925 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
925 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
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Palm OS Desktop HOWTO
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Sean Buckley
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sean@redbug.uklinux.net
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David H. Silber palm@orbits.com - Original version
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v2.0.1, 03 March 2002
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This HOWTO describes the use of Palm OS devices with Linux. Most of the
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advice is applicable to any version of the Palm PDA, and also to other
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devices that use the Palm OS, such as the Handspring Visor and Sony Clie.
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Many of the tools described here will also work with other types of Unix,
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such as FreeBSD.
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NOTE: this is a work in progress. There's a lot more I want to write, and
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I've noted areas that need work (look for TODO in the text). This version is
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very much an early draft to get the ball rolling. I would especially
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appreciate feedback from users of other combinations of PDA and Linux
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distribution (I currently use an m505 with Mandrake 8.1).
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Table of Contents
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1. Introduction
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1.1. DISCLAIMER
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1.2. New versions of this document
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1.3. Major Changes
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1.4. Copyright and Licensing
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2. Connecting to the PC
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2.1. Serial Connection
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2.2. Devfs device naming
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2.3. USB Connection
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2.4. IR Connection
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2.5. Network Connection
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3. The pilot-link suite
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3.1. Installing the pilot-link software
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3.2. Using the pilot-link software
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4. Coldsync
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4.1. Installing coldsync
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4.2. Using coldsync
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5. Desktop Applications.
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5.1. JPilot
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5.2. Gnome-pilot
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5.3. Evolution
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5.4. KPilot
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5.5. XNotesPlus
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5.6. WMSync
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6. Other Software
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6.1. The Pyrite Project
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6.2. MalSync
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6.3. PalmPix Decoder
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A. Appendix
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A.1. Resources
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A.2. Devices that use the Palm OS
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A.3. A History of Palm OS devices.
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1. Introduction
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This document describes how to connect your PalmOS PDA to a computer running
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Linux, and synchronise the PDA data with local applications.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1.1. DISCLAIMER
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As always with information you read on the net, proceed with caution. Most of
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the information in this HOWTO has been tested with the devices to which I
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have access; an original Palm Pilot Pro and a new Palm m505. I have tried to
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indicate instances where I have not been able to test the information.
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If you have access to Windows or a Mac, I would recommend backing up your PDA
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with the provided software before testing it under Linux. Otherwise, take a
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backup with the Linux software before attempting to synchronise.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1.2. New versions of this document
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The latest "work in progress" version of this document can be found at [http:
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//www.redbug.uklinux.net/palm/index.html] http://www.redbug.uklinux.net/palm/
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index.html.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1.3. Major Changes
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This document was originally called the Palm Howto. Major changes are
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detailed below.
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Revision History
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Revision 2.0.1 2002-03-03
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Added info about various software that I hadn't even heard of before I got
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feedback from 2.0.0.
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Revision 2.0.0 2002-01-06
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Major rewrite to include USB connections and recent PalmOS devices
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Revision 1.1.1 1999-02-28
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Last version maintained by David Silber.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1.4. Copyright and Licensing
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This document is copyright <20> 2001 Sean Buckley and copyright <20> 1997, 1998 &
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1999 David H. Silber.
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Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under
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the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later
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version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant
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Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. The full
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text of the license can be found at [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html]
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http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2. Connecting to the PC
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The first step to getting your PDA running under Linux is to connect it to
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your PC. Until recently, all PalmOS devices connected via a serial cable. The
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latest devices use USB, and some can also connect via infrared.
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Another development allows the PDA to physically connect to one machine on
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the network and synchronise remotely with another machine.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2.1. Serial Connection
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The serial connection is currently the easiest way to connect your PDA to
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your PC. Simply connect the cradle to a serial port, then refer to that port
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when using coldsync or the pilot-link suite. The serial connection is slow,
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but has the advantage of being tried and tested. It should work with any Palm
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OS device for which a serial cable is available. Serial cradles and cables
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are available as accessories for the Palm PDAs, including those which come
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with USB cradles as standard.
