manual/appendix/appendix.tex

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