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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..."

30 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. Running a webserver by moz25 · · Score: 4, Funny

    More importantly, we need to run a web server on it. No linux installation is complete without apache and PHP on it. Now if another ipod has a browser on it, then my ipod can serve webpages to your ipod.

    --
    see a Text Widget
    1. Re:Running a webserver by Leroy_Brown242 · · Score: 5, Funny

      How many web servers do I need?

      I already have netBSD running a web server on my toaster!

      --
      Pretty Pictures!
  2. yes, but does it play OGG? by sTalking_Goat · · Score: 2, Informative

    well? does it?

    --

    My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle...

    1. Re:yes, but does it play OGG? by natbudin · · Score: 5, Informative

      AFAIK, the processor in iPod generations 1-3 isn't fast enough to decode Ogg Vorbis in realtime. However, that changed with the 4G, so once that generation is officially supported in iPodLinux, you should be able to play Ogg Vorbis on an iPod (albeit only some iPods).

  3. 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.
  4. Re:Open and Shut, Perhaps... by aliasptr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Linux on iPod project has been around for awhile and in a usable state too. I guess it's just news because MacWorld is giving it press time. Which is awesome in a way because it'll introduce more people to it and hopefully encourage further development. The MP3 player skips a lot but and isn't really usable but it's very very cool. There's a video of a much older release running on my iPod on my website if anyone's interested. More power to Linux on the iPod. Especially cool because from my understanding the iPod has no MMU. Anyway... corrections are welcome!

    --
    It takes all types in this world. I sincerely mean it... This is just my perspective.
  5. Additional uses by damiam · · Score: 5, Informative
    Just recently, there's been development on a video player, several more games (including DopeWars), and a few breakthroughs in support for the 4G iPods (including the Photo and mini). The 4G iPods are now capable of decoding Ogg Vorbis faster than realtime (this should be theoretically possible on older iPods, but would require a lot of decoder optimizations).

    Note, however, that the current interface isn't nearly as slick as Apple's, and that audio playback and recording is still a bit glitchy. So you probably don't want to use Linux if all you do with your iPod is play music.

    --
    It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
    1. 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.

    2. Re:Additional uses by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 2, Interesting


      Guys, if you want a pocket hard-drive music player that does recording, has video playback, plays games, and has an inferior user experience to the iPod, just get an Archos Gmini 400 instead...

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

      Ah, the story of linux. :-)

      - shazow
  6. Don't Overlook Rockbox! by meehawl · · Score: 3, Informative

    Rockbox is a couple of years further along than ipodlinux, and the iRiver port from the Archos is proceeding nicely. I think the two projects have a friendly rivalry.

    --

    Da Blog
  7. 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.

  8. cluster? by BobVila · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Is there some way to cluster a several of these linux ipods together? That seems like the next logical step to me. Either that or running a web server on one.

  9. Re:Linux drivers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Well, not exactly. The Ipod uses uclinux, which is a version of the kernel for processors without an MMU (Memory Management Unit). So the question is whether your driver is in this fork of linux.

    HTH,

    Stephane

  10. Re:Open and Shut, Perhaps... by leoxx · · Score: 4, Informative
    Mac's salvation lies with Open Source


    Interesting since Apple has partnered with Microsoft to specifically undermine the open source community in Europe.

    However, companies such as Microsoft and Apple Computer argue that they need broader patent protection to prevent open source companies, which give away their software and make money through service, from effectively expropriating their development costs.
  11. 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.

  12. Too pricey. by Kaenneth · · Score: 4, Funny

    A iPod is expensive enough, without having to pay another $699 to SCO.

  13. Not quite true by josh42 · · Score: 4, Informative

    4G and later iPods have been, in development, running at 110% realtime with the Tremor OGG player. So yes, recent iPods can play OGG. However, these iPods aren't officially supported yet.

  14. 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>

    1. Re:iPedantic by slavemowgli · · Score: 3, Funny

      Depends on the studio. ;)

      --
      quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur.
  15. Re:Why switch back to iPod OS? by JeffTL · · Score: 2, Informative

    Probably because many people do not use their iPods as MP3 players, but as MPEG-4 (usually with AAC or Apple Lossless) players.

  16. Re:why... by engine+matrix · · Score: 2, Funny

    You're new here right?

  17. Re:Mac Download by casings · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://sourceforge.net/projects/ipodlinuxinst

    This is the link to the windows installer

  18. Re:Open and Shut, Perhaps... by hunterx11 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Considering that podcasts are being added to the iTMS in the near future (Jobs announced at WWDC), no doubt the next iPod software update will add a podcast section.

    --
    English is easier said than done.
  19. Application Server by nurb432 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What would be cool is if you could run Xclients ( or i suppose cli stuff too ) on the ipod and use a 'local' pc to X11/Telnet to it..

    Take all your apps AND data with you as you travel...

    Yes, i know a laptop would do the same, but no where near the same formfactor...

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  20. Oh yeah?!? by PorkChopExxpress · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well I'm running Windows on my iPod Shuffle. Haven't blue-screened once.

  21. 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...

  22. Regular mics? What about binaural? by tsarin · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The notion that I could record 24/96 audio on my 'pod with a "regular mic" is ludicrous. I have a pair of Core Sound binaural microphones, however. Provided I had the disk space, am I wrong in thinking that might make a sweet kit for bootlegging concerts?

    (Yes, yes, bootlegging's naughty, blah, blah, blah.)

    I've been able to get reliably decent boots on my ancient (as in, bought in '98) Sharp MiniDisc, even considering how lossy ATRAC is. By clipping the mics to the ends of the bows of my glasses -- i.e., an inch away from my ear canals -- I get a recording that's damned near exactly what I heard live. Using my iPod instead would be ideal. AFAICT, the recording wouldn't be compressed, the bit- and sample-rates are vastly higher, I'd be able to extract it digitally by mounting the device as a disk and venue security probably wouldn't look twice at an iPod.

    I think I know what I'm doing this weekend.

  23. 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.

  24. Re:Open and Shut, Perhaps... by golgotha007 · · Score: 3, Informative

    You could easily make all your playlists "smart playlists", and therefore tell all of your regular music playlists to not include Audiobook files, and tell your audiobook playlists to not include music files.
    You can do the separation by using an id3tag editor and tag all your audiobook files to Vocal or something similar.

    Smart playlists is a very powerful tool. Take advantage of it.