You knew it was just a matter of time before someone put Linux on an iPod.

This feat was accomplished by the group behind the iPod Linux Project. This group of hackers and tinkerers has managed to get a slimed-down version of Linux running on several versions of Apple's popular iPod MP3 player. According to the group, this was accomplished through some painstaking reverse-engineering of the Apple iPod operating system.

For its platform, the group chose uClinix, an embedded Linux operating system that does not require a Memory Unit Manager, which turned out to be a requirement for getting any kind of Linux up and running on the little porcelain-textured gadget. In true open-source fashion, the group has dubbed its Linux distro "Podzilla"

So far, the group has developed a working Linux kernel that runs on first-, second- and third-generation iPods. The operating system runs applications that can play music, as well as games - iPod Linux Pong anyone? Some applications in the works include a text-to-speech engine and even a Web server (in an extreme form of an early beta). The few features the system lacks include power management, including the ability to put an iPod in "sleep" mode, or a battery meter. Also, USB connectivity is not yet supported; Firewire is the only way to get access to a Podzilla-based iPod.

The group is currently working on bringing Podzilla to the recently-released fourth-generation iPods, as well as the "U2" version of the iPod, iPod Mini and iPod Photo.

In order to get a smiling monochrome Tux image to appear when your iPod boots, the group has made it easy for users to mess around with the software: a Mac and Windows installer program is available. Once installed, users can add their music, other apps and anything else the Podzilla programmers whip up in the future.

And a word of advice from the developers:

"Be sure to back up your music before installing iPodLinux!" the Web site says. "The worst thing that has happened so far is someone lost all of their music because they didn't back it up before running Apple's restore utility. If anything goes wrong, you can always use Apple's handy Firmware Restore Utility to reinstall Apple's iPod operating system."