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SyncML 1.0 released; MAL Is Dead.
A reader Coward writes: "Finally, there's a standard for sync. SyncML 1.0 was just released. Which also means MAL is pretty much history." Yeah, getting Motorola, Nokia, Ericcson, Palm and about 600 other companies is probably a good move. If it means I can beam sync calender/number information from my Palm to my phone, I'll be a happy man.
It rules! Now if it would only have some decent syncing software to go with my decent operating system, i'd be a happy man again.
-8<--
PilotLink doesn't contain support for MAL, but it's not the right app to support it.
When i saw this article, my first reaction was "Great, now it'll be *another lengthy wait for linux to catch up"
Aparantly most people don't know, Linux does support MAL. You can even hotsync avantgo with linux.
You'll need PilotLink (of course), jpilot (curiously enough, the j doesn't mean it's written in java - it's written with gtk+), MALSync (http://www.tomw.org/malsync/) and the jpilot-syncmal plugin from http://home.sprynet.com/~cbagwell/jpilot.html. Get the source for everything but pilot-link, because you will be compiling stuff differently from the standard installation.
Works pretty well here, except i still have to sync with windows to drop channels from avantgo, and you will still need to sync with windows to install and configure avantgo. But follow the instructions in the jpilot-syncmal documentation or it'll be a lot harder than it should be.
This is just like television, only you can see much further.
Another option is to use a Netscape autoproxy config, where you can tell it to proxy all *.doubleclick.net to 127.0.0.1.
They don't need to build a full-blown SAX parser into the phone, they only need to be able to parse SyncML. This parser could easily be put into programmable logic so it could be upgraded later.
When will companies learn that it's the *server* that's valuable, not the piddly little SyncML client?
(FWIW: I'm perfectly capable of writing a Palm client for myself. My point is that *no one wants* five different slightly incompatible clients. We want one, officially supported, universally compatible client. And the SyncML folk aren't giving us that.)
[
At first glance, this looks great. However, having downloaded the specification, I am somewhat troubled by this bit of legalese:
<snip>
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) Ericsson, IBM, Lotus, Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., LTD,
Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Inc., Psion, Starfish Software (2000).
All Rights Reserved.
Implementation of all or part of any Specification may require licenses under third party
intellectual property rights, including without limitation, patent rights (such a third party may
or may not be a Supporter). The Sponsors of the Specification are not responsible and shall
not be held responsible in any manner for identifying or failing to identify any or all such
third party intellectual property rights.
</snip>
What's this? The sponsors of the specification "may" have various patents and copyrights making it impossible (or illegal, which isn't the same of course) to implement the specification without paying them money? And they don't even have to tell us about them (until it's too late)?! And I hoped this was going to be an open standard...
Will this present a major hurdle for Linux developers trying to implement the standard so we can use our PDAs and such with a Linux box? I think it looks pretty likely.
on the downloads page you can find "SyncML Reference Toolkit / SyncML Gold Candidate for Palm, Linux & Windows"
there doesn't seem to be mention of an rsync type approach, which is odd considering the bandwidth problems they're trying to address.
each device is required to maintain a change log for each server that it syncs with. could get expensive in terms of memory if you don't sync for a while, especially on small devices. however, does anybody have an alternative other than a complete resync every time?
one of the things it's based on is that each item to be synced will have a unique ID, which is something that can't be relied upon to exist at the moment. hopefully, this will encourage PIM writers etc to implement these as it makes things much simpler. the only alternative i can see is to compare items every time to try and find similarities which is fraught with difficulties ;)
the best sync stuff i've used has been truesync by starfish, so it's encouraging to see them involved.
stay frosty and alert
I noticed Avant Go was mentioned in the article. The Avant Go system is a perfect example of a 3rd party coming and and developing a something for a MS product because it was lacking that ability (Avant go allows you to sync across the network and through the web!)
Since MS, who has openly announced they are "going after" the embedded market is conspicuously absent I predict the following.
MS absence smells bad in this context. I only hope that enough people have adopted the protocol and it's use is so ingrained that MS will have to come along. A good example of where MS had to tow the standards line is the netowrk protocol TCP/IP, if MS had had it's way, we would ALL use NETBEUI :)
On that same note I still find it oddly funny that TCP/IP is under Microsoft as a manufacturer when you add TCP/IP to any MS machine. Almost like they invented it (sub liminal associtation?)
"Science is about ego as much as it is about discovery and truth " - I said it, so sue me.
Pilot-link is under active development as a GPL project, & not only supports UNIX & UNIX-like OSes, but I believe is also supported for OS/2 & Win32 operating systems. (But those ports need volunteers.)
See http://www.gnu-designs.com/pilot-link/ for further details.
Developing SyncML compliance would be a Very Good Thing.
Geoff
I think I see a trend here. Maybe for them it really would be easier to muzzle the entire internet than to produce p
My guess would be that the SyncML folk are trying to encourage servers to be written, and understand that people *much* prefer to develop servers for Linux rather than windows.
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Although there is a download entitled "WinPalmLinux" reference code, it doesn't include anything remotely resembling palmpilot client code. Does anyone know what gives? Presumably the idea is that there will be a "MobileLink"-type application to implement the SyncML protocol on the client side? If so, where is it?
[
If you have the right nokia phone (8260, for one) you can send the sync vcal and vcard info as SMS messages.
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Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
Welcome to the world of telecoms. And that is the exact reason I will buy myself a visorphone. Because it is built from the PDA to the phone so that it is not encumbered by the standard nasonal telecom appreciation like all the GSM phone stuff currently in circulation. And in btw, some patents there are much sillier than the patents in software.
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
http://www.sigsegv.cx/
the home of the specification
hmmm can't find a linux project for it. anyone what to start one?
nmarshall
The law is that which it boldly asserted and plausibly maintained..
nmarshall
The law is that which it boldly asserted and plausibly maintained..
--Colonel Burr 1783
If this is a calendar and address book standards format - the PC needs this as well! I cannot merge my calendar entries with say outlook and yahoo's calendar.
This will have a huge impact on PIM managers, email clients, and calendaring software on PCs as well as handhelds.
Uh, you can do that ALREADY with at least Nokia phones because both Palm and Nokia uses vCal and vCard.
At last, this should bring an end to the poor file conversion between PDA, PC (plus others). High time this happened. Also better integration between other devices such as mobile phones syncing to pdas and PC. Such software would now be easier to write (though once the connection has been made) If you look on the syncML home page (which is linked from its founders - Psion), you will notice one company that isn't supporting it... Microsoft. But then, if you think about it, if microsoft did support syncML its applications, they would loose an advantage they have over other companies - microsoft know the exact file formats and therefore can sync 100% successfully between microsoft software and its PDAs. It would be of no interest for Microsoft software to convert to other PDAs 100% successfully. (yes I know, correctly, converters do quite a good job of it) Also, there is a spec for Linux which is also complete (again, see the syncML homepage).. so maybe for us Psion owners, we will be seeing, perhaps, PsiWin for Linux :->> For other PDA owners, better sync between PDA and Linux.