JPilot with CRAZY / HORRIBLE results in Evolution !

[Peter N. Spotts]

On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:39:44 +0800
SYNass IT Ubuntu / Linux <i-ubux at synass.net> wrote:

> On Mon, 2008-01-21 at 20:15 -0500, Peter N. Spotts wrote:
> > On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:00:56 +0800
> > SYNass IT Ubuntu / Linux <i-ubux at synass.net> wrote:
> > 
> > > Hello Ubuntu Evolution / JPilot Experts and Users
> > > Experimenting with JPilot in my Ubuntu 7.10 gave me a shocking
> > > result !!!
> > > 
> > > More than half the day I was experimenting to get my PDA data from
> > > the handheld to Ubuntu and there getting the data visible !!
> > > 
> > > Finally I was able to backup from PDA to Ubuntu ...
> > > ... but JPilot did not show any single entry in its application !
> > > 
> > > Frustrated and upset I gave up !
> > > 
> > > After returning I restarted my system and within very short time
> > > the system 
> > > got very very slow and working impossible:
> > > All running applications, like Evaluation, Firefox and Skype
> > > couldn't being 
> > > ended normally anymore and system shutdown too was impossible ;-((
> > > CTRL-ALT-DEL !! 
> > > 
> > > Rebooting with the PDA connected after system reboot first time I
> > > got the "gnome-pilot setting pop-up" !? I assumed positive news
> > > as PDA recognized ! ;-)
> > > 
> > > JPilot indeed still shows no results: Absolutely empty and
> > > nothing !!!
> > > 
> > > Restarting Evolution it looked looked very different / strange
> > > too !!! Why ???
> > > 
> > > All the PDA data backed up with JPilot were showing in
> > > Evolution ;-)
> > > 
> > > So far so positive ...
> > > ... crazy and horrible because all previous Evolution entries
> > > (calendar, 
> > > memos and tasks are gone, overwritten by JPilot's Backup before
> > > sync ! Yes, I had set Backup before Sync to make sure, that not
> > > an empty set of 
> > > JPilot data goes and empties my PDA !!
> > > 
> > > So crazy / negative:
> > > Looking for Help (in the status bar) of JPilot gives very little:
> > > There are only self-praising and no facts like Contents or
> > > Index ;-(
> > > 
> > > So crazy / positive:
> > > In a way the unexpected result is fascinating !!!
> > > If using Evolution for all my PIM data ...
> > > ... sync with the PDA would be a good solution and 
> > > JPilot just is the vehicle to transfer data betwwen these two !!
> > > Cool and Ideal !
> > > 
> > > BTW:
> > > Do not come and ask me what I have done ;-)
> > > Have tried whatever soo many times with lots of sweats ;-|
> > > 
> > > Shall I cry or laugh ??
> > > I do not know yet !!
> > > 
> > > I only know it needs a lot of work to get familiar with the
> > > latest experience and displaying in Evolution and PDA are very
> > > far from comparable ! ;-(
> > > 
> > > Cheers, svobi
> > > 
> > > 
> > 
> > Svobi,
> > 
> > Someday you'll look back on this and laugh. I've found that if I run
> > Evolution and its sync daemon is running, I can't sync with Jpilot
> > if my life depended on it. I suspect the two are dueling for the
> > PDA connection, and the gnome-pilot daemon (gpilotd) wins every
> > time. Others may have a different experience, but I've found it
> > best to use one or the other, but not both (for palm syncing). For
> > my money (in a manner of speaking, since Jpilot is free), Jpilot is
> > the best all around app for Palm PDAs on Linux. So I've run
> > Evolution for email only (after deleting the gnome-pilot stuff from
> > my laptop) and relied on Jpilot for my Tungsten E2. And the only
> > reason I use Evolution is because I can get it to work with our MS
> > Exchange servers at work. My favorite email client, Claws-Mail,
> > won't work with our Exchange server. Evolution has gotten better at
> > syncing over the years, but I've just not seen it work as
> > flawlessly as Jpilot. 
> > 
> > That said, if you absolutely must have an all-in-one Outlook-like
> > client, Evolution is pretty  much the only game in town.
> > 
> > Pete
> > 
> > -- 
> > Peter N. Spotts | Science reporter
> > The Christian Science Monitor
> > One Norway Street, Boston, MA 02115 USA
> > Office: 617-450-2449 | Office-in-home: 508-520-3139
> > Email: pspotts at alum.mit.edu | Amateur-radio call: KC1JB
> > www.csmonitor.com | www.peterspotts.net
> > 
> > "The knack of flying is to throw yourself at the ground and miss." 
> >             -- Douglas Adams, "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
> 
> 
> Hi Pete
> Thanks to your enchanting feedback ! ;-)
> Yes, you are right: One day I may laugh at it !! ;-D
> 
> Well, the experience with JPilot and its result sync'ing to Evolution 
> has bin frustrating and interesting !!!
> 
> I would really love to understand better what i did and done ...
> ... to get either that or this !!
> 
> Primarily I wanted to setup JPilot to have a good haven for the 
> Palm Treo 680 data: BackUps (frequently)  and Restores (if needed) !
> 
> Unfortunately it worked not as expected and intended !!
> 
> I had loved Evolution staying untouched and the PDA's data 
> only dealt with JPilot and totally off from Evolution !!!
> 
> Well, I am an avid fan of Lotus Notes and my preferred solution 
> would always be Lotus Notes as primary GUI & PIM abd the PDA 
> sync'ing with that !!
> 
> Unfortunately for the moment It seems not being available now 
> for Ubuntu yet ;-(
> 
> Till my experience yesterday: 
> I never heard about this SYNC working crosswise like I learnt with
> this !
> If I had known about this: I had have a chance for a data backup !!
> Like this: I even do / did not know WHAT to backup or save !!!
> 
> One more point:
> I am not really very keen to have the PDA data on Evolution ...
> ... and reverting at this point leads to an empty, thanks God the
> e-mails 
> are untouched, Evolution. ;-|
> 
> As for now:
> I would love some advice and guidance how to identify and manage 
> the data sync's either to Evolution or JPilot ...
> ... not like now: blind landing/s on a unknown airport and possibly
> crashing. ;-|
> 
> Cheers, svobi
> 
> 

