Linux distributions like Lubuntu and openSUSE can access the file system of an iPad or iPod Touch. You won't even need to install any additional package to directly access the file system although there are software packages in Linux for managing your iPad/iPod Touch media. Take note, however, that most Linux utilities are not on par with the functionality of iTunes in terms of accessing Apple's ecosystem.
Once you connect your Apple device into your USB port, Ubuntu or openSUSE will automatically run your file manager. The screenshot below displays my iPod Touch's file system using PCMANFM, Lubuntu's default file manager.
Your file manager will mount two storage locations. The first one is for your iPod's core file structure while the second storage is for your installed apps. Accessing Apple's underpinnings is no picnic and obviously, users are discouraged from fooling around with the core Apple filing structure. If you're just looking for the folder DCIM, however, where the camera's photos are stored (In this example, it's at afc://DCIM/100APPLE), it's pretty easy to find and moving photos is easy as in Windows Explorer with no admin/root requirements.
Users can also manage their apps using Linux. The second mounted storage location lists installed apps. Most of the apps installed on my iPod are dictionaries and maps, but I do have three apps that store data:
1. EZMP3 - for playing music
2. Bookman - for reading comic books and PDFs
3. FlexPlayer - for watching different types of video formats
Navigating the file structure is also fairly simple. To copy additional content into Bookman for example, just open the Bookman folder and access the Documents folder. The same process applies to EZMP3 and FlexPlayer. The screenshot below shows a music video being copied to FlexPlayer's Documents folder.
Users can also delete content from the Documents folder from these three apps. A confirmation window will pop up indicating they will be deleted immediately, meaning it won't be moved to the recycle bin of your Linux system.
Disclaimer: Each app has a different file structure and file management system so the process outlined above isn't applicable to all of them. If you find the app unusable after copying or deleting content using your Linux machine, just delete the app and install it again using iTunes.
After deleting or adding content to your iPod, unmount the two storage devices using your file manager. If your file manager doesn't allow you to unmount your iPod Touch despite clicking the unmount switch, just disconnect your iPod Touch - it's similar to Windows users disconnecting without having to click the System Tray.
Run your app, if the copied file doesn't display in your list of media, just switch off your iPod Touch and turn it back on. The newly added content should now be displayed.
As a footnote, iPods do charge when plugged into a Linux system.
The iPod Touch and iPad's file structure is easily accessible to Linux users and copying files to apps that have a predefined storage is fairly simple using a Linux file manager like PCMANFM or Nautilus. The previous app examples FlexPlayer, Bookman, and EZMP3 all store their content in a Documents folder. However, what about the popular Apple iBooks app? Unfortunately, although the Books folder is easy to find, iBooks is still best managed using iTunes due to the way iOS manages the books database. You can copy a PDF or EPUB to the folder, but there is no guarantee it will be displayed on your iPad after disconnecting from the Linux system.
Some iPad apps that I've tested and I use which are easily managed in Linux (in addition to those already mentioned above) are the following:
1. Adobe Reader for iOS - PDF viewer
2. CloudReaders - for reading documents, comic books, and PDFs
3. Sidebooks - for reading documents, comic books, and PDFs
4. OliveCHM - for displaying CHM
5. Solaris Viewer - for displaying Office files
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