434b7d90ed
git-svn-id: svn://svn.rockbox.org/rockbox/trunk@3540 a1c6a512-1295-4272-9138-f99709370657
630 lines
31 KiB
Text
630 lines
31 KiB
Text
Q1. What is a FAQ?
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A1. A rare small animal of the species 'Textius Electronicus'. It is known for
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its helpful attitude and vicious misspellings.
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Q2. Okay, fine, what is _this_ FAQ?
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A2. This FAQ is for questions (that we have answers to) that have been asked
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repeatedly either in emails or on IRC.
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Q3. What is Rockbox? What is it's purpose?
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A3. The purpose of this project is to write an Open Source replacement
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firmware for the Archos Jukebox 6000, Studio 20 and Recorder MP3 players.
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Q4. I want to write code for my Archos, how do I proceed?
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A4. Our guide on first time (http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/firsttime.html)
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Rockbox development should answer most of your questions.
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Q5: What is CVS?
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A5: Concurrent Versions System (http://www.cvshome.org). We have a small
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help page about how to use this to get, update and commit files on the web
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at http://rockbox.haxx.se/cvs.html
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Q6. What exactly is the CONTRIBUTING file?
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A6. Just like the name implies, it lists conventions that the project follows,
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and in turn asks you to follow, for the formating of source code in
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general.
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Q7. Okay, so I read CONTRIBUTING and although I don't agree with all your
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conventions, I am going to be sensible and follow them anyway. Now what?
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A7. Start by reading up on the information about the jukeboxes on our web page.
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Then go into CVS and look at the code we've written. Then take what you
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need and start writing.
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Q8. I want to join the development team, but don't have a SourceForge account,
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what should I do?
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A8. You don't need a SourceForge account to help developing Rockbox. Just
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submit patches (http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/patch.html)
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If your patches are consistently well-written and thus accepted, you may
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ultimately be offered CVS commit access. If that should happen, you will
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need to get a Sourceforge account:
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http://sourceforge.net/account/register.php
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Q9. Do you have a mailing list?
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A9. Sure do! As a matter of fact, we have several of them for specific things.
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Please check out: http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/
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Q10. Great you have a mailing list! Is there anyway for me to catch up on
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past posts?
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A10. Check out the archives at: http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/
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Q11. How can I meet the developers working on the project?
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A11. One way is by visiting us on IRC. Head on over to the server
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irc.openprojects.net, and then join "#rockbox". There is usually at
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least one person there. If you don't see any activity, feel free to post
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questions anyway, several of us log the channel and will get you answers
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when we unidle.
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Q12: Wow, you guys talk on IRC a lot? I wish I had been around for those
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conversations to see what happened.
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A12: We are glad you mentioned that! http://rockbox.haxx.se/irc happens
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to have a list of various logs we have recorded of events in the channel.
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Feel free to read up, and ask questions on what you find.
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Q13. What is this "SourceForge" you keep mentioning?
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A13. http://www.sourceforge.net
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Q14. Can the changes or the software that Rockbox suggests or offers
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possibly damage my Archos Player?
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A14. All firmware mods that are presented are still highly experimental.
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Try them at your own risk. We offer no guarantee that this software, or
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the hardware modifications we show, will not damage your player or void
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your warranty. That said, we have not been able to damage any of our
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units by modifying only the firmware. You can accidentally password
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protect your hard disk, but there are ways around that. (See below.)
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Q15. I want to see what the inside of my player looks like, but I would really
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like to avoid voiding my warranty. Is there anything you can suggest?
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A15. We have a collection of photos of both the player and recorder. Look at
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http://rockbox.haxx.se/internals/
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Q16. What exactly are you trying to achieve with this line of development?
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(A.K.A. what's your purpose for being here?)
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A16. Firstly, we wouldn't start something like this if we didn't simply enjoy
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it profusely. This is great fun!
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Secondly, we feel the firmware is lacking some features and contain a
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number of annoying bugs that we want to fix.
