Re: Is ephpod still necessary?

It runs roughly along the same lines, but there are some key differences in
the iPod which makes using software such as Ephpod necessary.

A Windows iPod basically is a Firewire hard drive - when you plug it in,
it'll get assigned a drive letter, you can store other data on it (not just
mp3s), and if you have "Show hidden & system files" turned on, then you'll
also see the mp3s ferreted away in the iPod's folders.

What the iPod doesn't do, however, is automatically scan the contents of its
hard disk for mp3s - in this way, it's a bit of a "dumb" device, and it
needs to be told what music files are located on it. Each iPod will have a
database on it which lists out which files are music files and where they
are. The key reason for Apple designing it this way is unknown ; however, I
think it was a bit of a bow to anti-piracy efforts - their intention being
that if they cut off access at the root level and force you to use a program
such as iTunes to copy music over, then that puts a little more control into
they copyright holder's hands.

So, what iTunes (on the Mac), Ephpod (and a few others) do is, in addition
to helping transfer that music across, also make entries into the iPod's
database so it knows what it's got to deal with.

That's pretty much it, although EphPod has a ton of additional features,
such as being able to translate m3u playlists across, synchronise with a
hard-drive based music collection, and add your Calendar and Contacts to
your iPod.

To use an iPod with a Windows machine (which has Firewire), you don't need
to install additional drivers, programs etc, to use the iPod as a Firewire
hard disk. You can transfer data back and forth just like any regular
removeable hard drive. But if you want to add music and have the iPod
realise it's got it, then you need to use something like EphPod.

This shouldn't be any big deal - I always keep a copy of EphPod on the iPod,
along with tons of other programs, so if I do need to install EphPod on
another machine, I can do it easily. I'd heartily recommend the iPod over
any other mp3 player anyday, but you might find something a little more
similar to what you currently have.

If you've got any other questions, just shoot me an email off list :-)

Cheers

[ Brendan ] | [e] brendan@xxxxxxxxxx
[p] 0402 993 798 [w] www.sektah.com

-----Original Message-----
From: ephpod-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ephpod-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of rtralp@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:37 AM
To: ephpod@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ephpod] Is ephpod still necessary?


My current MP3 player is failing due to a faulty power connector so I'm
considering an iPod as a replacement, but I don't want to give up the
perfect user interface of my Neo2200. Although software was required on
older computers, it isn't anymore.

I can plug my Neo2200 into any modern computer (via a, admittedly slow, USB
cable) and as far as the comupter is concerned it is simply a USB hard
drive. There's no software needed on the computer other than a modern
operating system (in my case, Windows 2000 Pro).

The hard drive is FAT formatted and when the USB cable is unplugged the
player scans all the directories and subdirectories for .mp3 and .m3u files.
The Neo2200 simply presents a hierarchical filesystem view of any
directories containing .mp3 and .m3u files.

With a Windows iPod, why isn't it just a FireWire hard drive? What exactly
does EphPod do? Can a Windows iPod work without software if the OS supports
FireWire hard drives? If not, why not?









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