[GRLUG] Linux software recommendation for mp3 player

[john-thomas richards]

On Fri, May 18, 2007 at 02:46:10PM -0400, Justin Denick wrote:
[snip]
> >I am not afraid of KDE nor am I suggesting there is anything wrong with
> >KDE or any k* apps.  My statement above simply is that I do not have any
> >KDE/QT apps or libraries installed on my system.  I fail to see the
> >benefit of installing a ton of cruft on my system just to ran a single
> >application.  I fail to see the benefit of loading a bunch of libraries
> >into RAM for one application.
> 
> 
> Didn't the original post ask for an app that could do what e currently fails
> to do?

Enlightenment is a window manager, not a desktop environment (though
Enlightenment DR17 will be).  As a window manager, it manages windows
just fine.  :-)  A window manager not having an mp3 player sync tool is
as big a shortcoming as 'ls' not upgrading my kernel.  It is not
designed to do so.

This brings up an interesting observation (in my mind, at least).  The
UNIX-y way of doing things is to have many small, single-purpose tools
to accomplish a job.  Tools such as ls, grep, cat, et cetera can be
strung together to accomplish amazing tasks.  Rather than make one large
monolithic application, the UNIX way keeps specific functions specific.
The (ahem) MS Windows way is much more monolithic.  Create a single
application that can browse the web, rename/move files, launch
applications, provide access to the innerworkings of the computer, play
games, et cetera.  That way, when there is a security breach in Windows
Explorer, one's entire system is at risk.  I am not suggesting that KDE
is really like Windows in that regard (because of the superior security
model of Linux) but I am suggesting that KDE follows the philosophy of
Windows in the desktop environment model.  I prefer the UNIX philosophy
of having individual tools that do specific jobs well.  For example, I
think dcd (Dave's CD player) is one of the best software programs around
(I even emailed the author to say that).  It is a command line CD player
application that is elegantin its simplicity.  ('dcd play', 'dcd stop',
etc.).

> If you switch over to KDE, than strip it down to bare bones, you'll end up
> with the ability to run some really cool apps, while maintaining the look
> and feel of e.

Again, what apps are must-have for KDE these days?  Back in KDE's 1.0
days konqueror was must-have (since the only other options were links
and Netscape <shudder>).  Since I was using konqueror I also used other
KDE apps.  I have not used KDE in *years* and so I do not follow the
slate of apps that are part of it.  I am willing to try new software.
What apps do you think are really cool?  Sell me, man, sell me!
-- 
john-thomas
------
Secrecy, being an instrumenet of conspiracy, ought never to be the system of
a regular government.
Jeremy Bentham, jurist and philosopher (1748-1832)