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Some ideas would include (in no particular order):
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- No pause between songs
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- Mid-song resume
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- Mid-playlist resume
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- No-scan playlists
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- Unlimited playlist size
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- Autobuild playlists (ie: "all songs in this directory tree")
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- Auto-continue play in the next directory
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- Current folder and all sub-folder random play
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- Full disk random play
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- REAL random
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- Multi song queue
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- Faster scroll speed
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- More cool features with the wire remote control (including
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controlling your Archos from your car radio (req hw mod))
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- Support playing of other files types (ie: Ogg Vorbis support)
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- Support for megabass switch (req hw mod)
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- Player control via USB
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- Memory expansion?
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Note: Just because something is on this list, does not mean that it is
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technically feasible. (But hey we can dream) And something not
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being on the list does not mean it isn't a neat idea. Bring it to
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the list.
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Q17. You mention supporting Ogg Vorbis and other file types on your list of
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ideas. What is the status on that?
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A17. Pessimist's Answer: At the current time we believe this is not very
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likely. The Micronas chip (MAS3507) decoder in the Archos does not
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natively support decoding and there is very little program space in the
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player to implement it ourselves. The alternative would be to write a
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software decoder as part of the Rockbox firmware. However, as much as we
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love our players, the computing power of the Archos (SH1 microcontroller)
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is not fully sufficient for this need.
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Optimist's Answer: We can play any format if only we can write code for
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the DSP to decode it. The MAS 3507 (and 3587) are generic DSPs that
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simply have MP3 codecs in ROM. We can download new codecs in them and
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we will be the first to celebrate if we can get OGG or FLAC or anything
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into these DSPs. Unfortunately, we have no docs or tools for writing new
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MAS DSP code and Intermetall is very secretive about it. If anyone can
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help, please get in touch!
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The recent release of Tremor (integer Ogg decoder) indicates it uses
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around 100 KB for lookup tables. That's not unreasonable for a decoder,
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but we only have 4 KB for both code *and* data. So the grim reality is
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that Ogg will never be supported by the Archos Players and Recorders.
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Q18. What about supporting playing of WMA files?
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A18. Dear Mr. Gates, you have two options. Re-read previous question, or go
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buy your own project.
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Q19: But you don't understand, I'm not talking about decoding here,
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since the data we want may already be in the decoded format (PCM).
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A19: Okay, last time. No. We have no problems whatsoever reading different
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file formats, call it PCM, WAV, GRI, PQR or whatever. The problem is
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that the CODEC only accepts MP3 data and nothing else. We could write a
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new CODEC if we knew how to do it, but there is no documentation on the
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DSP. Please note that we have no access to the DAC, so we can't send the
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data directly to the DAC.
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Q20. What is the most recent version of Rockbox?
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A20. We recently released version 1.4, so head on over to
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http://rockbox.haxx.se/download/ and pull it down.
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Make sure to read the release notes.
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(http://rockbox.haxx.se/download/rockbox-1.4-notes.txt).
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Q21. What do you plan to add to coming versions?
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A21. We have a rough idea of which features we plan/expect/hope to be included
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in which versions. Once again, remember that none of this is written in
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stone (noticing a pattern yet?)
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Version 2.0
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Recording, Autobuild playlists, File/directory management
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Q22. I tried one of your firmware files and now I can't access my hard disk!
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When I turn on my jukebox, it says:
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Part. Error
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Pls Chck HD
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A22. Your hard disk has been password protected. We're not 100% sure why it
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happens, but you can unlock it yourself. Look at:
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http://rockbox.haxx.se/lock.html
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Q23: This FAQ doesn't answer the question I have. What should I do?
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A23: You have a couple options here. You could forget the question, find an
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easier question, or accept '42' as the answer no matter what. We don't
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really recommend any of these (though I do opt for '42' often myself).
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What we do recommend is stopping by IRC, visiting the web site
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(http://rockbox.haxx.se) to see if the question was answered else where
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(like our nodo http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/nodo.html FAQ) and just not
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included here, or ultimately dropping an email to the mailing list
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(rockbox@cool.haxx.se) or the FAQ maintainer listed on the project home
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page.
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Q24: Are there other ways to contact the developers?
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A24: Yes.
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Q25: Are you going to tell us what they are?
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A25: No. Post to the mailing list and we will get back to you.
