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1 | Q1. What is a FAQ? | ||
2 | A1. A rare small animal of the species 'Textius Electronicus'. It is known for | ||
3 | its helpful attitude and vicious misspellings. | ||
4 | |||
5 | Q2. Okay, fine, what is _this_ FAQ? | ||
6 | A2. This FAQ is for questions (that we have answers too) that have been asked | ||
7 | repeatedly either in emails or on IRC. | ||
8 | |||
9 | Q3. What is Rockbox? What is it's purpose? | ||
10 | A3. The purpose of this project is to write an Open Source replacement | ||
11 | firmware for the Archos Jukebox 6000, Studio 20 and Recorder MP3 players. | ||
12 | |||
13 | Q4. I want to write code for my Archos, how do I proceed? | ||
14 | A4. First make sure to read the file CONTRIBUTING in the firmware directory | ||
15 | on Sourceforge. See http://rockbox.haxx.se/firmware/CONTRIBUTING | ||
16 | if you do not want to have to wade through the CVS directories. | ||
17 | |||
18 | Q5: Whats CVS? | ||
19 | A5: Concurrent Versions System (http://www.cvshome.org). We have a small | ||
20 | help page about how to use this to get, update and commit files on the web | ||
21 | at http://rockbox.haxx.se/cvs.html | ||
22 | |||
23 | Q6. What exactly is the CONTRIBUTING file? | ||
24 | A6. Just like the name implies, it lists conventions that the project follows, | ||
25 | and in turn asks you to follow, for the formating of source code in | ||
26 | general. | ||
27 | |||
28 | Q7. Okay, so I read CONTRIBUTING and although I don't agree with all your | ||
29 | conventions, I am going to be sensible and follow them anyway. Now what? | ||
30 | A7. Start by reading up on the information about the jukeboxes on our web page. | ||
31 | Then go into CVS and look at the code we've written. Then take what you | ||
32 | need and start writing. | ||
33 | |||
34 | Q8. Okay, so how do I submit a patch? | ||
35 | A8. Run: "diff -u oldfile newfile > patchfile" against the file(s) you have | ||
36 | changed. Then mail the output to any member of the development team and | ||
37 | we will take it under consideration. (Please remember that all | ||
38 | submissions are not automatically accepted, this is nothing personal.) | ||
39 | |||
40 | Of if you would like to run the diff against the current cvs code: | ||
41 | cvs diff -ub [file(s)] | ||
42 | |||
43 | Q9. I want to join the development team, but don't have a SourceForge account, | ||
44 | what should I do? | ||
45 | A9. Head on over to http://sourceforge.net/account/register.php and create an | ||
46 | account for yourself. | ||
47 | |||
48 | Q10. Do you have a mailing list? | ||
49 | A10. Sure do! As a matter of fact, we have several of them for specific | ||
50 | things. Please check out: http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail/ | ||
51 | |||
52 | Q11. Great you have a mailing list! Is there anyway for me to catch up on | ||
53 | past posts? | ||
54 | A11. Check out the archives at: http://rockbox.haxx.se/mail.cgi | ||
55 | |||
56 | Q12. How can I meet the developers working on the project? | ||
57 | A12. One way is by visiting us on IRC. Head on over to the server | ||
58 | irc.openprojects.net, and then join "#rockbox". There is usually at | ||
59 | least one person there. If you don't see any activity, feel free to post | ||
60 | questions anyway, serveral of us log the channel and will get you answers | ||
61 | when we unidle. | ||
62 | |||
63 | Q13: Wow, you guys talk on IRC alot? I wish I had been around for those | ||
64 | conversations to see what happened. | ||
65 | A13: We are glad you mentioned that! http://rockbox.haxx.se/irc happens | ||
66 | to have a list of various logs we have recorded of events in the channel. | ||
67 | Feel free to read up, and ask questions on what you find. | ||
68 | |||
69 | Q14. What is this "SourceForge" you keep mentioning? | ||
70 | A14. http://www.sourceforge.net | ||
71 | |||
72 | Q15. Can the changes or the software that Rockbox suggests or offers | ||
73 | possibly damage my Archos Player? | ||
74 | A15. All firmware mods that are presented are still highly experimental. | ||