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For convenience, you may wish to create a device called /dev/pilot as a link
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to the serial port. The pilot-link suite uses this device by default, so if
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the link exists it will save you having to specify it each time you call one
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of the programs.
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To create the link, log on as root and enter the following command:
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ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/pilot
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Replace /dev/ttyS0 with the serial port to which you have connected the your
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PDA. The device name /dev/ttyS0 corresponds to COM1 in DOS/Windows
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terminology, /dev/ttyS1 is COM2, and so on.
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You also need to ensure that you have permission to write to the serial port.
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On a standalone workstation you can change the permissions to allow global
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access to the port. As root, enter the following command:
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chmod a+rw /dev/ttyS0
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Greater security can be achieved using the group permissions. Set the
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permissions to read/write for the group and add the required users to the
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user list for the group (see man group). (TODO: More detail).
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2.2. Devfs device naming
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Recent Linux distributions may use devfs for device naming. In this case /dev
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/ttyS0 may not exist, or may be a symbolic link to /dev/tts/0. This is a new
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naming scheme brought in with the 2.4 kernel. Simply replace all references
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to /dev/ttyS0 with /dev/tts/0.
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If you use symbolic links with devfs, you may find that the links do not
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persist correctly after you reboot. The /etc/devfsd.conf file controls the
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creation of symbolic links to dynamically created devices.
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As always, the operation seems to be set up differently under different
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distributions.
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Manrake 8.1 creates a link from /dev/usb/tts/1 to /dev/pilot when the
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hotsync button is pressed on the cradle.
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>RedHat 7.2 requires the link to be created manually. The link is then
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persistent across boots (thanks to Jim Mueller for this information).
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2.3. USB Connection
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USB access to Palm devices is relatively new. The Handspring Visor seems to
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be well supported, and works with the pilot-link suite. Currently, the Palm
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m500 series only works with coldsync, although pilot-link support is in
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active development. Update: the current development version of pilot-link,
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0.10.x, has support for USB devices. See the pilot-link section for more
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about this release.
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To use any USB device under Linux, you need to have USB support in your
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kernel. You will also need the relevant modules available. Most (TODO: Check
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which distros work out of the box) recent Linux distributions have USB
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support enabled by default. To check your system, try the following command
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as root:
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modprobe visor
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If you get no output from this command, then the module is available and you
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do not need to recompile your kernel. If this does not work, try the
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alternative usbserial module:
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modprobe usbserial
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This is used by some distributions, such as Redhat 7.0.
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If you need to set up USB support in your kernel, the Handspring Visor with
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Linux mini-HOWTO provides instructions. (TODO: Incorporate into this HOWTO?)
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Once USB support is set up, you should use device /dev/ttyUSB1 to communicate
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with your PDA. Note that this device name only exists after you have pressed
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the hotsync button on the cradle. You must press the button before running
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the connection software.
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If you have problems synchronising via USB, try an updated kernel. There may
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be some timing issues with the USB driver. For example, I found that stock
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Mandrake 8.1 did not work on one PC, but worked first time on a faster PC.
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Upgrading to a stock 2.4.17 kernel solved the problem and worked fine on both
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PCs.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2.4. IR Connection
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The latest Palm devices have infrared (IrDA) ports. If you have one of these,
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and a PC with an infrared port, you can synchronise over IrDA and do away
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with the cables altogether.
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David A. Desrosiers has written a comprehensive [http://www.pilot-link.org/
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howto/irhsync/] HOWTO on the subject. (TODO: Include this inline?)
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2.5. Network Connection
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It is possible to physically connect your PDA to one PC, and synchronise it
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with another PC elsewhere on the network. This might be a useful feature if
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you need to synchronise with a PC to which you cannot physically connect your
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PDA.
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Once again David A. Desrosiers has written a (less comprehensive) [http://
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www.pilot-link.org/howto/nhsync] HOWTO on the subject. (TODO: Include this
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inline? Not convinced of the value of this method - anyone care to comment?)
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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3. The pilot-link suite
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The pilot-link suite provides the tools for communicating with your PDA. The
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pilot-link programs provide the background functionality for many higher
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level programs, but can also be used on their own as command line tools.