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Q26: But I _really_ want to talk with you in person.
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A26: I'm sorry. My girlfriend/boyfriend/pet says I'm not allowed to, and the
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doctors here won't let me have pens or pencils. They say its some rule
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about us not having sharp objects. I'm sorry. Now please stop calling
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me here.
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Q27: Will you ever port Quake II to the Archos?
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A27: If you ask that again, I'm sending your address and phone number to the
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guy that mailed us with question #24.
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Q28: Umm, was that sarcasm?
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A28: That's it, I'm mailing him now.
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Q29: Is this legal? I mean, I'd just hate to see something like that
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challenged under the DMCA in all its ridiculousness. Any thoughts or
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ideas?
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A29: We believe we are in the green on this. We are not violating anyone's
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copyright and we are not circumventing any copy protection scheme.
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This has been a big point for the project since its inception. Some
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people wanted us to distribute patched versions of the original firmware,
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but seeing as that _would_ have violated Archos' copyright, we didn't
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follow that course of action.
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Q30: On the web site [and various information postings] you state
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"Every tiny bit was reverse engineered, disassembled and then
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re-written from scratch".
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If it was rewritten from scratch then why was it first reverse-engineered
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and disassembled? Instead this sounds more like someone disassembled it
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then used the understanding that they gained to create a new version,
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which is not quite the same as "from scratch".
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A30: Don't confuse the terms. Reverse engineering means examining a product
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to find out how it works. Disassembling the firmware is merely one tool
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used in that examination. Oscilloscopes and logic analyzers are other
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tools we have used. We have written every single byte of the Rockbox
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firmware. But we could not have written the software without first
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researching how the hardware was put together, i.e. reverse engineer it.
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All of this is completely legal. If you define "from scratch" as writing
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software without first researching the surrounding interfaces, then no
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software has ever been written from scratch.
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Q31: Wait a minute here. When you released version 1.0 you did not have a
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single one of the ideas you have mentioned on your web site actually
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implemented! Calling this version 1.0 is really misleading. What's the
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story?!
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A31: In simple terms, the first release was called 1.0 because it had a basic
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working feature set that worked and had no known bugs. That is what 1.0
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meant. It is true that Rockbox 1.0 lacked most of the feature set that
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every sane user wanted. However, we never said it was more
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feature-complete or better in any way then the original firmware that
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early in the project. The first release was done as a proof of concept
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that our ideas are moving in the right direction. We also hoped that it
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would help bring the project some attention, and some additional
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developers. Adding the missing features was just a matter of time. In
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more recent releases we have completed many of our desired goals, and
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several new ones that were implemented to fulfill user requests.
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Q32: I've heard talk of a 'Rolo'. What is that? (Or 'All you ever wanted
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to know about Rockbox boot loaders')
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A32: Rolo is our bootloader. Rolo became available with our 1.4 release.
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To make use of Rolo, you must have a file with the same extension as
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your Rockbox firmware (.ajz on Recorder, .mod on Player) but a different
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name. You can then browse to it, and you 'run' the other firmware
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you wish to switch to by pressing play. Remember to set the Show Files
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option to "Supported" or "All" to be able to see the firmware files in
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the browser.
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*Poof* You will reboot to that firmware. (Note that in order to return
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to Rockbox you may need to reboot manually if the new firmware you loaded
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does not have a bootloader itself.)
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Q33: Can I use the Archos as an USB hard disk to store data from my PDA/
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digital camera/phone etc.
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A33: No. See: http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/nodo.html#4
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Q34: When I use Rockbox my jukebox's red "error" light turns on a lot, but this
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doesn't happen on the factory firmware. Why?
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A34: Rockbox uses the red LED as harddisk activity light, not as an error
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light. Relax and enjoy the music.
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Q35: I have a question about the batteries...
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A35: STOP! We have put together a completely different FAQ for battery
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related questions.
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Check out: http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/battery-faq.html
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Q36. I have a question about patches...
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A36. Check out http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/patch.html as it should answer any
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patch related questions you may have.
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Q37: What is the WPS?
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A37: That is the 'While Playing Screen'. Basically this is what is shown on
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your player's display while we are playing your song.
