[Infowarrior] - Apple's new iPod checksum cracked

[Richard Forno]

Apple's new iPod checksum cracked by GtkPod coders

By Ryan Paul | Published: September 16, 2007 - 10:00PM CT

A few days ago, WinAmp iPod plugin developer Will Fisher wrote a blog entry
about the changes Apple made to the iPod music database format that break
compatibility with third-party software. Although the iPod has never
officially supported open music management, the database format used by the
device was previously relatively straightforward. The new database format
uses a checksum value that locks the database to a specific device and
prevents third-party database modification. If the device's internal
database is modified by a third-party program in any way, it will refuse to
play any of the content and report that the device contains 0 songs, even if
the database is still completely intact in every other respect.
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Fortunately, community members have alerted us that a GtkPod developer has
cracked the checksum and successfully tested the new database format support
on two devices. Those who are already locked into Apple's ecosystem will now
be able to continue using the software of their choice with their iPods.

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http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070916-gtkpod-coders-crack-apples-new
-ipod-checksum.html