75 | Try them at your own risk. We offer no guarantee that this software, or | ||
76 | the hardware modifications we show, will not damage your player or void | ||
77 | your warranty. That said, we have not been able to damage any of our | ||
78 | units by modifying only the firmware. You can accidentally password | ||
79 | protect your harddisk, but there are ways around that. (See below.) | ||
80 | |||
81 | Q16. I want to see what the inside of my player looks like, but I would really | ||
82 | like to avoid voiding my warranty. Is there anything you can suggest? | ||
83 | A16. We have a collection of photos of both the player and recorder. Look at | ||
84 | http://rockbox.haxx.se/internals/ | ||
85 | |||
86 | Q17. What exactly are you trying to achieve with this line of development? | ||
87 | (A.K.A. whats your purpose for being here?) | ||
88 | A17. Firstly, we wouldn't start something like this if we didn't simply enjoy | ||
89 | it profusely. This is great fun! | ||
90 | Secondly, we feel the firmware is lacking some features and contain a | ||
91 | number of annoying bugs that we want to fix. | ||
92 | Some ideas would include (in no particular order): | ||
93 | - No pause between songs | ||
94 | - Mid-song resume | ||
95 | - Mid-playlist resume | ||
96 | - No-scan playlists | ||
97 | - Unlimited playlist size | ||
98 | - Autobuild playlists (ie: "all songs in this directory tree") | ||
99 | - Auto-continue play in the next directory | ||
100 | - Current folder and all sub-folder random play | ||
101 | - Full disk random play | ||
102 | - REAL random | ||
103 | - Multi song queue | ||
104 | - Faster scroll speed | ||
105 | - More cool features with the wire remote control (including | ||
106 | controlling your Archos from your car radio (req hw mod)) | ||
107 | - Support playing of other files types (ie: Ogg Vorbis support) | ||
108 | - Support for megabass switch (req hw mod) | ||
109 | - Player control via USB | ||
110 | - Memory expansion? | ||
111 | Note: Just because something is on this list, does not mean that it is | ||
112 | technically feasible. (But hey we can dream) And something not | ||
113 | being on the list does not mean it isn't a neat idea. Bring it to | ||
114 | the list. | ||
115 | |||
116 | Q18. I don't see you mentioning other file types on your list of ideas. What | ||
117 | about supporting those? | ||
118 | A18. Pessimist's Answer: At the current time we belive this is not very likely | ||
119 | The Micronas chip (MAS3507) decoder in the archos does not natively | ||
120 | support decoding and there is very little program space in the player to | ||
121 | implement it ourselves. The alternative would be to write a software | ||
122 | decoder as part of the RockBox firmware. However, as much as we love | ||
123 | our players, the computing power of the Archos (SH1 microcontroller) is | ||
124 | not fully sufficent for this need. | ||
125 | |||
126 | Optimist's Answer: We can play any format if only we can write code for | ||
127 | the DSP to decode it. The MAS 3507 (and 3587) are generic DSPs that | ||
128 | simply have MP3 codecs in ROM. We can download new codecs in them and | ||
129 | we will be the first to celebrate if we can get OGG or FLAC or anything | ||
130 | into these DSPs. Unfortunately, we have no docs or tools for writing new | ||
131 | MAS DSP code and Intermetall is very secretive about it. If anyone can | ||
132 | help, please get in touch! | ||
133 | |||
134 | |||
135 | Q19. What about supporting playing of WMA files? | ||
136 | A19. Dear Mr. Gates, you have two options. Re-read question #17, or go buy | ||
137 | your own project. | ||
138 | |||
139 | Q20. When do you think there will be a version available for my Archos? | ||
140 | A20. We recently released version 1.2, so head on over to | ||
141 | http://rockbox.haxx.se/download.html and pull it down. | ||
142 | Make sure to read the release notes. | ||
143 | (http://rockbox.haxx.se/download/rockbox-1.2-notes.txt). | ||
144 | |||
145 | Q21. What do you plan to add to coming versions? | ||
146 | A21. We have a rough idea of which features we plan/expect/hope to be included | ||