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Q38: What good is the WPS? How usable/flexible is it?
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A38: It is very good if you want information about the current item playing ;)
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By using a WPS configuration file you can manage exactly how/what you
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want displayed on your Archos Player. (Even better yet, if you want
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a feature that's not there, we are _always_ open to suggestions!)
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Please see http://rockbox.haxx.se/manual/wps.html for information.
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Q40: So how do I load/make a .wps file?
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A40: You check out http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/custom_wps_format.html to learn
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the format/features of a .wps file, and you visit
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http://rockbox.haxx.se/manual/wps.html to learn how to load it ;)
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Q41: Does Rockbox support other languages? How do I load/use different
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languages?
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A41: See: http://rockbox.haxx.se/lang
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Q42: Does Rockbox support other fonts/character sets?
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A42: Recorders do, Players don't.
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Q43: How do I use the loadable fonts?
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A43: If you own a Recorder see: http://rockbox.haxx.se/fonts/ Players
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cannot make use of loadable fonts.
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Q44: Why can't I use loadable fonts on the Player?
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A44: This is because the Player font is character cell based (as opposed to
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the Recorder's bitmap based display). This
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means that we are able to choose what characters to display, but not how
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to display them. We do have the ability to change/create up to 4 chars
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on one model and 8 on another, however we are currently using several of
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these 'letters' to store icons for the player.
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Q45: Why don't you have any games available for the Players?
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A45: The display on the Players is character cell and not bitmap based.
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This means we can only control what characters get displayed, not
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what pixels are shown. This makes the prospect of game play very
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slim (at least for anything involving graphics, so if you have text
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based games that only use 2 lines send them on in!).
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Q46: I keep shutting off my player in my pocket. Can the OFF (Recorder) or
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STOP (Player) key be locked?
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A46: No. Unfortunately, the ON/OFF mechanisms are handled entirely in
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hardware. The firmware can read the keys, but can't prevent them from
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shutting off the player.
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Q47: Where's the recording option? Why can't I record?!!
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A47: I'd like to say we hid it because we don't like you, but you seem to be
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a good person so here's the truth. It's just not implemented in release
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versions of Rockbox yet. But stress not, you can still use Rolo to boot
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the default Archos firmware and record from there. (In order to do this
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you _must_ have a copy of the original firmware still on your player)
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Daily builds and bleeding edge versions have initial support for
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Recording. If you're brave and want to help out, get one, try out and
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report your findings!
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Q48: When recording is finally implemented in Rockbox, will it be possible to
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use custom codecs (like LAME) or is there a built in codec in the Archos?
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A48: The MP3 encoder is in the MAS3587F chip, and nothing we can change.
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Q49: What are the max/min bitrates for recording on the Recorder's encoder?
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A49: The builtin encoder is variable bit rate only with a max of 192kbit/s,
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and a min of 32kbit/s.
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Q50: Would it be possible to record from line in on the player?
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A50: No.
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Q51: I have a question about the id3v1 and id3v2 tags...
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A51: Stop! Here is all the information about that (if you still have
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questions when done, ask then.)
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- Rockbox supports both id3v1 and id3v2
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- The id3v2 support is limited to the first 300 bytes of the file. Some
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ripper programs tend to add very big tags first and then the important
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ones Rockbox wants to read end up beyond the first 300 bytes and then
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they remain unknown.
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- If you believe that the tags you don't see *are* within 300 bytes, then
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please make the mp3 file available for one of the developers to try out.
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- The 300-byte limit is subject to be removed in a future version
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(Actually, it is already removed in post-1.4 versions)
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Q52: Where exactly did the name 'Rockbox' come from?
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A52: Well you can follow the full line of emails at
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http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0062.shtml
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However, the brief rundown is that it was recommended first by
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Tome Cvitan, and put to a vote (which it lost).
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Funny thing about democracies. This isn't one ;) Our beloved project
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leader vetoed the winning name and chose Rockbox instead.
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http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-01/0134.shtml
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There you have it. Recommended by users, decision by dictator.
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Q53: Why is there a limit of 400 files in a directory?
