Linux Support on USB Palm Pilots? 54
seachnasaigh asks: "I love desktop Linux, but the one stumbling block I have with deploying it in some capacity for my userbase is USB Palm Pilots. Once upon a time I managed to get GPilot working with a serial PalmVx, but despite repeated attempts (SuSE 9.2 pro, Fedora Core 3 and several Palm devices) I can't get a synch to happen with the USB version, either through the native Gnome Pilot app or through Evolution (and yes, Kpilot too!). Our standard deployment is a Palm Tungsten T series; most of our desktops are recent Dells. It's embarrassing to have to boot into Windows to synch the Palms. Does anyone have some suggestions out there?"
works for my PHB (Score:1)
He noted that it was much easier to get working in Gentoo than SuSE.
Re:works for my PHB (Score:2)
Re:works for my PHB (Score:1)
His method is just to mess around with things until they work (and break a few other things along the way sometimes).
Re:works for my PHB (Score:1)
Re:works for my PHB (Score:2)
Re:works for my PHB (Score:2)
*dutifully leaves slashdot until he has his coffee.*
Some apps work perfectly (Score:2, Informative)
Maybe this is a thoroughly unhelpful suggestion, but I'd say try Jpilot if you don't require Evolution or some other specific app to be able to sync with.
Re:Some apps work perfectly (Score:2)
Re:Some apps work perfectly (Score:2)
Also, for double bonus points, does anybody know how to sync Groupwise with a Tungsten E under Linux?
Re:Some apps work perfectly (Score:1)
Interesting... I never was able to get mine to sync. Tungsten E, Debian. 2.4 kernel of some sort, IIRC. (I'm not at work, or I'd check.) The ttyUSB shows up, but I have never managed to get it to do anything but sit telling me that I should hit the hot sync button (Though that message would only appear after I hit it!)
If you aren't already, you may want to try ttyUSB1 instead of ttyUSB0. Two different devices get set up for Palms & related devices (Visor, etc), and AFAIK, ttyUSB1 is the one you wan
Shouldn't be a problem... (Score:2)
Hit sync first (Score:5, Informative)
Anyways... the only real trick is that you have to start the hotsync on the pilot before you start the hotsync on the desktop (the desktop won't see the USB device until the hotsync has started).
Devices:
/dev/pilot: symbolic link to ttyUSB1
/dev/ttyUSB1: character special (188/1)
Modules required:
visor (CONFIG_USB_SERIAL_VISOR=m)
usbserial (CONFIG_USB_SERIAL=m)
Handspring works on the 2nd sync with J-Pilot (Score:3, Interesting)
The other bit about /dev/ttyUSB1 is also extremely
Re:Hit sync first (Score:2)
Re:Hit sync first (Score:2)
My Treo 600 works perfectly with pilot-link and jpilot.
Different Ports For Different Palms (Score:2)
This is all with J-Pilot, which has always worked perfectly for me.
Re:Serial Ports (Score:1)
Do those USB-to-serial port converter devices not work in Linux? I'd have figured that as long as usbdevfs is mounted, it would detect the new device as a serial port, and udev (in kernel 2.6, anyway) would mount the new port device as /dev/ttyS*
If I'm wrong, then please pardon my ignorance.
Re:Serial Ports (Score:1)
step by step tutorial (Score:1)
Being a Windows user who wants to switch to Linux [I planned this for a long time], this problem is what keeps me on Win.
Could someone point me to a manual that has screenshots, or mode detailed explanations of things?
Because I've read several tutorials, and all of them stated different things. i.e. one said that USB is ttyUSB00, another one - ttyUSB0. Then I was told that I have to
Re:step by step tutorial (Score:2)
Mine is
Now, I use kpilot on SuSE 9.1, and now 9.3, with an m505. IIRC, what I did when I got it was start at ttyUSB0 and work my way up until it worked (note that it won't actually see the device until you hit its hotsynch button). You may have to play with the speed settings too,
works for me (Score:2)
USB works for me. (Score:1)
It just works.
This also works for me:
pilot-xfer -p
cuidado con Dell (Score:2)
Just my $0.02, YMMV, etc.
Re:cuidado con Dell (Score:1)
Oooooh (Score:2, Informative)
1. Check that kernel is compiled with modules 'serial' and 'visor', you can check if they are loaded by typing modprobe serial; modprobe visor.
