Not-so-advanced user..is rockbox for me?

[bflan2001]

I know that it's officially 'stable', but I just loaded rockbox 3 days ago and have had nothing but problems with it. It seems like one button has a completely different function for every individual menu page, making it impossible to navigate. And I get several, random error messages when trying to navigate menus. I'm by no means a newbie to computers or electronics, but it seems like this is still very experimental open source firmware. Am I right or am I just falling behind in the tech world?

Everything I read about rockbox says it's made to be more efficient and user-friendly than the stock firmware. I don't see how anyone in their right mind would claim that rockbox is easier to use than Sandisk's firmware.

[CrowdAds]

[saratoga]

If the buttons don't do what the manual says they should, thats a bug. Otherwise, its expected.

[lestatar]

Rockbox ain't for everyone - perhaps it isn't right for you. As for being experimental? Hardly, IMO.

It works just fine on my 2 Fuzes and Toshiba Gigabeat and for me, without question, I much prefer RB to the original FW for both devices. So much so, that not only will never go back to the original software, I forgot what they look like.

The RB way does require some minor mental input on the part of the user. For most who approach RB with an open-mind, who are willing to put in the small amount of time required and do the wee bit of homework, the rewards are enormous.

What exactly are you having trouble with?

There are also a few key concepts that will help you better grasp how RB works:
- every song you browse through and select and play in RB gets added to a 'dynamic playlist'. This includes all other songs in that directory. You can then save, edit, whatever that playlist.

- learn to use and understand the 'context' keypress. Every device is different, but basically, on every RB installation, there is always a key which, when depressed and held, brings up a context menu for that particular function. This I have found causes some people trouble, but when you get used to it, it makes perfect sense and I now wonder why all manufacturers don't do this kind of thing.

You will find no other PMP/DAP player software which is as capable and infinitely customizable as Rockbox.

Driving a Honda or Toyota is easy - driving a Ferrari or Porsche is not. Get it?

Post your specific issues. Read the manual. Go to the Rockbox IRC chatroom or the forums and ask for help.

If the above is too much investment for you, then so be it. Remove Rockbox and stick with the OF. No worries there!

[Adub]

I've been using Rockbox daily(on several devices) for almost a year and i can say from my experience the current clip+ versions since April have been rock solid for me.

To answer your question, if the majority of Rockbox users don't have such problems thus it's logical to conclude that the problem rooted in how you installed it. I have had issues with my nano2g but it was something i did or didn't do that gave me errors and not Rockbox itself.

1) Backup the music you have on your Clip+
2) Format the Clip+ with SDformatter
3) Use the Rockbox utility to install which is extremely strait forward

That should work. If not there is always the OF!

[Adub]

Originally Posted by lestatar

Read the manual.

This. Anyone who hasn't read the Manual has no business posting problems or questions.

[bflan2001]

thanks adub for the suggestion, i formatted my clip+ and reinstalled rockbox with the rb utility, and it seems to be working much better now..i was just frustrated because i thought that's how it was supposed to run.

it's still pretty different from the OE firmware, but give me a few days and i'm sure i'll like this better.

thanks to lestatar also, those tips are a big help!

[Adub]

It took me a couple weeks to get fully comfortable with rockbox myself, but once you do get used to it there is no going back hehe.

[Ultimate Viking]

I couldn't imagine going back to the OF now. Love ROCKbox.

[bflan2001]

what's the easiest way to create playlists for rockbox? that's the main reason i switched, i couldn't get playlists to work with the OF. i'm trying to read through this manual but i just don't have that kind of time to invest in my mp3 player. i've spent about 45 minutes reading so far and haven't learned a thing. :/

[Mikerman]

Personally, I find that Rockbox requires a skim of the manual, and focus on certain areas at least initially. And it can be well worth it.

But I also find the original Sansa firmware to be pretty fine/fine enough at this point.

[saratoga]

Originally Posted by bflan2001

what's the easiest way to create playlists for rockbox?

Rockbox uses m3u playlists, which are just lists of paths to songs in a text file. M3U is the standard for playlists, so everything supports them (WMP/iTunes/Winamp/foobar2000/etc). The easiest way is probably whatever software you have on your computer, but theres also a billion different utilities out there for making playlists.

[Carson Dyle]

I've had Rockbox 3.7.1 loaded on my Fuze v2 since the day I got it. IMO, there is both good and bad.

The user interface is something only a geek could truly appreciate (and obviously designed by programmers). It took me a few days of ****ing around with it and looking in the manual just to become comfortable with the different button functions. Like you say, they're not always intuitive, nor consistent, and there are shortcuts that sometimes behave a little strangely. I'm still surprised every once in a while where I end up when I press a certain button. If I hand the Fuze to someone who hasn't used Rockbox they have no clue what they're doing and are quickly frustrated.

One of the things I like most compared to the original firmware is the ability to browse by Album Artist and not have to see all of the one-track artists in the database. Or, if I do want to see them, I can browse by Artist.

Another positive is that I get to re-index the files when I want to, unlike the original firmware where it insists on scanning the files every time it's detached from a USB connection. Also, the scanning happens in the background, and seems quite fast.

The ability to have different 'themes' is kinda nice, but also a bit primitive. The best part is being able to change font size, either giving you more information on the screen, or, if you're eyesight is poor, much larger text.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by Carson Dyle

I've had Rockbox 3.7.1 loaded on my Fuze v2 since the day I got it. IMO, there is both good and bad.

The user interface is something only a geek could truly appreciate (and obviously designed by programmers). It took me a few days of ****ing around with it and looking in the manual just to become comfortable with the different button functions. Like you say, they're not always intuitive, nor consistent, and there are shortcuts that sometimes behave a little strangely. I'm still surprised every once in a while where I end up when I press a certain button. If I hand the Fuze to someone who hasn't used Rockbox they have no clue what they're doing and are quickly frustrated.

One of the things I like most compared to the original firmware is the ability to browse by Album Artist and not have to see all of the one-track artists in the database. Or, if I do want to see them, I can browse by Artist.

Another positive is that I get to re-index the files when I want to, unlike the original firmware where it insists on scanning the files every time it's detached from a USB connection. Also, the scanning happens in the background, and seems quite fast.

The ability to have different 'themes' is kinda nice, but also a bit primitive. The best part is being able to change font size, either giving you more information on the screen, or, if you're eyesight is poor, much larger text.

Primitive is the word I would use to describe the Fuze's factory interface. I haven't used the Sansa firmware on any of my four Sansas since trying Rockbox, and probably won't ever again.