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A53: We have answered this question numerous times. It is mentioned in the
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release notes, and in the mailing list archives
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(http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/archive/rockbox-archive-2002-08/0448.shtml).
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But, hey, we wouldn't want people to have to work to get an answer.
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(If you are reading this, feel proud, for you are the exception).
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We settled on 400 files in a directory because file listings take up
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memory on the unit, and we felt that 400 is significantly large enough
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for a majority of the populace. We prefer the option of limiting
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file limits in order to provide a greater amount of memory for buffering
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of files being played.
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Q54: Okay, I understand your 400 file limit. But why hardcode? Why not
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have this be dynamically allocated?
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A54: Because it's useless. Dynamic memory is only ever useful if you have
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memory consumers (tasks) that run at different points in time, and thus
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can reuse the same memory for different purposes.
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We don't have that. We must be able to show a big dir, index a big
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playlist and play a big mp3 file, all at the same time. They cannot use
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the same memory, and thus dynamic memory buys us nothing but extra
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complexity. If we used dynamic memory for this, we would get all kinds
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of odd bugs. Playlists that only got half-loaded if placed in certain
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directories. Parts of the disk you couldn't go to if playing a certain
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playlist etc.
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We have a number of tasks that consume memory. They can all run at the
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same time, using all of their allotted memory. Therefore it is much better
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to allocate that memory to them beforehand and not pretend that anyone
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else is able to use it. This is standard practice in memory-limited
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systems.
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Q55: Why is there a 10,000 song limit on playlists?
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A55: This is another hardcoded limit. We feel that as bigger disks arrive
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that this limit will increase. Because of the way that playlists are
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stored, it tends to be a bit more malleable than the directory file limit.
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For further detail, look at questions 53 and 54 and replace any instances
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of '400' with '10,000'.
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Q56: You don't understand! I _really_ need to have more then 400 files
|
|
in a directory!
|
|
A56: The use of really big directories was a workaround for the poor playlist
|
|
capabilities of the original Archos firmware. With Rockbox, you no longer
|
|
need this workaround. Organize your files in directories, then build
|
|
playlists for all collections you want to shuffle-play.
|
|
|
|
Q57: How can I make playlists on my PC?
|
|
A57: There are many programs that can create .m3u playlists. WinAmp is one.
|
|
Another simple method, that requires no extra software, is to use dir:
|
|
|
|
dir /b /s X:\ > X:\allfiles.m3u
|
|
dir /b /s X:\Pop > X:\pop.m3u
|
|
|
|
...where X: is your Archos drive.
|
|
|
|
Linux users can use the 'find' command:
|
|
|
|
cd /mnt/archos
|
|
find . -name "*.mp3" > all.m3u
|
|
|
|
Remember that playlists are simple text files. You can edit them with any
|
|
normal text editor.
|
|
|
|
Q58: How does the shuffle work?
|
|
A58: It sees the playlist as a deck of cards, shuffling the entries using a
|
|
pseudo-random generator called the Mersenne Twister. After shuffling,
|
|
the list is never changed again until you re-shuffle the list, by
|
|
stopping the playback and restarting. If the repeat mode is enabled,
|
|
the list will simply start over from the first file again, without
|
|
re-shuffling.
|
|
The random seed is stored in the persistent setting area, so that the
|
|
resume feature can shuffle the playlist in exactly the same way when
|
|
resuming.
|
|
|
|
Q59: How can I find out about all the neat features that Rockbox has?
|
|
A59: This information is in our manual (It sometimes gets a bit out of
|
|
date, so please bear with us.) The information you are most likely
|
|
looking for is a bit down the tree, so the here is the url:
|
|
http://rockbox.haxx.se/manual/rec-general.html
|
|
|
|
Also, check out the features-list at:
|
|
http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/features.html
|
|
|
|
Q60: How can I see what bugs are currently open/being worked on?
|
|
A60: Check out http://rockbox.haxx.se/bugs.shtml for a listing of bugs
|
|
that have been reported.
|
|
|
|
Q61: How can I report about bugs in Rockbox?
|
|
A61: If we were better programmers we would take that as an insult. But we
|
|
aren't, so we won't. The first step in reporting a bug is to review
|
|
the rules we ask you to follow in your submission (listed at:
|
|
http://rockbox.haxx.se/bugs.shtml#rules).
