Will There ever be a music player app comparable to Windows Media Player??

Question

I continue to be discouraged since beginning to use a Mac that I can't find any music player comparable to Windows media Player and all it could do. I find itunes very annoying and have been using songbird instead but it doesn't open as a default when selecting a song from a file.
Things itunes can't do:
I can't select a list of songs from a folder and play them in the order of the files in the folder.
I can't listen to a file without it automatically being added to the list for the next time I enter itunes
I can't change the fiie name of a song and have itunes recognize the change and adapt.
It does not add songs to the song list I have added to a file folder on my computer
It also doesn't give you an option to delete all the songs that don't exist any more. If i delete something fro a file, it is still on the itunes song list and i have to manually delete each one.
Also, I can't browse by genre or one album only.. its always one big list. if i select one song from a folder to play, i tunes will next skip to the next song in the itunes player to play next.
There is no "now playing" column to see what has been played
ANyways, I just keep hoping someone will develop something, or every time itunes says it has an update - i hope.
Songbird is much better but still not top. I feel this is a big need for apple.. especially if you want satisfied customers switching from microsoft who want a comparable experience. its frustrating enough getting used to so many things, but the programs shoudl be able to do these simple things.
i cal is another story...
Just hopeful that a developer can meet these issues someday! Im sure they CAN, but someone needs to tell you they are issues!!!

Answer 1

Hi, Cheryl,
You are correct about some of your statements. iTunes is designed as a complete content manager, and while that works well for many people, if you want to be able to work with your files directly in Finder and play them based on that organization, then iTunes probably indeed does not work for you. Just a few notes, though:
I can't select a list of songs from a folder and play them in the order of the files in the folder.
Correct. iTunes doesn't understand folders in the OS file structure and other than just the path name to the track file doesn't care about OS folders at all.
I can't listen to a file without it automatically being added to the list for the next time I enter itunes
Also correct; iTunes needs to add the track to its library file so it can find the track. You can play tracks in QuickTime Player, though, or directly from Finder and not have to use iTunes and it's file management.
I can't change the fiie name of a song and have itunes recognize the change and adapt.
It does not add songs to the song list I have added to a file folder on my computer
Correct. iTunes has no folder-watching feature, so changes made manually wil not be recognized automatically. There are third-party utilities that can automate some of this, Hazel for instance.
It also doesn't give you an option to delete all the songs that don't exist any more. If i delete something fro a file, it is still on the itunes song list and i have to manually delete each one.
The real solution to this is to not remove tracks manually from the OS but rather to delete them from inside of iTunes. But if you really want to remove the tracks manually and then get them removed from iTunes, try this script courtesy of the very-useful Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes:
http://dougscripts.com/itunes/scripts/ss.php?sp=removedeadsuper
Also, I can't browse by genre or one album only.. its always one big list.
Turn on the Column Browser: View menu -> Column Browser -> Show Column Browser
You can select whether you wish it on top or the side, and what sections appear. You can then browse by genre, artist or album, and can play specific albums and have iTunes stop playing when the album is finished.
if i select one song from a folder to play, i tunes will next skip to the next song in the itunes player to play next.
Correct. If you uncheck all the tracks, though, iTunes will play one and stop. That often causes other issues if you uncheck them all, but unchecking a track is how you get iTunes to skip playing it.
There is no "now playing" column to see what has been played
Not if you're not using playlists, no, but iTunes DJ might be of some help in this regard. It's not designed for manual playing, but it can be sort of forced into that sort of use.
I've not seen any player that provides what I would consider to be an improvement on iTunes. Songbird is the only player I know of in current development, and it has its own strenghts and weakness. What it really comes down to is a design philosoply; iTunes is designed to handle all the management of the track files so you don't have to. For those of us who that philosoply suits, iTunes works very well indeed. For those like you who want to do your own management, iTunes doesn't suit and probably never will.
Regards.