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- Palm OS Desktop HOWTO
- by David H. Silber palm@orbits.com
- v1.0.0, 20 September 1998
-
- This HOWTO document explains how to use your Palm OS device with a
- Linux system. Although HOWTO documents are targeted towards use with
- the Linux operating system, this one is not dependent on the version
- of unix used.
- ______________________________________________________________________
-
- Table of Contents
-
-
- 1. Introduction
-
- 1.1 This Document
- 1.2 See Also
- 1.3 Mailing List
- 1.4 Mailing List Archives
- 1.5 FTP Site
-
- 2. General Information
-
- 2.1 Hardware Installation
-
- 3. Sharing Palm OS device Data with your Linux System
-
- 3.1 The pilot-link software
- 3.1.1 Installing the pilot-link software
- 3.1.2 Using the pilot-link software
- 3.1.2.1 pilot-xfer
- 3.1.2.2 install-memo
- 3.1.2.3 memos
- 3.1.2.4 pilot-addresses
- 3.2 MakeDoc
- 3.2.1 Installing MakeDoc
- 3.2.2 Using MakeDoc
-
- 4. People
-
- 5. A History of Palm OS devices.
-
-
-
- ______________________________________________________________________
-
- 1. Introduction
-
- First there was the Pilot, then the PalmPilot, and now we have the
- Palm III from Palm Computing Devices. IBM sells a rebadged version of
- the PalmPilot Professional, which they call the WorkPad. What are
- these gadgets? They are Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), sometimes
- known as palm-top computers. Sold as an electronic combination of
- address book, telephone directory and memo pad, they are actually
- general-purpose computers capable of running almost any kind of
- application. The trick is to find Palm OS applications to fit your
- needs and to be able to share your data with your Linux system. Palm
- OS devices incorporate software to synchronize their data with
- programs running on another computer. Such software for use on a
- Windows 95 system is generally bundled with the device. A MacOS
- version is also available. If the foriegn computer is running some
- other operating system, you need to find third party software to work
- with your Palm OS device. This document describes such software that
- is available for use on a Linux or unix system.
-
-
- 1.1. This Document
-
- The latest version of this document can be read at
- http://www.orbits.com/Palm/PalmOS-HOWTO.html, and is part of the Linux
- Documentation Project (LDP). This document superceedes the previous
- version, which was called the Pilot HOWTO. See
- http://sunsite.unc.edu/LDP/ for further information about the LDP and
- other HOWTO documents.
-
- If you find anything in this document which needs to be corrected or
- better explained, please send me e-mail at the address above and
- specify which version of this document you are referring to.
-
- This document is Copyright ⌐ 1997 & 1998 by David H. Silber. It is
- released under the copyright terms in the LDP HOWTO-INDEX document.
-
-
- 1.2. See Also
-
- The http://www.orbits.com/Palm/PalmDevelompent-HOWTO.html document
- describes how to use the gcc-based development system to write Palm OS
- applications.
-
- The http://www.orbits.com/Palm/PalmConduit-HOWTO.html document
- describes how to use the pilot-link libraries to write Linux-resident
- conduits for use with Palm OS devices.
-
-
- 1.3. Mailing List
-
- The pilot-unix mailing list is maintained by Matthew Cravit pilot-
- unix-owner@lists.best.com. Its mandate is:
-
-
- The pilot-unix mailing list is for discussion and idea-sharing for those
- interested in using the US Robotics Pilot PDAs with UNIX systems. This
- includes people who are interested in helping to develop tools to allow the
- Pilot to operate with UNIX, and possibly to develop an SDK for the Pilot
- for Unix.
-
-
-
-
- For more information, including how to subscribe to the list, send
- mail containing the word ``INFO'' to pilot-unix-
- request@lists.best.com. The subject line does not matter.
-
-
- 1.4. Mailing List Archives
-
- An archive of the pilot-unix mailing list can be found at
- http:///www.acm.rpi.edu/~albert/pilot/. It is maintained by Chris
- Stevens albert@acm.rpi.edu.
-
-
- 1.5. FTP Site
-
- An FTP site containing an archive of Palm OS tools for use on unix
- systems is located at ftp://ryeham.ee.ryerson.ca/pub/PalmOS/. It is
- maintained by Jeff Dionne jeff@ryeham.ee.ryerson.ca.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 2. General Information
-
- 2.1. Hardware Installation
-
- Palm OS devices come with a ``cradle'' for exchanging data with the
- desktop computer. This device is actually a serial cable with a
- custom holder for the Palm OS devices and an integrated `HotSync'
- button. Plug your cradle into a spare serial port on your computer.
- When you run each of the stand-alone programs, you will need to place
- your Palm OS device in the cradle and push the `HotSync' button so the
- Palm OS device knows that it has to communicate. If the Palm OS
- device happens to be off when the button is pushed, it will turn
- itself on.
