The irony of this discussion is the very issue of piracy and theft. Some folks are complaining about the DRM inherent to AAC. Since there is no DRM for MP3 the argument of choosing a different format than AAC is moot.
The concept behind iTunes is BUYING music instead of stealing it. Copy protection is pain in the neck - always been - always will be. But this is what happens when we can't police ourselves - others will do it for us.
I've been using iTunes for Windows as a general player and it works very well. Small, not bloatware in any way. Not sure if I like the Media Library (not hierarchial) but I already have my music in folders. Besides, I can use WMP's library if I must.
Being a Mac and Windows user, it's interesting to see how different the mindset of the user communities are. The Mac people aren't the most technical but they're pretty optimistic about technology and their Macs. PC people (in this thread at least) seem cynical and resigned.
To sum up Pragman, yes, QTFairUse will allow you to remove the DRM in AAC. As will using a stream ripper like Total Recorder or simply the SPEAKER OUT of your sound card. That's as simple as it gets.
This is a tough crowd!!