|
|
|
|
Please note that we ask reports of bugs in CVS/daily builds to be sent
|
|
to the mailing list, and bugs in released versions of Rockbox to be
|
|
submitted through SourceForge's bug tracker. (A link to the bug tracker
|
|
can be found under our bug submission rules.)
|
|
|
|
Q62: What's with all the different versions of Rockbox?
|
|
A62: There are really only two versions of Rockbox. One for Players and one
|
|
for Recorders. However, we do have 3 other 'versions' of Rockbox
|
|
available for download. These would be Releases, Daily Builds, and
|
|
Bleeding Edge.
|
|
|
|
The Release version (currently 1.4) has a fixed feature set. This means
|
|
that we are confident that few, if any, significant bugs still reside
|
|
within the code/features of that 'version'. This is the version for the
|
|
common user.
|
|
|
|
The Daily Builds (see: http://rockbox.haxx.se/daily.shtml#target_builds)
|
|
are automated daily builds of the CVS code. As such they contain all
|
|
the new features (and bugs ;) ) that have been introduced after the
|
|
last official release, and upto and including that morning.
|
|
|
|
The Bleeding Edge 'versions' are automated builds that are updated
|
|
every 20 minutes or so. This are as feature full and bug ridden as you
|
|
can possibly get if you are not a developer, or are not pulling directly
|
|
from the CVS tree.
|
|
|
|
Please Note: Daily and Bleeding Edge builds are expected to be buggy.
|
|
We ask that you _do not_ submit bug reports for Bleeding Edge versions,
|
|
but would love to hear any reports you may have about Release or Daily
|
|
build versions. (see "How can I report about bugs in Rockbox?")
|
|
|
|
Q63: I am in Windows and can't create a .rockbox directory to store my
|
|
files. When are you going to fix this?
|
|
A63: We won't. The limitations of your operating system is not reason
|
|
enough for us to change how we handle things. And you _can_ create
|
|
this directory. Open a command line and type:
|
|
mkdir j:\.rockbox
|
|
You will need to correct the location for the drive letter that Windows
|
|
assigns to your drive.
|
|
|
|
Q64: I own a Mac. I can't seem to create the .rockbox file. Can you
|
|
fix this?
|
|
A64: Truth is, we don't need to fix anything. If you are using OSX then you
|
|
can just open a console, change directories to the device and just:
|
|
mkdir .rockbox
|
|
|
|
If you are in another version then you should be able to do command-N in
|
|
the Finder, then name the folder.
|
|
|
|
Q65: Will Rockbox work on any of Archos' other units?
|
|
A65: Some development has recently occurred on the Archos FM units, and is
|
|
in the daily builds. However the FM development is not being done by
|
|
the core team, and so is progressing at a slower rate. As yet,
|
|
no development is planned for any of Archos' other units.
|
|
|
|
Q66: I copied the rockbox MOD/AJZ file to the root, removed the jukebox
|
|
safely and rebooted. But Rockbox still didn't load. What is wrong?
|
|
I am running Windows.
|
|
A66: The old MOD/AJZ was not entirely deleted from the disk. It is still
|
|
there, and the boot loader finds that one instead of the new file. Here's
|
|
what you can do:
|
|
|
|
- Download and install Directory Snoop (version 4.03 in November 2002)
|
|
from http://www.briggsoft.com/dsnoop.htm
|
|
It's shareware, the trial version can be used 25 times.
|
|
|
|
Directory Snoop can display true drive contents by bypassing the
|
|
operating system and reading the raw drive sectors directly.
|
|
|
|
- Plug the Jukebox in the PC as usual and power on
|
|
|
|
- Launch Directory snoop
|
|
|
|
- Click on the Jukebox drive letter in the [select drive] field in the
|
|
toolbar. The content of the jukebox hard drive appears in the main
|
|
window. Files which appear in red color don't seem to be present on the
|
|
hard drive, but they still here.
