow to start, and install software I never approved (QuickTime and the damn Apple Updated). Needless to say, I am FAR from impressed. This is the very reason that I don’t install Apple software, I truly do hate it.

While I was waiting for my 9000ish songs to sync, I immediately began searching Google for a better solution. A few pieces of software stuck out, namely SongBird and MediaMonkey. I installed and tried both of them out but since neither were able to sync my pictures (I could have just missed it) I decided that they wouldn’t do. After some more searching, I came upon ml_ipod for WinAmp. Since I use WinAmp pretty much exclusively to manage my music, I figured I would give it a go. The install was VERY simple and the fact that the file was a whole 1MB (iTunes is around 90MB give or take) made me smile.

This plugin works GREAT. I will NEVER go back to iTunes for anything and have since removed it from my computer. I can’t possible believe that a company that makes such great operating systems can make such shitty software. Again, with the exception of Safari, my computer is once again Apple free. So if you are fed up with iTunes, give ml_ipod a shot and see what you think.