Songbird

What works

Tested in Gnome 3, KDE Plasma, and Unity.

Works great, but works even better with a few quick and easy fixes (see the section below). The program is VERY stable.

Most tested addons work. This includes an equalizer+presets, queue pane (which functions similarly to Amarok's playlist pane), application skins (called "feathers"), and a folder navigation pane. The Windows-specific addons like system tray integration, obviously, did not work.

Built-in web-browser is quick and stable. Allows for easy access to Songbird addons. Tabbed library and internet browsing works perfectly.

Dragging panes works fine.

MP3, FLAC, and .ogg files play in a fresh installation with no problems. All tags and Vorbis comments are read perfectly.

Volume slider works perfectly.

What does not

On a fresh installation the top navigation pane, which contains the File, View, and Options menus, is hidden in all three tested desktop environments. The only way to access the options menu is to download any addon in the browser, which will take you directly to the options menu. Even without the fix below it's just a minor annoyance. When the program starts up for the first time, make sure you select an import folder.

To fix this issue, open the "Configure Wine" application. Under the Applications tab, click "Add application" and navigate to C:/Program Files/Songbird. Double click on "songbird.exe" which will add the program. Navigate to the Graphics tab and uncheck "Allow the window manager to decorate the windows". Problem solved.

Scrolling through albums and tracks is a little sluggish, so under the same tab, under "Vertex Shader Support", select "none" and uncheck "Allow Pixel Shader". This will speed the program up a little.

Now that that's out of the way, we can fix the scrolling issue completely. Navigate to Options>Advanced and check "Use smooth scrolling".

Other issues:

Quicktime installation fails when installing the program. An addon can be installed to add Quicktime support.

No MTP support even after installing an addon. I'm working on a solution.

Even after the fixes I mentioned scrolling through a long list of songs is a little sluggish, but still faster than iTunes. 

The program is stubborn and slow to launch and would not launch from the desktop icon. It took multiple clicks in the application menu, and lots of waiting, before the program loaded.

Interface is more sluggish in Unity than in Gnome 3 even after the fixes. It was even more sluggish in KDE.

Workarounds

What was not tested

Playback of any audio formats that are not Mp3, FLAC, or .ogg

Video playback

Hardware tested

Graphics:

• GPU:
• Driver:

Additional Comments

Would not install with Winetricks. Run the installer .exe as an executable with Wine. If not for the options menu not appearing without editing the winecfg this application would be an easy "Platinum". The fixes take less than a minute. Works well in all three tested desktop environments but is fastest in Gnome 3. This quickly became my Amarok and Rhythmbox replacement. Strongly recommended.