For people that have never used Linux, they may not be familiar with the quality of applications that are freely available on the Linux platform. If you have never used Linux then you are missing out some of the best applications available anywhere. One of the best applications to be found in Linux is Amarok. The program is similar to Apple’s iTunes, except Amarok can actually do a lot of things better. Recently the Amarok team has released version 1.4.5 of Amarok. This version will be the last in the 1.x series and the next release will be known as Amarok 2.0 and built specifically for KDE 4.0. Lunapark6 also got a chance to ask Mark Kretschmann, one of the main developers on the Amarok team and the person that actually started the project, some questions about the latest version of Amarok. To see what Amarok 1.4.5 has to offer and read some of Mark Kretschmann’s thoughts on Amarok…click the read the rest of this entry link.

• New Features found in 1.4.5
  * Added support for custom song labels. Labels can be managed through the GUI or using new DCOP functions.
  * New DCOP functions to make it easier for scripts to use Amarok’s Dynamic Collection feature.
  * Download songs from Shared Music (DAAP) directly into the collection.
  * Fadeout for Helix engine when pressing Stop.
  * Guided editing of the collection/playlist/devices filters.
  * Added GUI options for fadeout and fadeout on exit. Both are now enabled by default.
  * Support for Speex (.spx), WavPack (.wv) and TrueAudio (.tta) files in the collection.
  * Search inside of lyrics, by using “/” on Context Browser.
  * “Automatically show context browser” feature makes a return, as per popular request. It is however disabled by default.
  * Improved keyboard navigation: Space key is now a shortcut for Play/Pause, and cursor left/right seeks forward/backward.
  * Cover images are shown in collection browser.
  * Send cover art to MTP media devices if they support it.
  * Elapsed time can be shown in OSD.
  * New redownload manager for the Magnatune.com store. Allows re-download of any previous purchase free of charge (in any format).
  * New items in the playlist are colorized, as a visual cue.
  * Show rating as stars in flat collection view.
  * Synchronize play count, last played time and date of modification to iPods.
  * Propose list of composers in collection when editing the composer tag from the playlist.
  * Greatly improved sound quality for the xine equalizer. Patch by Tobias Knieper.
  * Fancy graphical volume slider for the OSD. Patch by Alexander Bechikov . .
  * Support for %composer and %genre when guessing tags from filenames.
  * Cached lyrics are now AFT-enabled, and will follow your files around as you move and rename them.

Review + Interview

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