Improved Linux support, please

Before I go on, I would like to applaud SanDisk for everything they have done to make sure the Sansa Fuze supports Linux.  Thank you.  You’re still a rare breed, though your numbers are growing.

However, the first thing I noticed when I attached my Sansa Fuze to my computer was that it didn’t work.  It wasn’t until tried the lsusb command to begin troubleshooting the problem that it came online.  Maybe it’s just Ubuntu Hardy Heron, but I think that it’s worth looking into given Ubuntu’s prominence.

The only other Linux-specific problem I’ve run into has been with .m3u playlists.  The Fuze expects every line to end with a line feed after the carriage return because that’s the way Windows does it.  (Linux leaves out the line feed.)  From where I stand, that’s Linux in compatible.  I can manually run unix2dos on all of my playlists but, if even my console text editor can read both types of files, I don’t think it’s asking too much of the Fuze.

And since I’m on the subject of silly oversights, would it be too much to support the E in JPEG?  I realize it’s not specific to Linux, but I don’t understand why I should have to rename all of my pictures from .jpeg to .jpg.

Obviously, you know more about Linux than I do.

I can not answer for SanDisk.

I would like to respectfully raise a philosophical issue.

Since USB and MP3 are more ubquitous than Linux, isn’t the onus on Linux developers?

Perhaps you could develop an open source program to handle your issues.   

No offense intended.

I did not try the playlists but my Sansa Fuze is working fine with Kubuntu Feisty Fawn (7.04)

(without lsusb command). 

JD

Message Edited by JD24 on 06-18-2008 11:25 PM

While I apreciate your input, Tweet, I have to disagree.  By advertising the Fuze as supporting Linux, they have assumed a level of responsibility for its compatibility with the leading Linux distributions.  If the Fuze were just another myopic Windows-is-the-world device, it would be different.  SanDisk has chosen to surpass the level of proprietary webcam makers by using documented and standardized technologies in order to achieve broad compatibility.  Linux developers have already done much of the work by taking on the monumental task of implementing every documented and standardized technology they can get their hands.  In this way, they have already made hardware manufacturer’s jobs easy.

I will grant you that the connectivity error I experienced may well be a bug in this version of Ubuntu, as at least one other Ubuntu user has not experienced this problem with a differrent version of Ubuntu.  But as for the compatibility of .M3U playlists, this a simple oversight.  It’s not a matter of which way is right, it’s that the issue is too trivial to insist on only supporting the one way of doing it.  Linux follows the Unix tradition, as does OS X, but Microsoft chose to do it differently starting when Unix was still young.  I can read Window’s text files; they should be able to read mine.  And the Fuze should be able to read either as well.

Message Edited by beakergeek724 on 06-19-2008 02:37 AM

Hehe, Microsoft didn’t even exist when Unix was still young.

I don’t use my Fuze with Linux, but I understand the issue and I agree that the CR+LF requirement is a problem. Have you submitted this issue to Sandisk tech support?

Uhh,

Can you show me the ad where Linux support is claimed by Sansa?

We are not claiming this to my knowledge.

-SansaFix 

From Sansa Catalog Page:

Minimum System Requirements:

  • Windows® XP or Vista
  • Linux and Mac OS (under MSC mode)
  • Windows Media Player® 10 or 11
  • CD-ROM drive (For all regions except US)
  • USB 2.0 high power port required for Hi-Speed transfer and charging

OK Im corrected.  We will add this issue to the bug list for fixing in a future firmware release.

bdb, if Wikipedia is accurate on the issue, Unix was born in 1969 and MS-DOS in 1981.  So, what I meant was, “when Unix was twelve years old…”  Unix is now 39, so I would say that Unix was young when MS-DOS was born.  I’m assuming that the CR-LF vs CR decision was made in the very beginning.

Message Edited by beakergeek724 on 06-19-2008 07:44 PM

It’s a minor issue and I really appreciate your willingness to look into it.  I got a more expensive mp3 player for my birthday and I traded it in for a Fuze partially because you support linux (I also like it better).

Linux developers work pretty hard to make their software compatible with all kinds of devices.  It’s great that you’re willing to work from the other direction. When anyone notices my Fuze I mention that I’ve compared a lot of mp3 players and when you put together features and performance,fuze beats them all.

jack 

The carriage-return/line-feed predates DOS, and heck, as far as I know, predates UNIX. The two-character combination dates back to the teletype. IIRC if you send a carriage return in DOS it does indeed just do a carriage return, and if you just do a linefeed there’s not a corresponding automatic carriage return. Yay for emulating early 20th-century technology?

@beakergeek724 wrote:

Before I go on, I would like to applaud SanDisk for everything they have done to make sure the Sansa Fuze supports Linux.  Thank you.  You’re still a rare breed, though your numbers are growing.

 

The only other Linux-specific problem I’ve run into has been with .m3u playlists. 

Sorry to resurect an old thread.

  1. I agree it is great that Sansa support more than just Linux but other Open standards like OGG.

  2. How do you create your m3u playlists? I use Audacity and it is a real PITA, as you can see what I have to do.

beakergeek724 wrote: 

 

However, the first thing I noticed when I attached my Sansa Fuze to my computer was that it didn’t work.  It wasn’t until tried the lsusb command to begin troubleshooting the problem that it came online.  Maybe it’s just Ubuntu Hardy Heron, but I think that it’s worth looking into given Ubuntu’s prominence.

 

FWIW, with Fedora, my player (in msc mode)  automatically mounts as “/media/Sansa E270” and shows up on the desktop with an icon that looks like an mp3 player.  I don’t have my Clip handy to try, but don’t have any trouble connecting to that either.  Maybe there’s some system setting you need to automatically mount USB drives?

 

@donp wrote:

FWIW, with Fedora, my player (in msc mode)  automatically mounts as “/media/Sansa E270” and shows up on the desktop with an icon that looks like an mp3 player.  I don’t have my Clip handy to try, but don’t have any trouble connecting to that either.  Maybe there’s some system setting you need to automatically mount USB drives?

I noticed under Ubuntu 8.10 that my Fuze was mounted as /media/SANSA FUZE, until I formatted to get rid of the provided songs. it now mounts as /media/disk.

I don’t know what the format got rid of to stop it being recognised as a named device but something changed and now it is mount as a generic disk. I am on Firmware 2.0.1.17P.

You need to put a label on the volume to get it to use something other than the generic mount point (which is /media/disk).

As for m3u files, keep in mind that that is a Windows file format (they came from WinAMP, after all) and while I, too, wish SanDisk would be a little less pedantic about the line terminators, they are in the right of it here, especially when it comes to the directory seperators which should be backslashes (and yeah, I hate that too.)

GREAT! Please post a notice when that upgrade is available. For now, I’m not upgrading as it seems to work. I just bought my clip+ and am charging it up as I write this. Thank you for the support of OGG, too! From your experience, what Linux software seems to do the best job of connecting with this player? Please keep in mind that whatever you do for the Mac users should benefit us as well. Thanx again, Ric