|
|
|
|
- Simply select the appropriate files (red color) and purge them
|
|
(Purge button). Of course, don't erase the new archos.mod file and the
|
|
.rockbox directory :)
|
|
|
|
- Safely remove (Windows unmount device function) the Jukebox.
|
|
Power it up and ...voila... Rockbox is there!
|
|
|
|
(Thanks to Olivier Rafidison for this info)
|
|
|
|
Q67: What kind of mic can I connect to my AJBR?
|
|
A67: There are several types of microphones.
|
|
|
|
Dynamic: The one that's available from Archos is a dynamic one.
|
|
Their output level is high enough so that they don't need an
|
|
amplifier (that's the reason why the Archos mic is of this type -
|
|
it's cheap).
|
|
- cheap
|
|
- no good sound quality of cheap dynamic mics (good enough for
|
|
speech)
|
|
- no amplifier needed
|
|
|
|
Backplate Condenser: These are the professional mics. They need phantom
|
|
power (48V) for charging the condenser.
|
|
They also need an amplifier, because their output level is low.
|
|
- good sound quality
|
|
- need phantom power (48V)
|
|
- need amplifier
|
|
- expensive
|
|
|
|
Electret Condenser: These capsules are cheap and result in a good
|
|
recording quality. They don't need phantom power voltage. They need power
|
|
for the FET (field effect transistor) that's inside. If you have such a
|
|
mic with a battery in it, it is mostly because of the FET power, not
|
|
because of an amplification circuit inside the mic. These mics are in
|
|
all the consumer products like mobile phones, PC headsets and so on.
|
|
- cheap (2 EUR for a capsule)
|
|
- good sound quality
|
|
- need amplifier
|
|
- need power for the FET (1,5 - 15V)
|
|
|
|
Recommendation for do-it-yourselfers: Use electret condenser mic capsules,
|
|
solder an amplifier for them which both amplifies the output level
|
|
and feeds the power needed for the FET to the capsule.
|
|
The one on http://www.geocities.com/ferocious_1999/md/micpreamp2.html
|
|
was soldered and tested by Uwe Freese, and it works.
|
|
There are some others available from www.elv.de and other sellers.
|
|
|
|
Recommendation for others: Buy some mic + preamp combination which can be
|
|
plugged into a line in of any amplifier. Maybe such a commercially
|
|
available combination needs a power supply and doesn't work with
|
|
batteries. Some are very expensive. (If you know a cheap solution with an
|
|
electret condenser mic + preamp, please tell us!)
|
|
|
|
What does not work: Don't use an amplifier thing that is simply connected
|
|
between some mic cable. Maybe it sounds as if it could work, but I
|
|
doesn't. If the piece of (expensive) electronic doesn't have a power
|
|
source and your mic doesn't either, it does not work! A PC sound card or
|
|
md player usually has a power output (same pin where the sound goes
|
|
through, dc value) for feeding the FET of an electret condenser capsule
|
|
(see above) (and this power could also used to feed a mic amplifier), but
|
|
the Archos hasn't (it's a line in and no mic in!).
|
|
|
|
If you want to know more on microphone powering, read this:
|
|
http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/microphone_powering.html.
|
|
(As described, you also need amplification.)
|
|
|
|
Q68: I can't start rockbox when the charger is connected. What am I doing
|
|
wrong?
|
|
A68: If your device is off and you connect the charger, the Archos charger code
|
|
is started immediately. You can then start Rockbox with holding down the
|
|
ON key for several seconds. Hold the key down a really long time, until
|
|
you see the Rockbox logo!
|
|
|
|
Q69: Why can't you implement a cross-fader? That would be so cool!
|
|
A69: Please read our NODO faq. http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/nodo.html#3
|
|
|
|
Q70: My screen is all black/white when I run Rockbox on my Recorder!
|
|
A70: We have no way of knowing the correct contrast setting from start and the
|
|
displays differ a lot. Change your contrast setting by doing this:
|
|
|
|
F1, down, right, down, down, right, down, down, down, right, down (until
|
|
you like the contrast)
|
|
|
|
Q71: Where are the FM controls for the FM Recorder?
|
|
A71: There aren't any. This is not yet implemented under Rockbox. FM Recorder
|
|
support in general is new. Be patient.
|