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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..."

12 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. 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.
  3. 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 Shazow · · Score: 4, Insightful
      the UI still feels... Handicapped

      Ah, the story of linux. :-)

      - shazow
  4. 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).

  5. 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.
  6. 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.

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

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

  8. 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.

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

    http://sourceforge.net/projects/ipodlinuxinst

    This is the link to the windows installer

  10. 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.