X-Tunes

[arn]

If you've ever use Apple's iTunes while you're working... you'll probably want this Application.

X-Tunes provides a transparent pop-up control which allows you to control iTunes (fast forward, next track, rewind, last track, volume) without having to switch out of the application that you are using.

Simple, free and works. It requires Mac OS X 10.1 or later.

 

[ponyboy]

Not only does it let you control itunes but if the app is not already running the key combo will start it for you

 

[muxlow]

Fades too fast, though...

It's very cool, but it fades too fast to be of any use other than maybe reading what's playing. I've got the fade set to 2 seconds, but it still whips by too fast to adjust volume, rewind or any of that other stuff.

Luckily, all I really wanted it for was the read what was playing, so it works great for me!

 

[arn]

Re: Fades too fast, though...

Originally posted by muxlow
It's very cool, but it fades too fast to be of any use other than maybe reading what's playing. I've got the fade set to 2 seconds, but it still whips by too fast to adjust volume, rewind or any of that other stuff.

Hold the trigger key down... and it will stay up.

arn

 

[Mr. Anderson]

cool, is there a link somewhere?

 

[jelloshotsrule]

this should do you right....

 

[madamimadam]

Isn't this what you can do in the dock anyway... minus rewind and fast forward which are usless anyway

 

[huot425]

what is this

what a joke, since itunes 2 you have been able to control the app without switching to it, even in os9 i could do this. i've never understood why people waste their time creating crap like this.

 

[madamimadam]

Re: what is this

Originally posted by huot425
what a joke, since itunes 2 you have been able to control the app without switching to it, even in os9 i could do this. i've never understood why people waste their time creating crap like this.

There are a lot of bored developers out there, you know

 

[eyelikeart]

this is pretty cool...I definitely like not having to switch out or hold the iTunes icon for the menu to appear...

 

[bunton]

Lazy

You are lazy little guys!

Big woop switching back and forth, are yor computers not fast enuff?

What is next, typing in office will veiwing the explorer screen, this is out of kuntrol!!!

If you want to work with itunes, fast forward ect, dont you want to do it in itunes??

 

[alex_ant]

Re: Lazy

Originally posted by bunton
You are lazy little guys!

Big woop switching back and forth, are yor computers not fast enuff?

Actually, now that most of us run OS X... nope.

 

[mnkeybsness]

and works great with10.2!

i love it

 

[simX]

Um.. yeah.

OK, I really don't see the point of this app.

Go into iTunes, click the green zoom button to get into Compact mode. Click on "Total Time" to change to "Elapsed Time", again to see "Remaining Time", and again to see "Total Time" again.

Now change to another application, I can see the desired time info that I just set, and the name, artist, and album of the current playing song (wait for a bit, iTunes cycles through these three pieces of info on the top line).

Now while remaining in that other application (for me right now it's OmniWeb), click on the pause or last/next track buttons. You didn't switch out of this application, did you? But you still were able to perform the function! As a previous poster (albeit rude) noted, this feature has been in iTunes since version 2, and I've been using it. Now try changing the volume via the slider. You STILL didn't change out of the current app into iTunes, did you?

Furthermore, if you just want the controls showing and don't care about the information, just use the resize widget while in this "minimized mode". Pretty compact, eh?

Oh, yeah, and you don't have to wait for the Dock menu to pop up, for those of you that are annoyed by a one second delay (I admit, I DO hate that, and that's why I use this compact mode built-in to iTunes). It's an immediate thing. And if windows are obscuring your compact iTunes window, just Command-click to drag it to somewhere visible (using any brushed-metal part of the window). See, you can control iTunes perfectly without switching to it!

Click the green zoom button to get out of this compact mode and back into normal iTunes operation. Note that pressing the control buttons WILL switch you to iTunes while not in compact mode.. but that's the point.

So... now will someone please tell me the point of X-Tunes when it does what iTunes has done all along?

 

[madamimadam]

Re: Um.. yeah.

Originally posted by simX
So... now will someone please tell me the point of X-Tunes when it does what iTunes has done all along?

Good question, I am suprised that I still receive messages from this thread... I think the thread is as dead and usless as the app itself but I find it interesting to see what people have to say.

 

[macktheknife]

X-Tunes 1.2 out

I've downloaded, and I like it.