-
- For convenience, create a device, /dev/pilot which will be an
- alternate name for the serial port to which your Palm OS device cradle
- is connected. As the root user, enter the following at the shell
- prompt:
-
-
- ln /dev/cua0 /dev/pilot
-
-
-
-
- Replace cua0 with the name of the port to which you connected your
- Palm OS device's cradle.
-
-
-
-
-
- 3. Sharing Palm OS device Data with your Linux System
-
- 3.1. The pilot-link software
-
- The pilot-link suite of software tools allows you to download programs
- onto your Palm OS device, and transfer data for the Palm OS device's
- various built-in programs between the Linux system and the Palm OS
- device. While these programs are not quite as seamless as the desktop
- software that comes with the Palm OS device, they do allow you to copy
- your data in both directions. In general, each separate program in
- the pilot-link suite manages one type of data.
-
-
-
- 3.1.1. Installing the pilot-link software
-
- The prepackaged versions will inevitably lag slightly behind the
- master distribution, but will be easier to install and not require
- configuration. The master distribution might be a better choice in
- those rare occasions when you have been waiting for a particular
- feature or bug fix.
-
- You can get the Debian Linux (i386) port of pilot-link version 0.8.7
- from ftp://ftp.debian.org/pub/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-
- i386/otherosfs/pilot-link_0.8.7-2.deb.
- ftp://ftp.debian.org/pub/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-
- i386/otherosfs/pilot-link_0.8.7-2.deb. If this file does not exist,
- you will likely find a newer version located in the same directory.
- If all else fails, or if you want a more recent version than has been
- packaged for Debian, you can install the generic distribution, as
- detailed below. Install this file in the normal manner and skip to
- Using the pilot-link software.
-
-
- You can get the RedHat Linux (i386) port of pilot-link version 0.8.9
- from ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/contrib/i386/pilot-
- link-0.8.9-1.i386.rpm. If this file does not exist, you will likely
- find a newer version located in the same directory. If all else
- fails, or if you want a more recent version than has been packaged for
- RedHat, you can install the generic distribution, as detailed below.
- Install this file in the normal manner and skip to Using the pilot-
- link software.
-
- For other versions of Linux or unix, or if you need the absolute
- latest version, download the version 0.9.0 of pilot-link from
- ftp://ryeham.ee.ryerson.ca/pub/PalmOS/pilot-link.0.9.0.tar.gz. The
- version number is likely to change, but new versions should end up in
- the same location with a similar name.
-
- Once you have the software distribution, unpack it with:
-
-
- tar -xvzf pilot-link.0.9.0.tar.gz
-
-
-
-
- If your version of tar does not support the -z option, decompress the
- archive with gunzip, as follows:
-
-
- gunzip pilot-link.0.9.0.tar.gz | tar -xvf -
-
-
-
-
- This will create a directory (pilot-link.0.9.0) containing the source.
-
- Change your working directory to the source (pilot-link.0.9.0)
- directory.
-
- Run ./configure. This will search through your system for information
- needed to compile the software. configure will set things up to be
- installed in /usr/local by default. If you want to change it, run
- ./configure --prefix=DIR, where DIR is replaced with the name of the
- directory to which the software will be installed.
-
- Run make. This will compile the software. The software will not be
- installed until later, so that you have a chance to try it out first.
- (If you are replacing an older version with a newer release, you may
- wish to check and make sure that no functionality that you need has
- been broken. Generally, this is not a problem.)
-
- As the root user, run make install. This will copy the software into
- directories under /usr/local (or wherever you specified with the
- --prefix option). If you can not log in as root, you can install the
- software to some directory where you have write access.
-
- Don't forget to add any new directories of executables to your search
- path.
-
-
- 3.1.2. Using the pilot-link software
-
- Most of the programs in the pilot-link suite are conduits, that is
- they transfer data into or out of your Palm OS device.
-
- Each time you use of one of these programs, press the HotSync button
- on your Palm OS device's cradle. This will initiate the Palm OS
- device side of the data transfer. Note that not all of these programs
- prompt you to press the `HotSync' button, so you may have to remember
- to do it yourself.
-
-
- For more details, and other options to these programs, view the
- corresponding manual page. There is an overview manual page under the
- name pilot-link. For the pilot-xfer program, for example, type man
- pilot-xfer at your unix shell prompt.
-
-
-
-
- 3.1.2.1. pilot-xfer
-
- Possibly the most useful program in the pilot-link suite, pilot-xfer
- allows you to install programs on your Palm OS device, make a backup,
- and restore that backup.
-
-
- To install a program:
-
-
- pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -i program.prc
-
-
-
-
- To backup your Palm OS device:
-
-
- pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -b backup-directory
-
-
-
-
- This will copy all of the databases on your Palm OS device, (including
- programs?) to a directory called ``backup-directory'', creating it if
- it does not already exist.
-
- To restore data to Palm OS device:
-
-
- pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -r backup-directory
-
-
-
-
- Generally, you will only need to do this if your Palm OS device loses
- power or if you have to do a hard reset.
