Getting Started: Accessing the Rockbox

[roscoetuff]

I'm on Mepis 6.5 Linux (Ubuntu). Okay. The iPOD eventually came up on its own. It does this in the "Do not disconnect" mode - similar to Apple's....but with a different font. Is this really ROCKBOX working?

Also, can i and should i remove the Apple directories "Calendars", "Contacts", "iPod_Control" and "Notes" ?

I couldn't find in the manual how to copy music from the PC to the iPod under Rockbox. Should I use Amarok, or Banshee (or whatever MP3 software player on the PC), or should I simply use my Konqueror? And if the latter, then where do I copy the music to?

There is the last issue that I want to mention that the manual leaves out a few details about the install that could be clearer. I had to do it twice... and that shouldn't be necessary. Want feedback? And if so, where?

Before ending, let me say thanks for this software. Looks and sounds better than the Apple version. Yep. Drive is quieter and sound better. Oddly. Nice work. Maybe it's my imagination? Possibly. Anyway, thanks!

[gnu]

1. You're seeing the "disc mode": It's neither the original apple firmware nor rockbox, it's a "built in" function of your ipod, just like the hard reboot or the diagnostics mode
2. I guess you can delete them (though I would keep the ipod_control)
3. Use Konqueror to drag'n drop your music; you don't need special software..
4. Which part of the manual is not clear? Any details?
5. I don't know about the HDD, I got a nano. But I think it's possible that there are fewer disc spin-ups with rockbox.

[Febs]

There is the last issue that I want to mention that the manual leaves out a few details about the install that could be clearer. I had to do it twice... and that shouldn't be necessary. Want feedback? And if so, where?

You should post proposed changes to the patch tracker (see the "patches" link on the left) under the category "manual."

[roscoetuff]

Use Konqueror to drag'n drop your music; you don't need special software..

Okay. This is simple. I had used Amarok to "transfer" the music, and it made folders by Artist, then by Album and then the music. This is waaaay to complicated.

Does it matter where on the iPod (which folder) the music is added to? How to rescan the database?

Is anyone using Amarok or Banshee to manage and make Playlists on their PC's and simply transferring this over to the Rockboxed iPod? Any recommendations for coordinating the two machines... or is that not the idea? Just a little confused at the moment as a new user.

I am indifferent as to Amarok and Banshee. Using Amarok mostly at the moment, but still new enough to be willing to switch. What are folks using here, or NOT using?

Appreciate any suggestions... and thanks for the earlier response!

[knight4led]

Well I think the general idea of Rockbox is that you don't need any software to sync or organize your music on your player if you don't want. You are free to organize your music on your player in whatever manner and in whatever fold you desire as long as the folder is not hidden. The only thing you really need is an operating system capable of mounting a rockboxed player.

Some people still choose to use software to sync their music, and it seems to me that many people continue using iTunes if they have the iPod and a machine compatible with iTunes. However, your music playing software does not have to be your sync or transfer solution.

While I was on an XP/Linux dual boot I continued using Winamp and XMMS to play my music and just dragged and dropped music using my OS. In that way I was free to organize my music how I wanted not how some software thought was convenient.

[lights0ut]

Hey roscoetuff, I'm on kubuntu linux and I use krusader's synchronize folders function to sync my iPod's music folder with my PC's music folder. That way the directory structure is the same so any playlist I make will work because of the relative file structure. I'm just beginning to use Amarok a lot now, but I haven't used it to transfer songs.

Poking around the settings, it looks like you can configure the way Amarok transfers files though. You can specify the filetype (only ogg's get transferred), or whether to transcode first (only 128kbps), and where based on the meta-info. So I guess it comes down to whether or not your music is tagged properly. If it is, Amarok looks like it would be very suited to handling your iPod, if it's not then I'd use krusader (not sure if konqueror has the same synch feature)

hope that helps