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Most distributions come with the pilot-link suite available as an optional
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package. The package will be available on the installation media or from the
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ftp site of the distribution. Install the package in the usual way for your
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distribution. You may also need development versions of the packages if you
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wish to compile any software that uses pilot-link.
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Note: Unless otherwise specified, the details below refer to the 0.9.x
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release of pilot-link. The version in development is 0.10.x. This version
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contains support for USB devices, and has been updated to ensure greater
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consistency between the various utilities. Once 0.10.x is officially
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released, this document will be updated for the new version.
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If you upgrade to 0.10.x, you will also need to update applications which use
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pilot-link. In particular, J-Pilot and gnome-pilot need modifications to work
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with 0.10.x. J-Pilot 0.99.2 should work with the latest version of
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pilot-link.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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3.1. Installing the pilot-link software
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The pilot-link suite comes with most major Linux distributions, including
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RedHat, Mandrake, SUSE and Debian. If you intend to compile applications
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which rely on pilot-link, you may need to install development packages as
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well.
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If you use a distribution that does not come with pilot-link, or you need a
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more recent version, you can find the latest release at [http://
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www.pilot-link.org/] www.pilot-link.org. As well as the current version, you
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will find a link to the latest CVS snapshot.
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Once you have the downloaded the source, unpack and compile it as follows:
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tar -zxvf pilot-link.0.9.5.tar.gz cd pilot-link.0.9.5
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./configure
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make
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make install
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The programs can be run directly from the directory in which they were
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compiled. You may wish to test them before running make install. For more
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information, see the README file that comes with pilot-link.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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3.2. Using the pilot-link software
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Most of the programs in the pilot-link suite are conduits, that is they
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transfer data into or out of your Palm OS device.
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Each time you use of one of the programs, press the HotSync button on your
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PDA's cradle. This will initiate the PDA side of the data transfer. Note that
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not all of these programs prompt you to press the `HotSync' button, so you
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may have to remember to do it yourself.
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For more details, view the corresponding manual page. There is an overview
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manual page under the name pilot-link.
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The pilot-link programs all use the same method of determining the location
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of your PDA:
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>If a device is specified on the command line, that device will be used
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regardless of the other settings.
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>If the environment variable $PILOTPORT is set, that will be used unless a
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port is specified on the command line.
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>If no port is specified on the command line, and the $PILOTPORT variable
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is not set, /dev/pilot will be used.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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3.2.1. pilot-xfer
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Possibly the most useful program in the pilot-link suite, pilot-xfer allows
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you to install programs on your Palm OS device, make a backup, and restore
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that backup.
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To install a program:
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pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -i program.prc
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To backup your Palm OS device:
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pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -b backup-directory
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This will copy all of the databases on your Palm OS device, (including
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programs?) to a directory called ``backup-directory'', creating it if it does
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not already exist.
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To restore data to Palm OS device:
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pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -r backup-directory
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Generally, you will only need to do this if your Palm OS device loses power
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or if you have to do a hard reset.
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To list the programs on your Palm OS device:
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pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -l
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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3.2.2. install-memo
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To install a memo into your (already existing) project category:
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install-memo /dev/pilot -c project project.memo
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The name of the file will be inserted into the memo as its first line and
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will appear in the directory of memos on your Palm OS device.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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3.2.3. memos
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This program grabs each memo from the Palm OS device and prints it out in
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standard mailbox format.
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To view your memos:
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memos /dev/pilot
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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3.2.4. pilot-addresses
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Transfer the address database to or from your PDA.
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To write your address data to a Linux file from your PDA:
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pilot-addresses /dev/pilot -w storage.file
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To read your address data from a Linux file onto your PDA:
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pilot-addresses /dev/pilot -r file
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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4. Coldsync
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Coldsync is an alternative to the pilot-link suite for transferring data to
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and from your PalmOS device. Like pilot-link, it can synchronise, backup and
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restore Palm databases.
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There are fewer applications available which use coldsync as their backend.
