i am new to linux, therefore new to everything associated with it.
i have mandriva one and it comes witha  preinstalled version of amarok < not sure what version though >
i read that its compatible with ipod, and see a place for "media devices" or what have you, but im just wondering if theres a general tutorial or something of the sorts for using a 5th gen video ipod with amarok.

< at this point in time i have yet to even run this ipod with windows. so its essentially virgin, from apple. i believe its preformated for windows though? idk. >

I don't really know Mandriva, but I guess it supports HAL and therefore after connecting your ipod it should be pretty mutch autodetected.

Have you plugged your ipod into your computer's usb port? If not do it and see whether it "just works"

i have, but that was before i learned about amarok and its support for it. and yes, my computer auto detects the ipod as a "hard disk"

i dont have the ipod with me right now, and of course will connect it when i return home and play around in amarok. but i was just trying to find a quick "things to know" or something before then < i dont have net at home >

You could have a look at http://amarok.kde.org/wiki/Media_Devices - that's where some additional information is gathered.