Just Another Tech Blog

I am the proud new owner of a 2GB iPod Nano! But, iTunes is not available for Linux (I am not sure if it would have worked with WINE, probably not too well). So what is one to do? Install gtkpod! gtkpod is a very nice interface, for Linux users, for adding files to your iPod. Or, as the site describes it, "a platform independent Graphical User Interface for Apple's iPod." It supports just about all iPods, First through Fifth generation. As the name implies, it uses GTK (2 that is). To use gtkpod, you will also need libgpod installed.
Overall, gtkpod performs very well. The GUI is not terribly exciting, but neither does it disappoint. It doesn't take much to familiarize oneself with the interface, everything is fairly intuitive. One can easily add files, playlists, and whole directories to an iPod with just the click of a button and a quick selection from a file browser. You can also edit track descriptions and organize files in a way that you like (artist, composer, album, etc.). When you're ready to add songs or changes to the iPod, simply press the Sync button... and wait. I found that adding files to my iPod took rather long. I am not sure if this is due to gtkpod, my usb port, or just the huge size of the files I added (Classical music... long tracks... big files). Anyway, while syncing, a small window shows the overall progress and an estimation of how long the operation will still take. Don't worry if it stays on "Preparing to copy" for a while, just wait, go off and do something else. Don't expect to access iTunes from gtkpod, you will need to use the website or another computer to do that.
So, what is my general feeling about gtkpod? While quite simple, gtkpod does what it should, and therefore provides an excellent GUI to the iPod for adding files.
Visit the gtkpod homepage.
Link to download page (source, ~1mb)