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iSync Beta Released
OrangeHairMan writes "iSync, 'the cutting-edge synchronization software from Apple,' has been released in beta, with support for Bluetooth phones, iPods, Palm OS-based handhelds, and .Mac (for synchronizing multiple Macs). Now only if I had any of these products... ;)"
The ReadMe clearly says that it is for Palm devices from Palm or Handpsring. My Clie may be supported, but until I know I will continue to use Palm Desktop with the MissingSync. I have no desire to try to move over to iCal until I know that I can synch it with my Sony.
It amazes me that people are able to write support for these devices without too much trouble and yet the companies are not able to support Macs.
Getting my old Handspring to work with Palm Desktop 4.0 (so that I did not have to use Classic) was a very minor thing on my part, but Handspring took forever to get it working. They just released the Desktop 4.0 software for Visors last week!
The fact that an indivdual can write support into Palm Desktop to support Clies is amazing as well, given that Sony will not support it.
Now Apple will not support Clies, as well.
I can only hope that support is added later.
- (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman
Look forward to Newton support soon for iSync... Luckily, getting Newton support is in a lot of ways, a lot more straightforward than it is for Palm OS. It's easily done via a plain old TCP/IP connection with a little app on the Newton side. :)
Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
It would be pretty straight forward to write such an application if the all the vendors would finish the XML based sync specification and then actually implement it.
The release notes that came with the download said to delete old files (just on the iPod) before syncing. Apple tried to warn you.
It's not an invisible location, I believe; it's in your iDisk, in (IIRC) Library/Application Support/iSync/. Although, right now, it appears iDisk/.Mac is down, or somesuch, because I can't get to anything.
- iSync does not use WebDAV, but a different protocol (at least for registering).
- iSync contacts the server using https. The server is authenticated properly. I tried to fool iSync like I did with Backup but that didn't work, because iSync does not accept the server certificate.
So at first look, iSync security is better done than Backup, making it hard to use another server, like can be done with iCal or Backup.Actually, I'm developing such a software. It's not called GNUsync but gsynchro. It implements SyncML standard (see www.syncml.org) which you were talking about. We're developing both a server and a client. Right now the client would be for the Zaurus and the iPAQ but port it to any UNIX platform ought to be trivial.
;) Stay tuned!
For your information all the XML based sync you were talking about is really SyncML. You can see all the compatible servers and devices on that page : http://www.syncml.org/interoperability1.html#2. Of course there are all the Sony Ericsson supported phones but there are much more! I guess Apple don't want to provide support for all the SyncML devices. To synchronize Palm, Pocket PC and other non-SyncML platform we plan to do "proxies" to take advantage of what's already developed and present only one software to the user.
We develop it in C++, using the SyncML specifications. We plan to release a first public beta by the next that just synchronize contacts between two PC and by the end of november all the PIM information between two Linux PCs or a Linux desktop and a Linux PDA (being the iPAQ or the Zaurus). But I don't think when that will happen you'll be informed on the slashdot site
Christian Gillot