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That may change, but it seems to reflect a difference in philosophy between
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coldsync and pilot-link. Applications that sync using pilot-link tend to
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build in the functionality for synchronisation. It is therefore the author of
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the application that decides to include pilot-link support.
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Coldsync takes a different approach. Conduits can be written to use coldsync
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with almost any application. The synchronisation process can be entirely
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transparent to the application. If the application author is not interested
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in adding PDA support, it does not matter. As long as the data format of the
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application is available, someone else can write the conduit.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
4.1. Installing coldsync
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Some Linux distributions are carrying coldsync, but it is not yet as widely
|
|||
|
available as pilot-link. It is also a younger application, so you are more
|
|||
|
likely to need to compile from source.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You can find the latest release of coldsync at [http://www.ooblick.com/
|
|||
|
software/coldsync/] www.ooblick.com/software/coldsync. As well as the current
|
|||
|
version, you will find a link to the latest CVS snapshot.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Once you have the downloaded the source, compile it as follows:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
tar -xvzf
|
|||
|
colsync-2.2.5.tar.gz
|
|||
|
cd coldsync-2.2.5
|
|||
|
./configure
|
|||
|
make
|
|||
|
make install
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You can run coldsync directly from the src directory. For more information,
|
|||
|
see the README file that comes with coldsync.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
4.2. Using coldsync
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
4.2.1. The .coldsyncrc file
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
By default, coldsync reads configuration parameters from a file called
|
|||
|
.coldsyncrc in your home directory. The -f flag overrides the default if you
|
|||
|
need to use an alternative configuration file. In addition, some of the
|
|||
|
parameters in the configuration file can be set or overridden on the command
|
|||
|
line.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The following is an example of a .coldsyncrc file:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
listen serial {
|
|||
|
device: "/dev/palm";
|
|||
|
protocol: default;
|
|||
|
transient;
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
pda "My Palm" {
|
|||
|
snum: "L0PK17C13832-M";
|
|||
|
username: "Sean";
|
|||
|
userid: 1234;
|
|||
|
directory:
|
|||
|
"/home/sean/m505";
|
|||
|
default;
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This example tells coldsync to look for a serial port connection on /dev/
|
|||
|
palm. The transient keyword tells coldsync that the device may not exist
|
|||
|
until the user presses the Hotsync button. The pda section tells coldsync the
|
|||
|
serial number of the device, the username and id of the user and the
|
|||
|
directory to which the device will be backed up.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The coldsync configuration file is well documented in the man page (man
|
|||
|
coldsync), but it is worth repeating some points:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Do not use a userid of 0 in your PDA section. This can lead to a loss of
|
|||
|
data if you need to perform a hard reset of your Palm.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>If you have a Palm m505 with a USB cradle under Linux, you should not use
|
|||
|
listen usb. Instead use listen serial with protocol: simple;
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
4.2.2. The p5-Palm Perl modules
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
P5-Palm is a set of Perl modules for communicating with a Palm device via
|
|||
|
coldsync, and can be downloaded from the coldsync site. The purpose of the
|
|||
|
p5-Palm modules is to simplify and speed up the creation of conduits.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You should install p5-Palm if you want to use any of the coldsync conduits.