OK, I'll give it a shot. First question: Are your data still intact on
your Treo? And may I assume you're connecting it to your computer via a
USB port? And not to sound like I'm underestimating you here, but I
presume you have pilot-link installed? You can check that using Ubuntu's
package manager.

Here's what I did:

1. Shut down Evolution and Jpilot, then uninstall gnome-pilot, using
Ubuntu's package manager. Then, for good measure, restart your computer.

2. Under Jpilot Preferences=>Settings, make sure your serial port is
set to usb:      That's usb and a colon.    No /dev/ttyUSB0 or nothin'.
Just usb:  

3. Double-check your settings under Preferences=>Conduits to make sure
you have the sync functions set up the way you want them.

4. When you try to sync with Jpilot, press the sync button on the cradle
or activate the sync function on the Treo first, give it a few seconds,
then click on the sync icon in Jpilot. If things aren't syncing well,
make note of any error messages that appear in the field that opens at
the bottom of Jpilot's calendar view and pass them along. 

If you continue to have trouble, I'd also recommend looking at Jpilot's
user-list archives. 

http://lists.jpilot.org/pipermail/jpilot/

They've had a fair bit of traffic regarding Treos (I went for a
Blackberry, myself, which, unfortunately, isn't Jpilot-friendly). You
might want to subscribe to that list for additional help over
the long term.

Let me know how you are getting along...

With best regards,

Pete

-- 
Peter N. Spotts | Science reporter
The Christian Science Monitor
One Norway Street, Boston, MA 02115 USA
Office: 617-450-2449 | Office-in-home: 508-520-3139
Email: pspotts at alum.mit.edu | Amateur-radio call: KC1JB
www.csmonitor.com | www.peterspotts.net

"The knack of flying is to throw yourself at the ground and miss." 
            -- Douglas Adams, "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"