147 | in which versions. Once again, remember that none of this is written in | ||
148 | stone (noticing a pattern yet?) | ||
149 | |||
150 | Version 1.3 | ||
151 | Persistent settings for Player, UI improvements | ||
152 | |||
153 | Version 1.4 | ||
154 | Recording? | ||
155 | |||
156 | Q22. I tried one of your firmware files and now I can't access my harddisk! | ||
157 | When I turn on my jukebox, it says: | ||
158 | Part. Error | ||
159 | Pls Chck HD | ||
160 | A22. Your harddisk has been password protected. We're not 100% sure why it | ||
161 | happens, but you can unlock it yourself. Look at: | ||
162 | http://rockbox.haxx.se/lock.html | ||
163 | |||
164 | Q23: This FAQ doesn't answer the question I have. What should I do? | ||
165 | A23: You have a couple options here. You could forget the question, find an | ||
166 | easier question, or accept '42' as the answer no matter what. We don't | ||
167 | really recommend any of these (though I do opt for '42' often myself). | ||
168 | What we do recommend is stopping by IRC, reading | ||
169 | http://rockbox.haxx.se to see if the question was answered else | ||
170 | where and just not included here, or ultimatly dropping an email to the | ||
171 | mailing list (rockbox@cool.haxx.se) or the FAQ maintainer listed on the | ||
172 | project homepage. | ||
173 | |||
174 | Q24: Are there other ways to contact the developers? | ||
175 | A24: Yes. | ||
176 | |||
177 | Q25: Are you going to tell us what they are? | ||
178 | A25: No. Post to the mailing list and we will get back to you. | ||
179 | |||
180 | Q26: But I _really_ want to talk with you in person. | ||
181 | A26: I'm sorry. My girlfriend/boyfriend/pet says I'm not allowed to, and the | ||
182 | doctors here won't let me have pens or pencils. They say its some rule | ||
183 | about us not having sharp objects. I'm sorry. Now please stop calling me | ||
184 | here. | ||
185 | |||
186 | Q27: Will you ever port Quake II to the Archos? | ||
187 | A27: If you ask that again, I'm sending your address and phone number to the | ||
188 | guy that mailed us with question #23. | ||
189 | |||
190 | Q28: Umm, was that sarcasm? | ||
191 | A28: That's it, I'm mailing him now. | ||
192 | |||
193 | Q29: Is this legal? I mean, I'd just hate to see something like that | ||
194 | challenged under the DMCA in all its ridiculousness. Any thoughts or | ||
195 | ideas? | ||
196 | A29: We believe we are in the green on this. We are not violating anyone's | ||
197 | copyright and we are not circumventing any copy protection scheme. | ||
198 | This has been a big point for the project since its inception. Some | ||
199 | people wanted us to distribute patched versions of the original firmware, | ||
200 | but seeing as that _would_ have violated Archos' copyright, we didn't | ||
201 | follow that course of action. | ||
202 | |||
203 | Q30: On the website [and various information postings] you state | ||
204 | "Every tiny bit was reverse engineered, disassembled and then | ||
205 | re-written from scratch". | ||
206 | If it was rewritten from scratch then why was it first reverse-engineered | ||
207 | and disassembled? Instead this sounds more like someone disassembled it | ||
208 | then used the understanding that they gained to create a new version, | ||
209 | which is not quite the same as "from scratch". | ||
210 | A30: Don't confuse the terms. Reverse engineering means examining a product | ||
211 | to find out how it works. Disassembling the firmware is merely one tool | ||
212 | used in that examination. Oscilloscopes and logic analyzers are other | ||
213 | tools we have used. We have written every single byte of the Rockbox | ||
214 | firmware. But we could not have written the software without first | ||
215 | researching how the hardware was put together, i.e. reverse engineer it. | ||
216 | All of this is completely legal. If you define "from scratch" as writing | ||
217 | software without first researching the surrounding interfaces, then no | ||
218 | software has ever been written from scratch. | ||
219 | |||
220 | Q31: Wait a minute here. When you released version 1.0 you did not have a | ||
