Anyone using PalmDesktop and LINUX?

U

UniquelyGothic

New member
Please advise here if you're a Linux user and have PalmDesktop (and specifically Docs2Go) working in Linux, either under the WINE conversion app or in some other way (patched .dll's, hack, custom conduit, etc).

I'm going to do this "Linux" thing next week with SOMETHING, and I'd like to know what you lads and ladies use, if anything. As long as the printer and scanner and PalmDesktop work, the other stuff is easy . . . Firefox browser and the Linux suite of office stuff for spreadsheets and letters. "GIMP" is the freeware Linux version of PhotoShop - I'll be all set (as long as I can defrag).

Thank you all in advance!
 
I am a Linux and Palm user, but I don't run any Windows software on Linux.


I answered somebody else about this a couple of weeks ago (I _think_ it was in this forum :-), you could try looking it up.
EDIT: Link to thread: http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53905

Anyway, what I'm using is the pilot-link "low-level" toolkit, for backups and installing single apps/files directly (very convenient), and the kpilot suite for hotsyncs in general. If you want to actively use the PC to update calendar etc. (I don't) then you just install plug-ins for kpilot which lets it communicate with Korganizer etc.

You can read more about kpilot on its homepage, http://www.slac.com/~pilone/kpilot_home/

BTW, kpilot uses the pilot-link toolkit for its operations. However, there are some transitions going on with pilot-link at the moment, in order to better support T3 and other Palms with newer conduits and other things. There is also an issue with the hotsync manager protocol and 64K record alignments or some such, and only the latest, not-yet-released pilot-link handles this (by ignoring such files, which is what the newest Palmdesktop hotsync does too!)

Depending on what you have installed, you may or may not run into sync problems.

Uh, and Avantgo updates just fine when synching with kpilot, no need for any avantgo app on the desktop (I mention this because someone in another thread said he had stopped using Avantgo because of no Mac support, which surprises me.. shouldn't be an issue).

Some things in particular I like about using Linux with palm and the pilot-link tools:

- dlpsh is an interactive Desktop Link Protocol (DLP) Shell for the palm device. You can interactively e.g. sync the time with the desktop, change or set your Palm hotsync name, list files etc.
- Installing new apps on the Palm is as easy as e.g. 'pilot-xfer -i GreatNewApp.prc'
- Making full backups from the command line: 'pilot-xfer -b backup-2005-01-27' (full backup in a dir of that name). NB: This operation can get you into the protocol problem mentioned earlier, unless you have the development version of pilot-link. See pilot-link.org.

As far as Docs2go is concerned, you should be able to handle such files without any desktop app installed, as long as you have a Doc2go version which supports native file formats, an expansion card, and a card reader to copy the files to (pilot-link doesn't support sending to card yet, although it's being worked on - it may be in the development version already but don't take my word for it).
I've transferred excel files to a card (and also a ramdisk, downloading over wifi to ramdisk is nice) and Docs2go shows it just fine.

There's more, but I'll stop there.
 
I have been using SUSE 9.1 Professional ( http://www.suse.com ) and Windows 2000 on my home computer. I am very happy with SUSE. The Card Export program on my T3 works with SUSE. I copy native files to and from the SD card with no trouble. SUSE comes with KPilot and works good. The program also has a feature for doing complete backups of your T3. You do, however, have to change the default port setting. The port should be /dev/ttyUSB1 . You can find more documentation at http://www.pilot-link.org .

I would have totally switched to SUSE already, but I am still synchronizing SmartList To Go with MS Access. Open Office is rapidly improving and is a good replacement for Microsoft Office.

I purchased the SUSE application and it came with 2 sets of disks. One is for Intel-based systems. A DVD installation disk has a 64bit version designed for the AMD processors.

Novell is now developing SUSE and now have Linux versions of Netware, ZenWorks, and are adding GroupWise support to Evolution and other Linux PIM programs.

Good Luck with your migration.
 
Thank you both.

Yeah, I had the SUSE thing in mind and if it comes with the Palm deal that's even better.