|
|||
|
You do not need p5-Palm if you will only be using coldsync for simple
|
|||
|
backups.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
To install the modules:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
tar -zxvf p5-Palm-1.2.4.tar.gz
|
|||
|
cd p5-Palm-1.2.4
|
|||
|
perl Makefile.PL
|
|||
|
make
|
|||
|
make install
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
4.2.3. Coldsync conduits
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A number of conduits are available for coldsync. These conduits use coldsync
|
|||
|
to synchronise other applications with your PDA. The conduits generally
|
|||
|
require the p5-Palm Perl modules described above.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The list of conduits is available at [http://www.ooblick.com/software/
|
|||
|
coldsync/conduits/] http://www.ooblick.com/software/coldsync/conduits/.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The conduits require an entry in your .coldsyncrc configuration file. To find
|
|||
|
out what should be entered, run /path/conduit -config, where path is the
|
|||
|
location of the conduit.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5. Desktop Applications.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This section describes applications which can synchronise their data with
|
|||
|
your PDA. The applications generally use pilot-link to provide communication
|
|||
|
with the PDA. Coldsync provides conduit capabilities to application that are
|
|||
|
not specifically written with PDAs in mind.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5.1. JPilot
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
JPilot is a Personal Information Manager (PIM) that provides a replacement
|
|||
|
for the Palm Desktop software provided for Windows and the Mac. JPilot
|
|||
|
provides desktop versions of the Palm address book, todo list, calendar and
|
|||
|
memopad. JPilot can also be used to install applications onto the PDA.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
JPilot is available with most Linux distributions. You can also download
|
|||
|
JPilot from [http://www.jpilot.org/] http://www.jpilot.org. To use JPilot you
|
|||
|
must have pilot-link installed. As JPilot is a gtk+ application, you will
|
|||
|
also need gtk+.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5.2. Gnome-pilot
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Gnome-pilot aims to provide PDA connectivity for the Gnome desktop.
|
|||
|
Gnome-pilot provides conduits for the Gnome PIM applications, a control
|
|||
|
centre applet for configuring the link, and a panel applet for dislaying the
|
|||
|
hotsync status.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Gnome-pilot uses a daemon process to communicate with the PDA via pilot-link.
|
|||
|
Client applications use the daemon, rather than call pilot-link directly. The
|
|||
|
daemon must be running in order to use the client applications such as the
|
|||
|
conduits.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Gnome-pilot should be available as part of Gnome. The home page for the
|
|||
|
project is at [http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnome-pilot/] http://
|
|||
|
www.gnome.org/projects/gnome-pilot/.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Gnome-pilot configuration is done through the Gnome control centre. If you
|
|||
|
have gnome-pilot installed, you should have a "Pilot Link" section under the
|
|||
|
peripherals section of the control centre.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5.2.1. The Pilot Link Applet
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Gnome control panel Pilot Link applet allows you to configure your PDA
|
|||
|
for use with Gnome. You must set up your PDA before you can use any of the
|
|||
|
Gnome conduits.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The first step is to add a device. Start the Gnome control centre, and click
|
|||
|
on "Pilot Link" in the left hand pane. The right hand pane should show the
|
|||
|
pilot link applet.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Click on the devices tab, then click "Add". You should see the "Device
|
|||
|
Settings" dialog box.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>The "Name" field can contain anything to help you identify the port that
|
|||
|
you create.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>The "Port" field should contain the port to which you attach your PDA.
|
|||
|
The port should be the same as you use for pilot-link.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>The speed and timeout values will depend on your device. Try the
|
|||
|
defaults, and change them if you have problems synchronising.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>The "Type" should be set to your device type.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Once you have configured the device, you can configure the actual PDA:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Click on the "Pilots" tab, then click on "Add...". You should then see
|
|||
|
the "Pilot Settings" dialog box.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>If you already have a user name set up on the PDA, click "Get from pilot"
|
|||
|
to download the username and ID. Otherwise, click "Send to pilot" to set
|
|||
|
up your username on the PDA.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>The "Pilot Attributes" allow you to name your PDA and set a local
