925 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
925 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
Palm OS Desktop HOWTO
|
||
|
||
Sean Buckley
|
||
|
||
sean@redbug.uklinux.net
|
||
|
||
David H. Silber palm@orbits.com - Original version
|
||
|
||
v2.0.1, 03 March 2002
|
||
|
||
|
||
This HOWTO describes the use of Palm OS devices with Linux. Most of the
|
||
advice is applicable to any version of the Palm PDA, and also to other
|
||
devices that use the Palm OS, such as the Handspring Visor and Sony Clie.
|
||
Many of the tools described here will also work with other types of Unix,
|
||
such as FreeBSD.
|
||
|
||
NOTE: this is a work in progress. There's a lot more I want to write, and
|
||
I've noted areas that need work (look for TODO in the text). This version is
|
||
very much an early draft to get the ball rolling. I would especially
|
||
appreciate feedback from users of other combinations of PDA and Linux
|
||
distribution (I currently use an m505 with Mandrake 8.1).
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Table of Contents
|
||
1. Introduction
|
||
1.1. DISCLAIMER
|
||
1.2. New versions of this document
|
||
1.3. Major Changes
|
||
1.4. Copyright and Licensing
|
||
|
||
|
||
2. Connecting to the PC
|
||
2.1. Serial Connection
|
||
2.2. Devfs device naming
|
||
2.3. USB Connection
|
||
2.4. IR Connection
|
||
2.5. Network Connection
|
||
|
||
|
||
3. The pilot-link suite
|
||
3.1. Installing the pilot-link software
|
||
3.2. Using the pilot-link software
|
||
|
||
|
||
4. Coldsync
|
||
4.1. Installing coldsync
|
||
4.2. Using coldsync
|
||
|
||
|
||
5. Desktop Applications.
|
||
5.1. JPilot
|
||
5.2. Gnome-pilot
|
||
5.3. Evolution
|
||
5.4. KPilot
|
||
5.5. XNotesPlus
|
||
5.6. WMSync
|
||
|
||
|
||
6. Other Software
|
||
6.1. The Pyrite Project
|
||
6.2. MalSync
|
||
6.3. PalmPix Decoder
|
||
|
||
|
||
A. Appendix
|
||
A.1. Resources
|
||
A.2. Devices that use the Palm OS
|
||
A.3. A History of Palm OS devices.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
1. Introduction
|
||
|
||
This document describes how to connect your PalmOS PDA to a computer running
|
||
Linux, and synchronise the PDA data with local applications.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
1.1. DISCLAIMER
|
||
|
||
As always with information you read on the net, proceed with caution. Most of
|
||
the information in this HOWTO has been tested with the devices to which I
|
||
have access; an original Palm Pilot Pro and a new Palm m505. I have tried to
|
||
indicate instances where I have not been able to test the information.
|
||
|
||
If you have access to Windows or a Mac, I would recommend backing up your PDA
|
||
with the provided software before testing it under Linux. Otherwise, take a
|
||
backup with the Linux software before attempting to synchronise.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
1.2. New versions of this document
|
||
|
||
The latest "work in progress" version of this document can be found at [http:
|
||
//www.redbug.uklinux.net/palm/index.html] http://www.redbug.uklinux.net/palm/
|
||
index.html.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
1.3. Major Changes
|
||
|
||
This document was originally called the Palm Howto. Major changes are
|
||
detailed below.
|
||
|
||
Revision History
|
||
Revision 2.0.1 2002-03-03
|
||
Added info about various software that I hadn't even heard of before I got
|
||
feedback from 2.0.0.
|
||
Revision 2.0.0 2002-01-06
|
||
Major rewrite to include USB connections and recent PalmOS devices
|
||
Revision 1.1.1 1999-02-28
|
||
Last version maintained by David Silber.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
1.4. Copyright and Licensing
|
||
|
||
This document is copyright <20> 2001 Sean Buckley and copyright <20> 1997, 1998 &
|
||
1999 David H. Silber.
|
||
|
||
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under
|
||
the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later
|
||
version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant
|
||
Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. The full
|
||
text of the license can be found at [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html]
|
||
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
2. Connecting to the PC
|
||
|
||
The first step to getting your PDA running under Linux is to connect it to
|
||
your PC. Until recently, all PalmOS devices connected via a serial cable. The
|
||
latest devices use USB, and some can also connect via infrared.
|
||
|
||
Another development allows the PDA to physically connect to one machine on
|
||
the network and synchronise remotely with another machine.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
2.1. Serial Connection
|
||
|
||
The serial connection is currently the easiest way to connect your PDA to
|
||
your PC. Simply connect the cradle to a serial port, then refer to that port
|
||
when using coldsync or the pilot-link suite. The serial connection is slow,
|
||
but has the advantage of being tried and tested. It should work with any Palm
|
||
OS device for which a serial cable is available. Serial cradles and cables
|
||
are available as accessories for the Palm PDAs, including those which come
|
||
with USB cradles as standard.
|
||
|
||
For convenience, you may wish to create a device called /dev/pilot as a link
|
||
to the serial port. The pilot-link suite uses this device by default, so if
|
||
the link exists it will save you having to specify it each time you call one
|
||
of the programs.
