manual/appendix/appendix.tex

   1 % $Id$ %
   2 \appendix
   3
   4 \input{appendix/file_formats.tex}
   5
   6 \input{appendix/wps_tags.tex}
   7
   8 \input{appendix/config_file_options.tex}
   9
  10 \input{appendix/menu_structure.tex}
  11
  12 \chapter{User feedback}\label{sec:feedback}
  13 \section{Bug reports}
  14 If you experience inappropriate performance from any supported feature,
  15 please file a bug report on our web page. Do not report missing
  16 features as bugs, instead file them as feature ideas (see below).
  17
  18 For open bug reports refer to
  19 \url{http://www.rockbox.org/tracker/index.php?type=2}
  20
  21 \subsection{Rules for submitting new bug reports}
  22
  23 \begin{enumerate}
  24 \item  Check that the bug has not already been reported
  25 \item  Always include the following information in your bug report:
  26
  27 \begin{itemize}
  28 \item  Which exact \dap{} you have.
  29 \item  Which exact Rockbox version you are using
  30 (Menu $\rightarrow$ System $\rightarrow$ Rockbox Info $\rightarrow$ Version)
  31 \item  A step{}-by{}-step description of what you did and what happened
  32 \item  Whether the problem is repeatable or a one{}-time occurrence
  33 \item  All relevant data regarding the problem, such as playlists, MP3
  34 files etc. (IMPORTANT!)
  35 \end{itemize}
  36 \end{enumerate}
  37
  38 \section{Feature ideas}
  39 To suggest an idea for a feature or to read those made by others, see
  40 \url{http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?board=49.0}.  Please keep in
  41 mind that this forum is for the discussion of feature ideas - they are not
  42  requests and there is no guarantee they will be acted upon.
  43
  44 \subsection{Rules for submitting a new feature idea}
  45
  46 \begin{enumerate}
  47 \item Check that the feature has not already been suggested.
  48   Duplicates are really boring!
  49 \item Check that the feature has not already been implemented.
  50   Download the latest current/daily build and/or search the mail list archive.
  51 \item Check that the feature is possible to implement (see \reference{ref:NODO}).
  52 \end{enumerate}
  53
  54 \subsection{\label{ref:NODO}Features we will not implement}
  55 This is a list of Feature Requests we get repeatedly that we simply
  56 cannot do. View it as the opposite of a TODO!
  57
  58 \begin{itemize}
  59 \opt{archos}{
  60 \item Record to WAV (uncompressed) or MP3pro format.\\
  61 The recording hardware (the MAS) does not allow us to do this
  62 \item Crossfade between tracks.\\
  63   Crossfading would require two mp3 decoders, and we only have one.
  64   This is not possible.
  65 \item Support MP3pro, WMA or other sound format playback.\\
  66   The mp3{}-decoding hardware can only play MP3. We cannot make it play other
  67   sound formats.
  68 \item  Converting OGG $\rightarrow$ MP3.\\
  69   The mp3{}-decoding hardware cannot decode OGG. It can be reprogrammed, but
  70   there is too little memory for OGG and we have no documentation on how to
  71   program the MAS' DSP. Doing the conversion with the CPU is impossible, since
  72   a 12~MHz SH1 is far too slow for this daunting task.
  73 \item Archos Multimedia support.\\
  74   The Archos Multimedia is a completely different beast. It is an entirely
  75   different architecture, different CPU and upgrading the software is done
  76   a completely different way. We do not wish to venture into this.  Others
  77   may do so. We will not.
  78 \item Multi{}-band (or graphic) equaliser.\\
  79   We cannot access information for that kind of visualisation from the MP3
  80   decoding hardware.
  81 \item CBR recording.\\
  82   The MP3 encoding hardware does not allow this.
  83 \item Change tempo of a song without changing pitch.\\
  84   The MP3 decoding hardware does not allow this.
  85 \item Graphic frequency (spectrum analyser).\\
  86   We cannot access the audio waveform from the MP3 decoder so we cannot analyse
  87   it. Even if we had access to it, the CPU would probably be too slow to
  88   perform the analysis anyway.
  89 \item Cool sound effects.\\
  90   Adding new sound effects requires reprogramming the MAS chip, and we cannot
  91   do that. The MAS chip is programmable, but we have no access to the chip
  92   documentation.
  93 }
  94 \nopt{h300,x5}{
  95 \item Interfacing with other USB devices (like cameras) or 2 player games over USB.\\
  96   The USB system demands that there is a master that talks to a slave. The
  97   \dap{} can only serve as a slave, as most other USB devices such as
  98   cameras can. Thus, without a master no communication between the slaves
  99   can take place. If that is not enough, we have no way of actually
 100   controlling the communication performed over USB since the USB circuit
 101   in the \dap{} is strictly made for disk{}-access and does not allow us
 102   to play with it the way we'd need for any good communication to work.
 103 }
 104 \item Support other file systems than FAT32 (like NTFS or ext2 etc.).\\
 105   No.
 106   \opt{archos}{Rockbox needs to support FAT32 since it can only start off a FAT32
 107   partition (since that is the only way the ROM can load it), and adding}%
 108   support for more file systems will just take away valuable ram for
 109   unnecessary features. You can partition your \dap{} fine, just make sure
 110   the first one is FAT32 and then make the other ones whatever file system
 111   you want. Just do not expect Rockbox to understand them.
 112 \item Add scandisk{}-like features.\\
 113   It would be a very slow operation that would drain the batteries and
 114   take a lot of useful ram for something that is much better and faster
 115   done when connected to a host computer.
 116 \item Alphabetical list skipping.\\
 117   Skipping around the lists by jumping letters (i.e skip all C's and go
 118   straight to the first D). This isn't feasible with the current list
 119   implementation, if you really want this you can get similar effects using
 120   the database (see \reference{ref:database}).
 121 \item Add support for non standard tag formats.\\
 122 APE tags in MP3 files has been rejected a few times already. Its not something we want.
 123 \item Implementing the ability to playback DRM files.\\
 124   Firstly, this would be extremely difficult to implement legally - Rockbox
 125   is not legal entity as such, and therefore is unable to enter into license
 126   agreements with providers of DRM technology.
 127   Secondly, Rockbox is open source, which would mean that any DRM technology we
 128   incorporated into our codebase would suddenly become visible to the whole world,
 129   completely defeating its purpose. Remember, DRM achieves part of it's security
 130   through obscurity, and publishing the keys necessary to decrypt DRM'd
 131   media would essentially render it useless.
 132 \end{itemize}
 133
 134 \chapter{Credits}
 135 People that have contributed to the project, one way or another. Friends!
 136 %
 137 \begin{multicols}{2}
 138 \noindent\caps{\small{\input{CREDITS.tex}}}
 139 \end{multicols}
 140
 141 \chapter{Licenses}
 142
 143 \section{GNU Free Documentation License}
 144 \input{appendix/fdl.tex}
 145 \newpage
 146 \section{The GNU General Public License}
 147 \input{appendix/gpl-2.0.tex}