Audex, the lean audio CD ripper
Linux has long established itself as a multimedia platform. The resulting wealth of applications makes it difficult to find the right program, especially for the casual user. If you want to rip audio CDs for your private party, your options at first glance are heavyweights like K3b, Rhythmbox, or Amarok, which all require significant familiarization time – or you can get started within 30 seconds with the compact audio ripper Audex [1] .
Installation
Audex is found in the software repositories of the major distributions; you can install it with a couple of mouse clicks using your distribution's graphical package manager. Depending on the distribution, you will then find an appropriate starter in the Multimedia or Entertainment submenu. The software quickly opens a self-explanatory program window in which – initially – no active controls appear, except for the menubar.
After you insert an audio CD, Audex reads its content and displays the titles in a list view on the right side of the application window (Figure 1). If you have an Internet connection, it automatically downloads the metadata, such as the cover, title, year, and genre, from the Freedb.org servers. If the ripper finds several CDs with the same title in the Freedb.org database, you can select the correct medium in the next dialog.
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