| There are several tools that you can use to synchronize your Palm and Linux system. pilot-xfer, which is part of the pilot-link (http://www. pilot-link .org/) package, lets you synchronize your Palm to a directory. You can synchronize to KDE address books, calendars, etc. with KPilot (http://www.slac.com/pilone/kpilot_home/). GNOME-Pilot (http://www.gnome.org/projects/gnome-pilot/) lets you do the same with GNOME applications.  | In each of these applications, you'll be asked to press the HotSync button somewhere along the way. When this happens, launch HotSync on your Palm, select IR to a PC/Handheld, and click the on-screen HotSync button (not the HotSync button on your cable or cradle), as shown in Figure 8-17. | |
8.7.1 KPilot You can use KPilot as a free alternative to the Palm Desktop software for Windows and Mac OS X. To set up KPilot with your Palm over infrared: -
Launch KPilot (select it from a menu or run the command kpilot ). The main window appears as shown in Figure 8-14. Figure 8-14. The KPilot main window  -
Click Settings  Configure KPilot. The settings window appears, as shown in Figure 8-15. Specify /dev/ ircomm N (where N is the number of your infrared device, usually 0) as the Pilot device and click OK. Figure 8-15. Setting the Pilot device in KPilot  -
The main window should update to display the following (if it doesn't, check your IrDA configuration): 13:05:54 Trying to open device... 13:05:54 Device link ready. -
Next, click Settings Configure Conduits to choose the kind of information you want to synchronize. The conduit configuration window appears, as shown in Figure 8-16. Select each conduit you want, and click Enable. Click OK when you are done. Figure 8-16. Selecting which conduits to use in KPilot  To synchronize with your Palm: -
Place your Palm's infrared port in range of that of your Linux system. -
On your Palm, click the on-screen HotSync button as shown in Figure 8-17. -
The first time you sync, you may get a dialog indicating that the Palm already has a username associated with it. If you haven't synced the Palm before, the dialog may be slightly different. The KPilot window shows the progress of the HotSync as it continues. Figure 8-17. Starting a HotSync from the Palm  8.7.2 pilot-link Use the pilot-xfer utility to back up, sync, or restore your Palm (see the pilot-xfer manpage for a complete list of options and features). For example, to sync your Palm into the ~/Palm directory, use the --sync option and specify /dev/ircomm N (where N is the number of your infrared device, usually 0) as the port with the -p option: bjepson@linux:~> pilot-xfer -p /dev/ircomm0 --sync ~/Palm Listening to port: /dev/ircomm0 Please press the HotSync button now... Connected Synchronizing /home/bjepson/Palm/Novarra-19.txt.pdb Synchronizing /home/bjepson/Palm/Novarra-19.nod.pdb ... You can use the --backup option to back up your Palm and the --restore option to restore it. 8.7.3 GNOME-Pilot GNOME-Pilot lets you synchronize your Palm to various components of the GNOME desktop, including Evolution. To configure GNOME-Pilot: -
Launch GNOME-Pilot ( gpilotd-control-applet ). You'll see a Welcome screen. Click Next. -
The Cradle Settings appear (Figure 8-18). Give your settings a name , then select the port, such as /dev/ircomm N (where N is the number of your infrared device, usually 0), and speed (115200). Specify a type of IrDA and click Next. Figure 8-18. GNOME-Pilot cradle settings  -
The Pilot Identification appears. Here you must specify whether you've synced this Palm before. If not, provide a username and ID. Click Next. -
If you have synced the Palm before, the Initial Sync screen appears, and GNOME-Pilot will try to retrieve the username and ID. Click Next after it has retrieved the name and ID (see Figure 8-19). Figure 8-19. GNOME-Pilot retrieving the username and ID  -
The Pilot Attributes screen appears, as shown in Figure 8-20. You can specify a name, working directory, and action to perform on syncing. You should set the Sync Action to Use conduit settings and click Next. Figure 8-20. GNOME-Pilot displaying the Pilot Attributes  -
The final screen appears, which should indicate success. Click Finish, and the Pilot Link dialog appears, as shown in Figure 8-21. -
(Optional.) If GNOME-Pilot retrieved a negative ID in Step 3, you should change it now. Select your Palm in the Pilot Link dialog and click Edit. -
The Pilot Settings appear, as shown in Figure 8-22. Set the ID to a reasonable number (just to be safe, choose an integer between 1 and 254) and click Send to Pilot. You'll need to press the on-screen HotSync as shown earlier in Figure 8-17. Figure 8-21. The Pilot Link dialog  Figure 8-22. Setting a new ID with GNOME-Pilot  -
Select the Conduits tab (see Figure 8-23), and for each conduit you want to enable, select the conduit name and click Enable. -
Click OK when you are done. Now, when you press the onscreen HotSync button, you may not see anything on the screen unless you've added a panel item for GNOME-Pilot. However, the Palm will show you what's happening as the HotSync progresses. Figure 8-23. Specifying conduit settings in GNOME-Pilot  |