|
|||
|
directory to use for the conduits.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>The "Sync action" determines what happens when you press the hotsync
|
|||
|
button on your PDA. The default is "Use conduit settings". This allows
|
|||
|
you to customise set different sync actions for each conduit.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Once you have configured your PDA, you need to configure the conduits.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5.2.2. The Pilot Conduits Applet
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Start the Gnome control centre, then click on "Pilot Conduits" in the left
|
|||
|
hand pane. If you have a PDA configured in the pilot link applet, you will
|
|||
|
see a list of available conduits. If you have more than one PDA, you can use
|
|||
|
the drop down list to select the one that you wish to configure.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Each available conduit starts out disabled. To enable a conduit, select it in
|
|||
|
the list and click on "Enable". You will then be given a choice of methods
|
|||
|
for synchronisation.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5.3. Evolution
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Evolution is a Microsoft Outlook clone for Gnome from Ximian. Evolution comes
|
|||
|
with a conduit for gnome-pilot. The conduit can be configured through the
|
|||
|
gnome-pilot conduits control centre applet described above.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Warning: Mandrake 8.1 comes with a beta version of Evolution. This version
|
|||
|
seems to have a bug whereby it does not correctly identify records when
|
|||
|
synching. This can lead to records being duplicated on the PDA.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The latest version of Evolution can be downloaded from [http://www.ximian.com
|
|||
|
/] http://www.ximian.com. Evolution is designed mainly for use with Ximian
|
|||
|
Gnome, and installing it independently involves resolving a number of
|
|||
|
dependencies.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5.4. KPilot
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
KPilot is the KDE equivalent of Gnome-pilot. KPilot provides basic PIM
|
|||
|
functionality, as well as conduits to KDE applications such as KOrganizer.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
As with gnome-pilot, kpilot uses a pilot-link via a daemon process.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
KPilot is available from [http://www.slac.com/pilone/kpilot_home/] http://
|
|||
|
www.slac.com/pilone/kpilot_home
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
TODO: Again, I don't really use KDE, but will give it a spin.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5.5. XNotesPlus
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
XNotesPlus provides a means to post small notes on your X-Windows desktop.
|
|||
|
These notes can be shared as memos with your PalmOS device.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In addition to the notes, XNotesPlus provides PIM features, and integrates
|
|||
|
the notes feature with the todo list and addressbook. Note that XNotesPlus
|
|||
|
does not perform a true synchronisation, but simply replaces changed
|
|||
|
databases.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The XNotesPlus web page at [http://www.graphics-muse.org/xnotes/xnotes.html]
|
|||
|
http://www.graphics-muse.org/xnotes/xnotes.html contains full installation
|
|||
|
and use instructions.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
XNotes is shareware, and not freely distributable.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5.6. WMSync
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If you use WindowMaker, this might be useful. From the website:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Wmsync is a WindowMaker dockapp that starts your favourite sync program for
|
|||
|
your Palm(TM) PDA. It displays a small animation when syncing. It is
|
|||
|
controlled by a small perl script via SIGUSR1 and SIGUSR2 so it is highly
|
|||
|
customizable. That<61>s all.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Wmsync is available from [http://home.t-online.de/home/db7ne/wmsync.html]
|
|||
|
http://home.t-online.de/home/db7ne/wmsync.html
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
6. Other Software
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
6.1. The Pyrite Project
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Pyrite Publisher is a tool to convert documents to and from the Doc format
|
|||
|
used by electronic books for the Palm PDA. Compressed zTXT files are also
|
|||
|
supported. Pyrite Publisher is written in Python, with an optional module in
|
|||
|
C for enhanced data compression performance.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The library used to communicate with the Palm is available separately, as
|
|||
|
python-libpisock. The library is a python binding for the pilot-unix
|
|||
|
libpisock library.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Pyrite is available from [http://www.pyrite.org/] http://www.pyrite.org
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
6.2. MalSync
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Malsync is a command line tool for synchronising Palm PDAs with the AvantGo
|
|||
|
server. AvantGo is a - well, you'll know what it is if you use it.
