Zaurus Sync Software (Finally) Available for Linux

Tony Green writes "One of the biggest gripes of early Zaurus users (with much justification) was the fact that despite the fact that the Zaurus itself runs Linux, the only synchronisation software made available was for Windoze machines. Trolltech have now released a desktop synch program (albeit a beta at the moment) for Linux, so at last Linux users can start doing what the rest could already do. Information at The Zaurus Software Index or Trolltech One word of warning though, the MySQL installation on my Zaurus became unusable after using this; I haven't worked out exactly what it did yet, but I ended up having to completely re-initialise the Zaurus and then restore everything from my backups. So not recommended if you're running MySQL (unless you're feeling brave...)"

Comments

Funny, just downloaded this yesterday.

[sys49152]

Note, to use the docking crade you have to modify the kernel for USB-ethernet support. Something I don't feel like doing. However, I set it up to do a network synch (I have a Netgear MA701 wireless CF card in my Z.), and it works like a champ.

Also note that the various PIM applications use an XML file format, and while it is mostly guessable, the format is not published. And TrollTech recommends not modifying them directly, anyway.

Finally, remember that you can always FTP etc. into the Z. for file management and other tasks.

Now, how do you sync with Mozilla's address book, Outlook's -and- evolution's Calendar, and Outlook's todo list?

Say What?

[HomerG]

I don't know what this is about, Qtopia Desktop for Linux has been out for quite some time now.

Not news for 2 reasons

[tempest303]

This isn't news for 2 reasons:

1) This is just another beta release - not the final version - the 1.5 beta has been out for months. (Possibly even from when the Z was first released, though I can't recall exactly)

2) (well, ok, this is more a personal reason, but...) Wake me up when it talks to Evolution... ...which reminds me - I'd personally throw down like $40 just to see the Z synch with Evolution. It's not going to happen from Trolltech or the Kompany for political and technical reasons (they'd rather have it talk to Aethera, I'm sure), but an independent developer could probably make some nice extra $$$ writing a stable, usable, reliable Evo Z synch suite. Here's hoping some one does this... I'm going nuts!

(yes, I'm fully aware of the project at http://sf.net/projects/zesync - but it hasn't gone anywhere in months, sadly....)

Re:Proper spellings

[Quixadhal]

I didn't think they were being childish, I just assumed that by using Micro$oft and Windoze, you protect yourself from the sea of lawyers who might come after you for trademark infringment. Afterall, when you corrected the fellow, you didn't specify it correctly as Microsoft(TM).

Let me ask you this... was there ANY doubt or confusion in your mind about the entity which was referenced by the slang "Windoze" term? If so, then you have a legitimate complaint, as the corruption introduces confusion. The purpose of language is to share ideas in a clear manner. If everyone understands what the slang refers to, then it is not really a problem for the intended audience is it?

Of course, the archaeologists who unearth the terrabytes of slashdot posts in years to come (the only useable record of this period of time, since it isn't DRM protected...yet), may be a bit bewildered (or perhaps they'll burn it as blaspheme since the Church of Microsoft(TM) would not look kindly upon it).

Cool!

[Wakko Warner]

Now the other two Zaurus users can sync to their desktops! The rest of us five will have to stop making fun of Bill and Andy now.

- A.P.

Deceptive and Wrong

[FreeUser]

That's still better than most linux software, just go to www.sourceforge.net and see how mony projects ever gets past alpha-stage.

I'm sure there are any number of pro-Microsoft(tm) zealots and astroturfers who will take exception to this, but my (and, I think, most people's) experience suggests that most alpha-stage GNU, Linux, and BSD projects are far and away more stable and reliable than their Windows(tm) equivelents, if perhaps less polished on the install and user-interface side.

In other words, those pre-alpha and alpha projects are often already far and away better than many of their Microsoft(tm) counterparts (if such even exist, which is often NOT the case), and are certainly very useful to GNU/Linux users long before they reach beta or final release status, in contrast to many offerings from Redmond, which remain unstable and marginally useful long after people have begun paying good money for them.

Free software developers, being subject to public peer review, are generally much more conservative in how they label their projects than Microsoft(tm) and some other commercial enterprises are, as anyone who has used both can readilly attest. It is particularly deceptive of disingenous for pro-Microsoft(tm) zealots to be using that conservatism in nomenclature to imply an inferiority in the software being released that, emperically, simply doesn't exist in most cases.

Now, if only we can get

[jht]

All it needs now is MacOS X support and then I can throw away my old Palm - right now I sync Palm to all platforms that I use and then sync Windows to the Zaurus. With OS X support I could use the Zaurus on all my platforms instead.

I know a USB/Ethernet driver for MacOS X is do-able, since the folks at IAA have done it for the PocketMac software (sync sotware for PocketPC machines).