thinking of buying a digital audio player

[recursivelyenumerable]

I've never had or used one before.  My main concern is that I've heard that some of the popular ones like the I-Pod will only let you transfer files from your PC using proprietary interfaces that require you to install their software and drivers and stuff, and my experience dealing with OEM crapware makes me really reluctant to allow this.  Are there good players (with good on-device interfaces) that just expose standard filesystems or whatever?

[fistfulofmetal]

i think players made by Cowon are what you're looking for.

[Ecrofirt]

I believe Sansa and Creative players are drag-n-drop.

[recursivelyenumerable]

i've more or less decided on a cheap Sansa Clip.

[Flannel Boy]

i've more or less decided on a cheap Sansa Clip.

The Sansa Clip is a decent player. It has decent audio quality and is pretty small and light, making it perfect for jogs.