|
||
|
||
To create the link, log on as root and enter the following command:
|
||
|
||
ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/pilot
|
||
|
||
Replace /dev/ttyS0 with the serial port to which you have connected the your
|
||
PDA. The device name /dev/ttyS0 corresponds to COM1 in DOS/Windows
|
||
terminology, /dev/ttyS1 is COM2, and so on.
|
||
|
||
You also need to ensure that you have permission to write to the serial port.
|
||
On a standalone workstation you can change the permissions to allow global
|
||
access to the port. As root, enter the following command:
|
||
|
||
chmod a+rw /dev/ttyS0
|
||
|
||
Greater security can be achieved using the group permissions. Set the
|
||
permissions to read/write for the group and add the required users to the
|
||
user list for the group (see man group). (TODO: More detail).
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
2.2. Devfs device naming
|
||
|
||
Recent Linux distributions may use devfs for device naming. In this case /dev
|
||
/ttyS0 may not exist, or may be a symbolic link to /dev/tts/0. This is a new
|
||
naming scheme brought in with the 2.4 kernel. Simply replace all references
|
||
to /dev/ttyS0 with /dev/tts/0.
|
||
|
||
If you use symbolic links with devfs, you may find that the links do not
|
||
persist correctly after you reboot. The /etc/devfsd.conf file controls the
|
||
creation of symbolic links to dynamically created devices.
|
||
|
||
As always, the operation seems to be set up differently under different
|
||
distributions.
|
||
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>Manrake 8.1 creates a link from /dev/usb/tts/1 to /dev/pilot when the
|
||
hotsync button is pressed on the cradle.
|
||
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>RedHat 7.2 requires the link to be created manually. The link is then
|
||
persistent across boots (thanks to Jim Mueller for this information).
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
2.3. USB Connection
|
||
|
||
USB access to Palm devices is relatively new. The Handspring Visor seems to
|
||
be well supported, and works with the pilot-link suite. Currently, the Palm
|
||
m500 series only works with coldsync, although pilot-link support is in
|
||
active development. Update: the current development version of pilot-link,
|
||
0.10.x, has support for USB devices. See the pilot-link section for more
|
||
about this release.
|
||
|
||
To use any USB device under Linux, you need to have USB support in your
|
||
kernel. You will also need the relevant modules available. Most (TODO: Check
|
||
which distros work out of the box) recent Linux distributions have USB
|
||
support enabled by default. To check your system, try the following command
|
||
as root:
|
||
|
||
modprobe visor
|
||
|
||
If you get no output from this command, then the module is available and you
|
||
do not need to recompile your kernel. If this does not work, try the
|
||
alternative usbserial module:
|
||
modprobe usbserial
|
||
|
||
This is used by some distributions, such as Redhat 7.0.
|
||
|
||
If you need to set up USB support in your kernel, the Handspring Visor with
|
||
Linux mini-HOWTO provides instructions. (TODO: Incorporate into this HOWTO?)
|
||
|
||
Once USB support is set up, you should use device /dev/ttyUSB1 to communicate
|
||
with your PDA. Note that this device name only exists after you have pressed
|
||
the hotsync button on the cradle. You must press the button before running
|
||
the connection software.
|
||
|
||
If you have problems synchronising via USB, try an updated kernel. There may
|
||
be some timing issues with the USB driver. For example, I found that stock
|
||
Mandrake 8.1 did not work on one PC, but worked first time on a faster PC.
|
||
Upgrading to a stock 2.4.17 kernel solved the problem and worked fine on both
|
||
PCs.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
2.4. IR Connection
|
||
|
||
The latest Palm devices have infrared (IrDA) ports. If you have one of these,
|
||
and a PC with an infrared port, you can synchronise over IrDA and do away
|
||
with the cables altogether.
|
||
|
||
David A. Desrosiers has written a comprehensive [http://www.pilot-link.org/
|
||
howto/irhsync/] HOWTO on the subject. (TODO: Include this inline?)
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
2.5. Network Connection
|
||
|
||
It is possible to physically connect your PDA to one PC, and synchronise it
|
||
with another PC elsewhere on the network. This might be a useful feature if
|
||
you need to synchronise with a PC to which you cannot physically connect your
|
||
PDA.
|
||
|
||
Once again David A. Desrosiers has written a (less comprehensive) [http://
|
||
www.pilot-link.org/howto/nhsync] HOWTO on the subject. (TODO: Include this
|
||
inline? Not convinced of the value of this method - anyone care to comment?)