221 | single one of the ideas you have mentioned on your website actually | ||
222 | implimented! Calling this version 1.0 is really misleading. Whats the | ||
223 | story?! | ||
224 | A31: In simple terms, the first release was called 1.0 because it had a basic | ||
225 | working feature set that worked and had no known bugs. That is what 1.0 | ||
226 | meant. It is true that Rockbox 1.0 lacked most of the feature set that | ||
227 | every sane user wanted. However, we never said it was more | ||
228 | feature-complete or better in any way then the original firmware that early | ||
229 | in the project. The first release was done as a proof of concept that our | ||
230 | ideas are moving in the right direction. We also hoped that it would help | ||
231 | bring the project some attention, and some additional developers. | ||
232 | Adding the missing features was just a matter of time. In more recently | ||
233 | releases we have completed many of our desired goals, and several new ones | ||
234 | that were implimented to fullfill user requests. | ||
235 | |||
236 | Q32: I've heard talk of a 'Rolo'. What is that? (Or 'All you ever wanted | ||
237 | to know about Rockbox boot loaders') | ||
238 | A32: The developers have discussed the possibility of a boot loader. (Mainly | ||
239 | because having one sounds cool, and isn't Rolo just a great name?) | ||
240 | The idea would be that a user could use the load to choose between | ||
241 | different verions of Rockbox or the Archo firmware itself. We have a | ||
242 | working version of ROLO implimented for the players, and a version in | ||
243 | development for the recorders. However, at this time, the patch for ROLO | ||
244 | is not optimal for use and is not part of the main branch of the CVS. | ||
245 | Once this improves and has been tested sufficently, it will become part of | ||
246 | the main release. Please check the mailing list logs and irc logs for more | ||
247 | information. | ||
248 | |||
249 | Q33: I was thinking about making the USB a bit more usable. What are the | ||
250 | chances of using the USB port to [play games / share files / list | ||
251 | the device as something other then a hard drive / sell my soul to you | ||
252 | for a nickel]. What do you think? | ||
253 | A33: You really don't want to know what I think, it involves road flares, | ||
254 | microwave ovens and shaved cats. Enough said. But regarding the USB | ||
255 | portion of your question, this is not feasible. First, any ideas | ||
256 | regarding special communications over the USB port will not work because | ||
257 | we have no control over the USB port itself. We are capable of | ||
258 | dectecting if it is in use (so we know which mode to switch to) but that | ||
259 | is it. Second, if you would like to have your Archos as a harddrive for | ||
260 | another device, know that this will not work either. The Archos unit is | ||
261 | a slave. Most other USB devices are slaves as well. So without some | ||
262 | master involved there can be no communication. Sorry. Now about your | ||
263 | soul. Would you settle for 3 cents and a small wad of belly button lint? | ||
264 | |||
265 | Q34: When I use RockBox my jukebox's red "error" light turns on a lot, but this | ||
266 | doesn't happen on the factory firmware. Why? | ||
267 | A34: Rockbox uses the red LED as harddisk activity light, not as an error | ||
268 | light. Relax and enjoy the music. | ||
269 | |||
270 | Q35: How do I use the loadable fonts? | ||
271 | A35: Loadable fonts are a work in progress. We do not have full documentation | ||
272 | for it. The best we can do now is tell you that you need a valid .bdf | ||
273 | font, and to use the tool "bdf2ajf" from CVS to conver to the .ajf format. | ||
274 | The final .ajf font must be stored in the archos root as 'system.ajf' | ||
275 | We do expect more documentation on this process shortly. | ||
276 | |||
277 | Q36: I have a question about the batteries... | ||
278 | A36: STOP! We have put togeather a completely different FAQ for battery | ||
279 | related questions. Check out: http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/battery.html | ||
280 | |||