Re: personal organizers
Michael Meskes <meskes@debian.org> wrote:
=> Anyone's using such a piece of hardware with Linux? I guess I have to
=> have
=> some M$ Outlook compatibility for business stuff, but I'd also like to
=> put
=> my personal mail on it that I do with mutt on Linux. Is this possible?
=>
=> If so, which product is the best?
I have used a Psion Series 3 with Linux and using an app called p3nfs you
can mount the Psion filesystem on your Linux box and access files that way.
Not *very* useful however, it just enables you to copy files etc..
I currently have a 3Com Palm III which is absolutely wonderful. I use KPilot
on my computer. KPilot is part of the KDE project but can be used with any
WM. KPilot allows you to synch your Palm Pilot with your PC and can also
synch your address database, todo, memo and calendar info to real apps -
Korganizer is used for the todo and calendar info and internal apps for
addresses and memos. You can use the desktop apps and synch to your Pilot or
vice versa. KPilot will also install apps onto your Pilot. Basically you
have apps which are equal to, if not better than, their Windows equivalents.
There are also other apps in Linux to use with the Palm Pilots. Various
command line apps for simple file transfers, backups etc., and an X front
end called Pilot Manager.
I have just discovered AvantGo (http://www.avantgo.com). Each day I run a
simple app which synchronises my Palm III to AvantGo and downloads various
previously chosen services. I have the New York Times, Wired and InfoSpace.
I can then read these at my leisure on my Palm III. Superb! All this runs on
Linux and is completely free.
You mention email. To use the Palm Pilot for email you need an MH type
folder - I use Ishmail (free) which can use Unix and MH folders so I just
created an MH folder called Pilot. When I get any emails I want to take with
me, I move them into this folder. When I run the mail app, pilot-mail, my
Palm III downloads the mail from the Pilot folder and uploads any mail I
might have previously written/replied to on the Palm III. The written mail
is simply injected into your mailsystem and is later sent by sendmail or
other MTA when you next log on to your IP. You can download directly from
your IP, but I belong to so many lists etc. I would rather be more selective
about what I send to the Palm Pilot.
I use 9menu and dfm (an excellent file-manager) so that I have an icon of a
Palm Pilot on my desktop and when I double-click it I get a menu appear
which
has on it all the Linux Pilot apps I use. It works very smoothly and gives
me a lot of control.
As you can see, if you want Linux connectivity for a PDA, there is really
only one choice! 3Com have just introduced a new model, the Palm IIIe which
is a cheaper version of the IIIx. They will soon cease manufacture of the
Palm III. The IIIe and IIIx have better screens. The V is a different
beast, to my mind more of a designer toy.
Get back to me if you need more help/advice.
Take care.
--
Phillip Deackes
gsmh@gmx.net
Debian Linux (Potato)
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