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
3. The pilot-link suite
|
||
|
||
The pilot-link suite provides the tools for communicating with your PDA. The
|
||
pilot-link programs provide the background functionality for many higher
|
||
level programs, but can also be used on their own as command line tools.
|
||
|
||
Most distributions come with the pilot-link suite available as an optional
|
||
package. The package will be available on the installation media or from the
|
||
ftp site of the distribution. Install the package in the usual way for your
|
||
distribution. You may also need development versions of the packages if you
|
||
wish to compile any software that uses pilot-link.
|
||
|
||
Note: Unless otherwise specified, the details below refer to the 0.9.x
|
||
release of pilot-link. The version in development is 0.10.x. This version
|
||
contains support for USB devices, and has been updated to ensure greater
|
||
consistency between the various utilities. Once 0.10.x is officially
|
||
released, this document will be updated for the new version.
|
||
|
||
If you upgrade to 0.10.x, you will also need to update applications which use
|
||
pilot-link. In particular, J-Pilot and gnome-pilot need modifications to work
|
||
with 0.10.x. J-Pilot 0.99.2 should work with the latest version of
|
||
pilot-link.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
3.1. Installing the pilot-link software
|
||
|
||
The pilot-link suite comes with most major Linux distributions, including
|
||
RedHat, Mandrake, SUSE and Debian. If you intend to compile applications
|
||
which rely on pilot-link, you may need to install development packages as
|
||
well.
|
||
|
||
If you use a distribution that does not come with pilot-link, or you need a
|
||
more recent version, you can find the latest release at [http://
|
||
www.pilot-link.org/] www.pilot-link.org. As well as the current version, you
|
||
will find a link to the latest CVS snapshot.
|
||
|
||
Once you have the downloaded the source, unpack and compile it as follows:
|
||
|
||
tar -zxvf pilot-link.0.9.5.tar.gz cd pilot-link.0.9.5
|
||
./configure
|
||
make
|
||
make install
|
||
|
||
The programs can be run directly from the directory in which they were
|
||
compiled. You may wish to test them before running make install. For more
|
||
information, see the README file that comes with pilot-link.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
3.2. Using the pilot-link software
|
||
|
||
Most of the programs in the pilot-link suite are conduits, that is they
|
||
transfer data into or out of your Palm OS device.
|
||
|
||
Each time you use of one of the programs, press the HotSync button on your
|
||
PDA's cradle. This will initiate the PDA side of the data transfer. Note that
|
||
not all of these programs prompt you to press the `HotSync' button, so you
|
||
may have to remember to do it yourself.
|
||
|
||
For more details, view the corresponding manual page. There is an overview
|
||
manual page under the name pilot-link.
|
||
|
||
The pilot-link programs all use the same method of determining the location
|
||
of your PDA:
|
||
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>If a device is specified on the command line, that device will be used
|
||
regardless of the other settings.
|
||
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>If the environment variable $PILOTPORT is set, that will be used unless a
|
||
port is specified on the command line.
|
||
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD>*<2A>If no port is specified on the command line, and the $PILOTPORT variable
|
||
is not set, /dev/pilot will be used.
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
3.2.1. pilot-xfer
|
||
|
||
Possibly the most useful program in the pilot-link suite, pilot-xfer allows
|
||
you to install programs on your Palm OS device, make a backup, and restore
|
||
that backup.
|
||
|
||
To install a program:
|
||
|
||
pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -i program.prc
|
||
|
||
To backup your Palm OS device:
|
||
|
||
pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -b backup-directory
|
||
|
||
This will copy all of the databases on your Palm OS device, (including
|
||
programs?) to a directory called ``backup-directory'', creating it if it does
|
||
not already exist.
|
||
|
||
To restore data to Palm OS device:
|
||
|
||
pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -r backup-directory
|
||
|
||
Generally, you will only need to do this if your Palm OS device loses power
|
||
or if you have to do a hard reset.
|
||
|
||
To list the programs on your Palm OS device:
|
||
|
||
pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -l
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
3.2.2. install-memo
|
||
|
||
To install a memo into your (already existing) project category:
|
||
|
||
install-memo /dev/pilot -c project project.memo
|
||
|
||
The name of the file will be inserted into the memo as its first line and
|
||
will appear in the directory of memos on your Palm OS device.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
3.2.3. memos
|
||
|
||
This program grabs each memo from the Palm OS device and prints it out in
|
||
standard mailbox format.
|
||
|
||
To view your memos:
|
||
|
||
memos /dev/pilot
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
3.2.4. pilot-addresses
|
||
|
||
Transfer the address database to or from your PDA.
|
||
|
||
To write your address data to a Linux file from your PDA:
|
||
|
||
pilot-addresses /dev/pilot -w storage.file
|
||
|
||
To read your address data from a Linux file onto your PDA:
|
||
|
||
pilot-addresses /dev/pilot -r file
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
4. Coldsync
|
||
|
||
Coldsync is an alternative to the pilot-link suite for transferring data to
|
||
and from your PalmOS device. Like pilot-link, it can synchronise, backup and
|
||
restore Palm databases.
|
||
|
||
There are fewer applications available which use coldsync as their backend.
|
||
That may change, but it seems to reflect a difference in philosophy between
|
||
coldsync and pilot-link. Applications that sync using pilot-link tend to
|
||
build in the functionality for synchronisation. It is therefore the author of
|
||
the application that decides to include pilot-link support.
|
||
|
||
Coldsync takes a different approach. Conduits can be written to use coldsync
|
||
with almost any application. The synchronisation process can be entirely
|
||
transparent to the application. If the application author is not interested
|
||
in adding PDA support, it does not matter. As long as the data format of the
|
||
application is available, someone else can write the conduit.
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
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.
|