Introduction to Rockbox

[MatthewSchenker]

Hello Everyone!
I recently purchased a 5th-generation, 80GB Ipod.  I use it for work -- I'm a journalist and I record my interviews digitally, then transcribe them with the iPod.

For several reasons, I am thrilled to learn about Rockbox.

One drawback to the iPod I saw right away was that I can't plug it in my computer and read it as a drive -- have to use iTunes to move the recordings around.  Of course, I'd much rather drag and drop!  I've also not been happy that I can't do more file management on the road.  

This is my first day discovering Rockbox, so I haven't installed it yet.  I wanted to post here and introduce myself, and ask for general advice.

Thanks for developing this software!

Matt

[soap]

One drawback to the iPod I saw right away was that I can't plug it in my computer and read it as a drive --

You can use your iPod as a USB drive, even with the original firmware.  There is an option in iTunes:
Launch iTunes.
Click on your iPod's name in the leftmost column under the heading "Devices".
A picture of your ipod will appear in the main window on your right.
Click the "Summary"  tab.
Depending on window size you may need to scroll down, but there is a checkbox titled "Open iTunes when this iPod is connected" - you want to uncheck this one.  Lower down is one titled "Enable disk use" - make sure this one is checked.

...have to use iTunes to move the recordings around.  

I was actually under the impression that field recordings were not placed in an obscure sub-folder of iPod_Control, but were easy to find in their own folder right off the root of the drive.  I might be mistaken on this point, though.

This is my first day discovering Rockbox, so I haven't installed it yet.  I wanted to post here and introduce myself, and ask for general advice.

There are three major points I think need mentioning to you.
A - You use your iPod in a production environment.  Rockbox only achieves (at this time) 50% of original firmware battery life.
B - Not all accessories which plug into the iPod's dock port work with Rockbox.
C - (Most important?) The recording capabilities of Rockbox on the iPods are severely crippled at this point in time.  The iPod's primary chip is undocumented, and this is still a source of problems for Rockbox development.

[MatthewSchenker]

soap,
Thanks for the help!

I should have explained that I don't use the iPod to do field recordings.  I use an Olympus digital recorder for the recordings (it works better and is more compact).  Then I convert the WMA file into MP3 format and transfer it onto the iPod.

I do have the "Enable disk use" checked, but I don't see actual listings of the MP3 files.  Based on what I just said above, this should make more sense (sorry, I should have explained my device usage better).

Thanks for being clear about Rockbox.  But since I'm using it to transfer digital files, I won't come up against the recording problems.

For me, Rockbox would be worth it if I could get true drag-and-drop capabilities, and better file management, as one of the things that slows me down is having to do all this inside iTunes all the time.

Anyway, it can't hurt to give Rockbox a try.  If anything goes wrong, I could always uninstall it, right?

Thanks,
Matt

[Yotto]

(If you're on Windows.  On a Mac, I have no clue)

I use my iPod as a drive all the time.  If you don't need iTunes, uninstall it and clean up the registry entries (Search for "iTunes" and delete everything you find, back up your registry first).  When you next plug in your iPod, Windows should just load it as a USB drive.  And, as a bonus, you don't have iTunes on your machine any more!

Then you can use any software you like to manage your music.  I use a great program called "copy" when I'm in Windows, and another cool one called "cp" in Linux.  They are very similar and allow me full access to my entire library.

[MatthewSchenker]

Yotto,
Thanks for the information!  This is great -- I only discovered Rockbox this morning and already it sounds like it might improve my life!

Yes, I'm running a Windows PC.  I have no use for iTunes when it comes to using my iPod, since the only thing I use the iPod for is interviews and photos.  So it will be great to be able to just skip the iTunes step altogether and work with files in Windows Explorer instead.

Thanks again!
Matt