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Rockbox Replaces Archos Firmware
bagder writes: "The guys in the Rockbox project have just released the first working firmware replacement for the Archos portable hard disk-based MP3-players. The software is all GPL. Every tiny bit was reverse engineered, disassembled and then re-written from scratch. You can go download your own firmware right now!"
Is that legal? I mean, I'd just hate to see something like that challenged under the DMCA in all its ridiculousness. Any thoughts or ideas?
From the FAQ (also on the main page):
Ok, forget about reality, what could we do with this?
In a real emergency, we would have all fled in terror, and you would not have been notified.
Slow down there big boy! Not a single one of those has actually been implemented! Calling this thing v1.0 is really misleading. These guys are like Microsoft, yeah, they got 1.0 out the door, call me when they get 3.11 for Workgroups, k?
They complain about the shuffle. Dandy, everyone knows that no matter how good an Archos product is, the shuffle is fucking ridiculous. Archos wouldn't know what random is if random bit them in the bloody ass. But Rockbox doesn't even have a shuffle feature yet! And if they do, it's not mentioned in the release notes or available via the menu.
I'm sure these guys will do something great with this project, but call me when they add even one of the features on that list.
[o]_O
It is indeed true that Rockbox 1.0 lacks most of the feature every sane user wants. No one said it is more feature-complete or better in any way than the original firmware at this early point.
Still, this is a proof that our effort is going in the right direction, that it works and it helps getting attention and more developers onto the project. We meant the 1.0 release to be this.
Adding the missing features is now only a matter of time. If you join up, we'll have them available even faster.
I understand your frustration with how austere the features are now. Consider what they are trying to do, however. Their idea of 1.0 is to make it work, bug free, and at least play some mp3s. That in itself is a huge accomplishment. Sure 2.0 will be the version that everyone loves. 3.0 will have everything but the kitchen sink (and perhaps vorbis). I think we should commend what an accomplishment its been just to get this far. They just baked a cake, and now its time to frost/decorate it. They just cooked roast beef, now pour on the gravy. Pick your analogy, or suggest your own.
We can play any format if only we can write code for the DSP to decode it. The MAS 3507 (and 3587) are generic DSPs that simply have MP3 codecs in ROM. We can download new codecs in them and I'm the first to hooray if we can get OGG or FLAC or anything into these DSPs.
Unfortunately, we have no docs or tools for writing new MAS DSP code and Intermetall is very secretive about it. If anyone can help, please get in touch!
The 12 MHz SH7034 CPU is unfortunately much too slow to handle decoding in software.
You know, I'm really tired of people telling me 'The iPod already does that'.
It probably does. I don't know. But when I bought my Archos, there *was* no iPod. Further, while the Archos plays MP3s, it's also a general use portable disk drive. Add to that the fact that I can upgrade the internal drive to whatever the current laptop drive technology will hold and I've got a unit equal to the iPod. At least.
I only miss two things on my Archos: resume from a playlist and whole device shuffle mode.
Maybe the iPod is better. I really don't care. I own the Archos and while I'd like those two features, I'm not going to buy a new device for them.
So, the big deal is this: An open source OS has been created for a relatively inexpensive hard disk based MP3 player.
While that OS may not, as yet, be fully functional, given the history of like projects, I believe that this OS has the potential to be the *best* MP3 player on the market. If you aren't interested, that's fine. If you love your iPod, that's fine. But the Archos, at about $160 for a five gig player, is still an impressive product, and with a great OS, it'd be even better.
Sean.
What does the Archos Jukebox do that the iPod doesn't, besides being large?
1) It has a digital output for my home theatre system.
2) It records in real time. Recording from either a) its internal mic, b) analogue line-in/external mic, or c) digital input.
3) It offers many times the storage, and is upgradable. (Mine is 30gig, others have more). 10 gig is simply insufficient for many people's purposes.
4) It costs less.
5) It works in the field - you can take it camping, etc, because you can carry spare batteries for it if you're not going to have access to a powersource to recharge it.
6) Mac AND PC support.
It's as ugly as the ipod though (but I'm going to case-mod mine and fix that).
That said, I wouldn't be surprised if, in a year or two when the ipod (or its descendants) gets decent capacity and more features, that I'll buy one. The ipod is good, it's just not suited to me. Not yet, anyway.