-
- To list the programs on your Palm OS device:
-
-
- pilot-xfer /dev/pilot -l
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 3.1.2.2. install-memo
-
- Install a Linux file onto the Palm OS device as a memo.
-
-
- To install a memo into your (already existing) project category:
-
-
- install-memo /dev/pilot -c project project.memo
-
-
-
-
- The name of the file will be inserted into the memo as its first line
- and will appear in the directory of memos on your Palm OS device.
-
-
-
- 3.1.2.3. memos
-
- This program grabs each memo from the Palm OS device and prints it out
- in standard mailbox format.
-
- To view your memos:
-
-
- memos /dev/pilot
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 3.1.2.4. pilot-addresses
-
- pilot-addresses Transfer the address database to or from the Palm OS
- device.
-
- To write your address data to a Linux file from your Palm OS device:
-
-
- pilot-addresses /dev/pilot -w storage.file
-
-
-
-
- To read your address data from a Linux file onto your Palm OS device:
-
-
- pilot-addresses /dev/pilot -r storage.file
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 3.2. MakeDoc
-
- One short-coming of the Palm OS device's built-in memo program is that
- it does not deal well with large documents. To compensate for this,
- Rick Bram <mailto:rbram@concentric.net> wrote Doc, a document reader
- for the Palm OS device. (See
- http://www.concentric.net/~rbram/doc.shtml). Documents can be
- converted to the Doc format with MakeDoc, by Pat Beirne
- <mailto:pat.beirne@sympatico.ca>.
-
-
-
- 3.2.1. Installing MakeDoc
-
- MakeDoc can be downloaded from
- http://www.concentric.net/~rbram/makedoc7.cpp. Compile it with your
- C++ compiler and install the resulting executable as ``makedoc'' in a
- directory in your search path. There seems to be a small bug in
- makedoc (version 0.7a) in that it does not output a newline as the
- last character displayed to the user. This does not seem to affect
- the resulting document file, but it is annoying.
-
- There is a new version out, but it requires Java. Take a look at Pat
- Beirne's MakeDoc web page at
- http://cpu563.adsl.sympatico.ca/MakeDocJ.htm.
-
-
-
- 3.2.2. Using MakeDoc
-
- Use MakeDoc as follows:
-
-
- makedoc data.txt data.prc "Data to display with Doc"
-
-
-
-
- This will create a file data.prc, which can be installed on your Palm
- OS device with pilot-xfer. The text "Data to display with Doc" will
- be displayed in the directory of documents that Doc manages.
-
- The syntax for MakeDoc is as follows:
-
-
- makedoc [-n] [-b] <text-file> <prc-file> <story-name>
- or
- makedoc -d [-b] <prc-file> <text-file>
-
-
-
-
-
- <text-file>
- The file that you wish to convert.
-
- <prc-file>
- The name of the resulting file. (End the name with ``.prc''.)
-
- <story-name>
- The name you want displayed in the Doc or Jdoc directory of
- documents.
-
- There are also options to decode the resulting .prc file and manage
- various compression options.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- D. People
-
- Kenneth Albanowski <mailto:kjahds@kjahds.com> Maintains the pilot-link
- suite of tools.
-
- Donnie Barnes <mailto:djb@redhat.com> Packaged pilot-link suite as Red
- Hat RPM files.
-
- Rick Bram <mailto:rbram@concentric.net> Author of Doc.
-
- Matthew Cravit <mailto:pilot-unix-owner@lists.best.com> List owner for
- the pilot-unix mailing list.
-
- Jeff Dionne <mailto:jeff@ryeham.ee.ryerson.ca> Original author of the
- pilot-link suite of tools. Manages the FTP area for the UNIX Palm
- OS/Pilot development project.
-
- Mark W. Eichin <mailto:eichen@kitten.gen.ma.us> Ported pilot-link
- suite to Debian Linux.
-
- David H. Silber <mailto:pilot@orbits.com> Author of this document.
-
- Chris Stevens <mailto:albert@acm.rpi.edu> Maintains the pilot-unix
- mailing list archives.
-
-
- E. A History of Palm OS devices.
-
- There are two versions of the Pilot. They are the 1000 and the 5000
- and have 128k and 512k of RAM, respectively. They come with Palm OS
- 1.0 in ROM.
-
- Then came two devices with the name PalmPilot. They are the PalmPilot
- Personal and the PalmPilot Professional and have 512k and 1 Meg of
- RAM, respectively. They also have a backlighting feature for the LCD
- panel and version 2.0 of the operating system. The Professional also
- comes with a TCP/IP stack and a few extra programs built-in.
-
- (IBM has released a rebadged version of the PalmPilot Professional,
- which they call a WorkPad.)
-
- Now we have the Palm III, which has a redesigned case and an infrared
- port, not to mention the 2 Meg of RAM and Palm OS 3.0.
-
- It is possible to upgrade any Pilot by swapping out the memory card,
- which includes both RAM & ROM. Of course, this doesn't get you
- backlighting for the original Pilot series.
-
-
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