The comparison with linux makes it look like there is a tried and true way to export your data, and iTunes or iPhoto devs are just too complacent to so it, as l

The comparison with linux makes it look like there is a tried and true way to export your data, and iTunes or iPhoto devs are just too complacent to so it, as linux devs are as well. That's not the case IMO. There's just no perfect procedure for moving your data from iPhoto or iTunes to anything else. Most of the things the author lists (preferences, usage data, starring etc) can't be storred in any universally compatible format under any OS. You can export all your photo at once, but it will be the bare files and anything that can't be storred as exif or id3 data will be gone, except if you are willing to deal with the nitty gritty stuffs, and make a script to move these data by yourself. Actually she's ranting about the lack of a universal data format keeping as much information as iPhoto or iTunes keeps in database. That's a gvalid rant I think, but it's a problem of a higher level than iPhoto or iTunes export functions, or using OS X or linux.