If these modules are compiled but not loaded for some reason, modprobe will actually load them, so if modprobe's go
errr, I've got it working! (Score:2)
Sony Clie (Score:2)
Research people! (Score:2, Informative)
Bah! (Score:5, Insightful)
My friend, I have one word for you - "google".
Support for PalmOS based units is ROCK SOLID on Linux, especially the USB based units. And it has been for years. I am a PalmPilot user from the 1990s, and while I admit that there were issues in the first few years, today they simply dont exist, not with stuff like Jpilot [jpilot.org] around. The guys who run the Pilot Link [pilot-link.org] project have been doing fantastic work over the years making sure that things work, and there must be a zillion Linux users out there who benefit daily from their work.
A totally elementary Google search [google.com] would have brought up EVERYTHING you would need to get things going.
On a tangent - why was this post allowed through in first place? It now sits on the front page of Slashdot, and gives all those guys who never RTFA or read comments more misguidance, leaving them with the impression that what is written in that post is actually true.
And it will poison search engines for a long time, so that anyone who ACTUALLY does a google search before posting gets this post thrown up before any real information.
BAH!
Re:Bah! (Score:1)
Not sure how this is even an ask slashdot. Took me maybe 5 minutes with Google the first time I set up Jpilot, and I'm using Gentoo.
I'm pretty sure that if I was using one of the commercial distros I wouldn't even have had to search.
Re:Bah! (Score:1)
A totally elementary Google search would have brought up EVERYTHING you would need to get things going.
... including my page [freedos.org] about 'Using Palm Zire with Linux'. The only stumbling block I had was that the USB device it was sitting on wasn't being chown'd to me, so I had to manually extend the permissions so I could read/write to the device.
Aside from that, it's easy. My only other problem has been that I can't sync my work calendar (we use Oracle Collaboration Suite, and there's no connector for tha
Re:Bah! (Score:3, Insightful)
This is a typical response from this userbase, and it is a stretch, at best. (ESPECIALLY USB UNITS, FOR YEARS?)
The original poster is having difficulty getting it to work, as do HUNDREDS of other people. It's amazing how you point out that it's rock solid, but then recommend a Google search to find "everything you need to get it going." Look at the number of responses to this article!
U
Re:Bah! (Score:1)
JPilot or Kpilot (Score:3, Informative)
Now, I have SuSE 9.2 and I can sync my NX70 with the Kpilot shipped with SuSE.
One of the issue you may encounter is that user interaction required to sync a Palm is kind of convoluted (plug Palm, open sync application, wait, start HotSync from the Palm, click on Sync in the app, you get the picture) so the first time is always difficult. Please note that this is really Palm fault for having a freaky handshake protocol, not Kpilot's or Jpilot's.
Palm Zire 31 (Score:1)
Tungsten/Zire are different (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Tungsten/Zire are different (Score:1)
USB-Serial Adapter (Score:2)
Re:USB-Serial Adapter (Score:1)
This Belongs on a Project Mailing List (Score:1)
I am starting to notice, as others have, that Ask Slashdot has become a generic "Tech Questions" forum. I always thought it was for when you had a thought-provoking or complicated questions that could benefit a large group of people, but lately it's just "I can't get foo to work, does Slashdot know how? I'm using it for psuedo-important-usage and my (boss|significant other|kids|imaginary friend) really wants it to work."
Re:This Belongs on a Project Mailing List (Score:1, Offtopic)
If not, why are you kicking about someone else who just has a normal question?
epocrates (Score:2)
Best viewed as a distro thing... (Score:1)
CTRL H for backspace.
USB drives showing up automatically on the desktop.
There tends to be a gap between possible/working and working well. This is one of the things Linux has the hardest time with. I felt I should chime in because I myself abandoned palms/visors a few years back for many reasons, one being that getting them to work in Linux was a major PIB. It would work but never flawlessly. (Yes,
My experiences with Linux and Palms (Score:1)
Then I upgraded to a Tungsten C. At first, this worked great with two Fedora Core 2 machines.
Then I upgraded both machines to Fedora Core 3, and one of the systems continued to work great, while the other would frequently crash during sync'ing.
Then I reinstalled the crashy system with Ubuntu, and things were good again.
As far as PIM software, I've used almost exclusively jpilot, though
Zire 71 and Kubuntu (Score:1)
works for me (Score:1)
Things to beware: when you plug in your palmtop, it'll create two
Secondly, if you sync to multiple apps, don't try to run more than one at once, as it will make the dye run. Don't do this.
If it stops working for no reason, check t