|
|||
|
Unfortunately the website is a masterpiece of marketspeak.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Malsync is available from [http://www.tomw.org/malsync/] http://www.tomw.org/
|
|||
|
malsync
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
6.3. PalmPix Decoder
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The PalmPix decoder extracts pictures from a PalmPix database. The PalmPix is
|
|||
|
a digital camera attachment for Palm PDAs.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The PalmPix decoder is available from [http://www.geocities.com/aa_soft/
|
|||
|
PalmPix.html] http://www.geocities.com/aa_soft/PalmPix.html
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A. Appendix
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A.1. Resources
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Information resources for Linux/Palm applications
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A.1.1. Pilot-link
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Website [http://www.pilot-link.org/] http://www.pilot-link.org
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>General mailing list [http://www.pilot-link.org/mailman/listinfo/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-general/] http://www.pilot-link.org/mailman/listinfo/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-general/ .General discussions about pilot-link, conduit ideas,
|
|||
|
wish list items and anything else.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>General mailing list archive [http://www.pilot-link.org/pipermail/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-general/] http://www.pilot-link.org/pipermail/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-general/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Announcement mailing list [http://www.pilot-link.org/mailman/listinfo/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-announce/] http://www.pilot-link.org/mailman/listinfo/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-announce/ . Announcements for pilot-link releases, conduits,
|
|||
|
third-party tools and applications.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Announcement mailing list archive [http://www.pilot-link.org/pipermail/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-announce/] http://www.pilot-link.org/pipermail/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-announce/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Development mailing list [http://www.pilot-link.org/mailman/listinfo/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-devel/] http://www.pilot-link.org/mailman/listinfo/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-devel/ . Development list for pilot-link code, releases,
|
|||
|
patches, conduits, bugs, testing.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Development mailing list archive [http://www.pilot-link.org/pipermail/
|
|||
|
pilot-link-devel/] http://www.pilot-link.org/pipermail/pilot-link-devel/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"Next Generation" pilot-unix mailing list [http://www.pilot-link.org/
|
|||
|
mailman/listinfo/pilot-unix-ng/] http://www.pilot-link.org/mailman/
|
|||
|
listinfo/pilot-unix-ng/ . Development list for pilot-link code, releases,
|
|||
|
patches, conduits, bugs, testing.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>"Next Generation" pilot-unix mailing list archive [http://
|
|||
|
www.pilot-link.org/pipermail/pilot-unix-ng/] http://www.pilot-link.org/
|
|||
|
pipermail/pilot-unix-ng/ . Replaces the old pilot-unix list that is now
|
|||
|
offline.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
A.1.2. Coldsync
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Website: [http://www.ooblick.com/software/coldsync/] http://
|
|||
|
www.ooblick.com/software/coldsync
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Mailing list: send an email to [mailto:
|
|||
|
coldsync-hackers-request@lusars.net?body=subscribe]
|
|||
|
coldsync-hackers-request@lusars.net with the word subscribe in the body.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Mailing list archive: [http://www.thedotin.net/maillists/coldsync-hackers
|
|||
|
/] http://www.thedotin.net/maillists/coldsync-hackers
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
A.1.3. JPilot
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Website: [http://www.jpilot.org/] http://www.jpilot.org
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Mailing list: send an email to [mailto:listar@moongroup.com?subject=
|
|||
|
subscribe] listar@moongroup.com with the word subscribe in the subject.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Mailing list archive: [http://www.moongroup.com/archives/jpilot/] http://
|
|||
|
www.moongroup.com/archives/jpilot
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
A.1.4. Gnome-pilot
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Website: [http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnome-pilot/] http://
|
|||
|
www.gnome.org/projects/gnome-pilot
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Mailing list: [http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-pilot-list]
|
|||
|
http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-pilot-list
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Mailing list archive: [http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-pilot-list/]
|
|||
|
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gnome-pilot-list/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
A.1.5. KPilot
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Website: [http://www.slac.com/pilone/kpilot_home/] http://www.slac.com/
|
|||
|
pilone/kpilot_home
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Mailing list: There is no specific KPilot list, but you can use the
|
|||
|
kde-pim list. To subscribe, send an email to [mailto:
|
|||
|
kde-pim-request@kde.org] kde-pim-request@kde.org with subscribe followed
|
|||
|
by your email address in the subject.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Mailing list archive: [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-pim&r=1&w=2] http://
|
|||
|
lists.kde.org/?l=kde-pim&r=1&w=2
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
A.1.6. Other resources
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>XNotesPlus website: [http://www.graphics-muse.org/xnotes/xnotes.html]
|
|||
|
http://www.graphics-muse.org/xnotes/xnotes.html
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>WMSync website: [http://home.t-online.de/home/db7ne/wmsync.html] http://
|
|||
|
home.t-online.de/home/db7ne/wmsync.html
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>The Pyrite Project website: [http://www.pyrite.org/] http://
|
|||
|
www.pyrite.org/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Malsync website: [http://www.tomw.org/malsync/] http://www.tomw.org/
|
|||
|
malsync/
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>PalmPix decoder website: [http://www.geocities.com/aa_soft/PalmPix.html]
|
|||
|
http://www.geocities.com/aa_soft/PalmPix.html
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A.2. Devices that use the Palm OS
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This is an overview of the range of devices that work with the software
|
|||
|
detailed in this HOWTO.