Here are the reasons why the author created X-Tunes (as listed on his website http://www.pol-online.net):

n my opinion, controlling iTunes through the dock is really painful for the following reasons:
1) you first need to find where's iTunes in the dock (not that fast if you have plenty of icons in your dock),
2) you have to send your mouse to the very low bottom of the screen,
3) the menu needs about half a second before appearing,
4) for each operation you want to do, you need to select again and again items in the menu (skip tracks for example),
5) you cannot set the volume. It's simply not practical.

Yes, one can probably argue that this app is for lazy people, but as Randal Schwartz from "Learning Perl" once said:

Laziness is a virtue. The wheelbarrow was invented by someone who was too lazy to carry things; writing was invented by someone who was too lazy to memorize; Perl was invented by someone who was too lazy to get the job done without inventing a whole new computer language.

 

[madamimadam]

Re: X-Tunes 1.2 out

Originally posted by macktheknife
I've downloaded, and I like it.

Here are the reasons why the author created X-Tunes (as listed on his website http://www.pol-online.net):



Yes, one can probably argue that this app is for lazy people, but as Randal Schwartz from "Learning Perl" once said:

- 1) you first need to find where's iTunes in the dock (not that fast if you have plenty of icons in your dock),

Oh, what a task that is

- 2) you have to send your mouse to the very low bottom of the screen,

Need I comment... what a poor soul the programmer is... his life is SO difficult

- 3) the menu needs about half a second before appearing,

Half a second... NNNNOOOOOO

- 4) for each operation you want to do, you need to select again and again items in the menu (skip tracks for example),

I can take that.... some logic there

- 5) you cannot set the volume. It's simply not practical.

That is because the Pro Keyboard has volume keys but also has some value.

 

[danielgrenell]

ok but...

it's good for managing songs when i'm working on a report... but some times my finger slips and i open itunes, or it just gets in my way

 

[Nipsy]

Frankly, I don't see the argument against something which makes another task easier as valid. This is the whole point of computing...

The way this thread reads, is it fair to say you all use DOS? GUIs are for the lazy...

I have X-tunes mapped to the middle button in my Intellimouse Explorer (I'm too lazy to control click my right button functionality several thousand times a day), and by pressing this otherwise unused button, I can control iTunes while continuing to focus on whatever I'm doing. Again, I'm too lazy to move to iTunes, because even with three monitors, I prefer to look at my work, and let my background music run in the background...

Maybe I'm just lazy, but ease of use is why I am a Mac user. Maybe I'm just lazy, but when I wrote shareware, the good stuff never generated revenue, but the 'laziness enhancing' stuff did. Maybe I'm just lazy, but if I add up the 600 times a week I skip a song, and can save 1800 seconds over a week, I think of that as 30 minutes, and 30 minutes of my time has a load of value...I'm well paid for being lazy.

 

[amnesiac1984]

well done nipsy, you summed it up perfectly.

One more thing,

I also have it mapped to my middle button. But I have a cordless logitech optical mouse. X-Tunes flashes up a nice big set of buttons for me to control itunes while lying in bed!!! what would be cool is if, while x-tunes was active it changed my mouse buttons to, left button - back a track, right button- forward a track and scroll wheel to adjust volume, that way you wouldn't have to move your mouse, I wouldn't even have to look at the screen, and the mosue would not have to be in contact with a surface, In fact I'm gonna write to the author of X-Tunes.

P.S it was a bit sluggish on my old beige G3 but my new machine makes it run perfectly, hmmm, I wonder if it uses quartz extreme ?! ?

 

[Nipsy]

Originally posted by amnesiac1984


I also have it mapped to my middle button. But I have a cordless logitech optical mouse. X-Tunes flashes up a nice big set of buttons for me to control itunes while lying in bed!!!

I did something similar with my home machine, where it has a USB IR receiver, and I've got that working of a Sony AV 3000 Universal Remote.

I use a set of learned codes to control the Mac as a Jukebox, and another set to control the PC, which is really a glorified TIVO/DVD Player.

 

[blackpeter]

It slowed my whole system down and made the most basic of operations choppy... who knows why? All I know is that when I deleted all the "X-Tunes" files, my system returned to normal.

 

[blackpeter]

*update*

I've re-installed X-Tunes. All systems go. Who knows why my 533 got all testy before. Guess that's computers for ya'...