Sounds like it's not much of a problem at all since Palm was what I was most worried about . . . I'm just wondering if the LInux office suite spreadsheets will read the Docs2Go sheets I normally sync with excel. If not, I'll reload my good old TinySheet and the heck with it. I'll re-read sp-tor's info and check that other post, just as soon as my nose stops bleeding . . . I'm "pretty good," and do a lot of tweaks you're "not supposed to be able to do" like uninstall I.E., get rid of the scepol.log . . . . tear the hell out of ROM with Sprat/Flash . . . but Linux is to say the least daunting to me.

I started THREE TIMES to read a book on Debian Linux some time back, and looked like Anthony Hopkins being wheeled in.

"Just one more thing, Senator . . . . . LOVE your suit."

Scary stuff, what with the "just type [[{*&fartknocker 6**" and you'll be fine!! Jesus.

I take it, dwinget, I just pick up the SUSE 9.2 "box" at Fry's or BestBuy, load the first "regular CDs for the W2K monkeys," and fly with it. I have W2K too. Do I reformat the entire drive first if I'm not doing the "splitsy splits hard drive" thing?

Being an impatient "just delete the damn I.E!!" Brit, I'd kind of prefer to just "go whole hog" and do it. Now I know I have some form of "synching" and that Card Readers and/or CardExport work, I'm not as worried. Everything else has a "replacement."

ADDENDUM: Read that link and your post, sp-tor . . . just great stuff. Went to the site. I should have known Florent Pillet would be involved . . . FindHack is one of the best apps ever - guy's a genius. How cool! I want you to know the post is copied, "NotePad'd" and will be proudly displayed as a reference for me. Thank you.
 
You can format the hard disk first. However, the SUSE installation will give you some options on how to set up the drive. If I remember right, there is even an option for deleting all the existing partitions.

Before you start, make sure you find out your DNS Servers IP address. You will need the information when you set up your broadband connection.

SUSE has been able to detect my USB flash disk, card reader, and it has scanner support, depending on the model you have. In addition, digital cameras are supported, including DV video cams with a firewire connection. This is the first version of Linux I actually feel comfortable with.

SUSE comes with a couple of reference books. One is for the system administration and the other one is an application guide.
 
I looked at $49.95 RedHat tonight at Staples, but will wait and get SUSE. The fact it will "see" the Sony 707 Digicam (through USB I hope) is terrific; I thought I was scrwed on the HP printer and Epson scanner because obviously their "disks" won't load, being for M$.

I'll miss cryptainer and axcrypt, but with the Linux I guess that stuff isn't as important.

What's really a shocker is I won't NEED THE PALM DESKTOP . . . I take it kPilot is its own "deal," and allows hotsync without the PalmDesktop frills - great - 40MB saved there.

The conduits to TextSync (SourceForge, syncs TealDoc and desktop text documents like WordSmith/Word2Go but without the hassles), as well as TealPaint (I believe screenshot5, an alternative I'm considering, also has a "sync" for screenshots straight to the desktop) . . . . . how will they work, I wonder?

Also, I'm wondering if my T3 text files stored on the Windows 2k desktop in a folder can be READ by Linux (opened up from the archived CD in SUSE), and what I'll do for a Zip Central/QuickZip replacement (I have both and they're great). Beyond that I think I'm set, and good call on the cable company information. That might be important!! The net will be the first thing hooked up (to get help and drivers!) . . . . and the first place I'm going is a post here to say "the smoke's cleared . . . . where the hell are the JackFlash/Teal questions, boys and girls!!"

I'm so excited . . . I'm about to "JackSprat" my PC. Along with the new MouseGestures for Firefox . . . which is as close to "graffiti" as I can get . . . I'm slowly making this bad boy into . . . . . a big fat T3!! LongHorn this!!!
 
Just a couple of quick comments before I shoot
- I just thought I should mention specifically that the pilot-link toolkit which is currently being updated for better T3 support (and beyond), i.e. the development version, is _unstable_ and can screw your device. Just so it has been said.
- OpenOffice will have no problems reading your excel files, your powerpoint files etc. Usually there will be no problem reading (or writing) Word files either, _however_, this depends on how they look like. As an example, the "template" we use where I work was never put together well, so our in-house word docs are not looking perfect in OpenOffice. What we receive from our customers are usually totally fine though. Go figure!
These days Word seems to be happy with files written by OpenOffice too.
- Linux can read files from your Windows partition, if it's vfat (fat32) it can read and write, if it's NTFS it can read. It can in principle write too, but there are strict limitations and I'm not trying that.
 
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