Re: [tlug] Need purchasing advice for a linux compatible desktop

[Botond Botyanszki <tlug@example.com>]

On Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:49:21 +0200
Godwin Stewart <godwin.stewart@example.com> wrote:

> > 5. Be able to use an iPod with it
> 
> That'll be more tricky. A cursory google around showed links to a project
> that enables a port of Linux to run on the iPod, but I didn't see anything
> that enables a Linux machine to communicate with a standard iPod. I think
> you're going to be out of luck there. Regardless of the PC you choose. This
> is an O/S issue, not hardware.

Note that he said "be able to use an iPod with it" not "run linux on the
iPod.
The ipod has at least an USB 2.0 interface. It shows up as an usb storage
device if you plug the thing in. Don't know about the new ones (heard
something that apple has removed firewire from these), but the old models
have a firewire port also. That works fine too as long as your firewire
controller in the PC is supported by linux (there is a higher chance that
it's not than the usb controllers).
There are a bunch of howtos on the web about iPod and linux. Gtkpod is
the software for moving your music once the connection works.

> No problem - except that you might have to make sure the boot disk is a
> PATA drive rather than SATA. I'm not sure how good kernel SATA support is
> these days since I don't have any SATA drives.
Once you compile sata support (or use initrd) into the kernel it should
work (as long as the chipset is supported). This is bleeding edge stuff,
so a recent kernel is definitely required. The only issue I found is that
smartd doesn't work with libata ATM. But the performance benefit is worth
it.

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