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A.2.1. Palm
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Pilot 1000, 5000, PalmPilot Personal, PalmPilot Pro. The original Palm
|
|||
|
PDAs, no longer in production. These should work over a serial port
|
|||
|
connection.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Palm IIIe, IIIx, IIIxe, IIIc. The III series, again no longer in
|
|||
|
production. These should work over a serial port connection. The first
|
|||
|
colour Palm, the IIIc, had an optional USB connection, but the serial
|
|||
|
interface is required for Linux.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Palm V, Vx. The V series, again no longer in production. These introduced
|
|||
|
the IR interface, and it should be possible to synch them via an IR port
|
|||
|
on a suitably equipped PC. They also work over the serial port
|
|||
|
connection.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Palm VII, VIIx. The VII series, again no longer in production. These
|
|||
|
introduced the built in wireless connection. They feature an optional USB
|
|||
|
connection, but the serial interface is required for Linux.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Palm VII, VIIx. The VII series, again no longer in production. These
|
|||
|
introduced the built in wireless connection. They feature an optional USB
|
|||
|
connection, but the serial interface is required for Linux.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Palm m100, m105. The current entry level Palm PDAs. These should work
|
|||
|
over a serial port connection.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Palm m500, m505. The latest version of the IR connection enabled Palm.
|
|||
|
They come with USB cradles as standard, and should synch over USB. An
|
|||
|
optional serial cable is available if USB synchronisation is not
|
|||
|
possible,
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Palm i705. The latest Palm with wireless network connection capability.
|
|||
|
It synchronises via USB. No reports yet on whether it works with Linux
|
|||
|
over USB.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
A.2.2. Handspring
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Visor. The Handspring Visor series of PDAs come with USB cradles. Serial
|
|||
|
cables are also available. USB is better supported under Linux for the
|
|||
|
Visor than for Palm PDAs, so USB should work with few problems.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
A.2.3. Sony
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Clie. Sony's higher resolution version of the Palm PDA.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
A.3. A History of Palm OS devices.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This section is included unchanged from the original document. It's clearly
|
|||
|
out of date, and I'm not sure if it's worth keeping in. It's a bit offtopic
|
|||
|
for a Linux howto, and the effort of keeping it current seems a bit
|
|||
|
pointless. Instead I've added a section detailing devices that use the Palm
|
|||
|
operating system, and which therefore should work with the instructions in
|
|||
|
this HOWTO.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
There are two versions of the Pilot. They are the 1000 and the 5000 and have
|
|||
|
128k and 512k of RAM, respectively. They come with Palm OS 1.0 in ROM.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Then came two devices with the name PalmPilot. They are the PalmPilot
|
|||
|
Personal and the PalmPilot Professional and have 512k and 1 Meg of RAM,
|
|||
|
respectively. They also have a backlighting feature for the LCD panel and
|
|||
|
version 2.0 of the operating system. The Professional also comes with a TCP/
|
|||
|
IP stack and a few extra programs built-in.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
IBM has released a rebadged version of the PalmPilot Professional, which they
|
|||
|
call a WorkPad.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now we have the Palm III, which has a redesigned case and an infrared port,
|
|||
|
not to mention the 2 Meg of RAM and Palm OS 3.0.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
There is an announced product from Qualcomm, called the pdQ smartphone, which
|
|||
|
is a cell phone that incorporates a Palm OS PDA. Don't get all excited about
|
|||
|
it yet, it will not be released until sometime in 1999.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It is possible to upgrade any Pilot by swapping out the memory card, which
|
|||
|
includes both RAM & ROM. Of course, this doesn't get you backlighting for the
|
|||
|
original Pilot series.
|