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Simple Route To Linux On The iPod

Posted by Zonk on from the penguin-in-your-pocket dept.

didde writes "MacWorld.com is showing users of the iPod a way to install and run Linux on their favorite portable music player. From the article: 'Imagine using your iPod and a regular old microphone to record studio-quality audio. Or sitting on a commuter train and playing Othello, Pong, Tetris, or Asteroids. All this and more is possible when you install Linux on your third-generation or earlier iPod. Best of all, one soft reset, and you're back in Apple's iPod operating system, listening to your tunes.' Sounds good to me. Now if I could just find my firewire connector..."

8 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. Cool Possibilites by Drakonian · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I didn't realize Linx on the iPod was this far along/this easy to install.

    I'd love to be able to add On-The-Go support to my 1G iPod. Does anyone know if anyone has implemented that feature? I'd probably be interested enough to work on it myself if not.

    I gues the question is moot until the audio playback support is up to snuff/can handle real-time without skipping. That and play AACs from iTMS. (Could FairKeys be used?)

    --
    Random is the New Order.
  2. Re:Additional uses by enjoilax · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Its definetely a cool thing to have, but you are right the UI still feels... Handicapped, as of a lack of a better word. This gives me hope though as the Linux community is unleashing the iPod's potential and opening doors for us commercial programmers.

  3. Re:Open and Shut, Perhaps... by neverkevin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Then Apple would essentially have to maintain 2 operating systems on the iPod when Apple could just as easily add the same features to the current iPod OS.

    Besides, open source isn't going to help Apple over take Microsoft. Innovation, ease of use, and value will be a lot more effective.

  4. Studio quality my ass by Rufus211 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm sorry, but stating that you can record studio quality sound using an ipod is just inane. I mean it won't be terrible, but it'll be the same quality as any of the other small handheld recorders. I'm sure even a Soundblaster would do better at recording than an iPod.

  5. Re:Additional uses by Shazow · · Score: 4, Insightful
    the UI still feels... Handicapped

    Ah, the story of linux. :-)

    - shazow
  6. iPedantic by Eil · · Score: 2, Insightful



    You are not ever going to record studio-quality audio with a "regular old microphone" and an iPod.

    </PEDANTIC>

  7. Imagine? by Transcendent · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Imagine using your iPod and a regular old microphone to record studio-quality audio.

    Hmm... don't think so.

    Perhaps the writer doesn't understand much about analog signals. I like the overall idea of the article, but that "little" exaggeration kind of deters me...

  8. Sounds good ... by Heisenbug · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If I want to play tetris, pong, etc, I'll use my PDA ...

    Sweet, so if *I* want to play tetris, pong, etc, I can use your PDA too? ...

    No?

    Oh, maybe saying that a free software install is worthless because you have hundreds of dollars of hardware that can do the job better isn't really that insightful, after all.