http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/item/28/
And I think, this is a very important point for lots of people.

**Suggestions from duplicate idea 397 work on that idea :

1) Clean up the Opensync and SyncML plugin packages to work properly with Evolution by default.

2) Set up an official Ubuntu SyncML server for Ubuntu users.

3) Possibly clean up open source SyncML clients for the different mobile platforms.

[4382 votes] Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #28


[26 votes] Solution #2: Sync both PC and phone with google calendar & contacts


[6 votes] Solution #3: Get behind Conduit and make it shine


]]> en-us Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:01:34 +0000 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:45:09 +0000 QAPoll module http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/28/ Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:00:38 +0000
I think that any user, must can sync at least contacts and calendar without issues on most devices.]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:04:20 +0000 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:14:37 +0000
Has there been any effort to get with the OEM for these devices (BlackBerry, Palm, etc) to see if they might consider creating an open-source version of their syncing software? Blackberry has their proprietary syncing software which I believe can run on Mac as well as Windows of course, so why not make an open version, with all the same features and functions, for Linux?]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:43:15 +0000 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:12:30 +0000 Preferences --> PalmOS Devices entry.

Instead of this there should be something like "Mobile Devices" or something similar.]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:32:35 +0000 Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:20:21 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:11:42 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:27:53 +0000
The Opensync project was created to solve this. The only thing Ubuntu could do would be to direct additional resources to the Opensync project.

http://opensync.org/]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:32:13 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:59:48 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:54:03 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:30:04 +0000
I also found info about FunAmbol, but haven't tested it.
--hasi]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:53:30 +0000
please allocate additional resources to opensync]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:04:23 +0000
More info at Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/genesis-sync/

]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:37:45 +0000 As for the evolution-multisync experience, I would really hope to find a way to wipe it from my memory.
This was the only thing that brought me really close to switching back to windows.
So, please vote for this.]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:40:00 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:56:31 +0000 My syncing process involves highlighting contact additions on phone by pre-pending aa to contact name. Manually adding contact to Evolution + adding any additional information I have. Exporting contact as vCard. Deleting phone contact and bluetooth beaming contact to phone. From experience, I have no confidence with phone Evolution syncing.
For research purposes!, I tried this on a Mac a while back. When the Mac detected my phone, It did the syncing automatically! No questions asked.

]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:06:24 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:00:58 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:04:19 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:20:42 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:21:46 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:25:02 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:45:51 +0000 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 19:40:09 +0000 It's not just a problem with Ubuntu, and the solution is more work on opensync, BUT it's a major problem and that means that any desktop-oriented distribution should consider fixing it a priority.

For me, syncing is the only reason why I occasionally boot into Windows. The fact of the matter is that Opensync development is not moving that quickly, probably because the developers lack resources. My Pocket PC phone frankly worked better with Multisync three years ago (but didn't really sync very well back then either).

As applications continue to move into phones, UMPCs, etc., sync is only going to become more important.]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:12:42 +0000 ]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:45:00 +0000 It would really be great to see "syncing" working fine in GNU/Linux (it's not an Ubuntu particular issue).]]> Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:27:29 +0000
For Windows Mobile 5 and usb:
The instructions at:
http://www.synce.org/moin/SynceWithUbuntu
still don't work.

I've been following the issue for over 6 months and it's a people problem that needs someone with a bit of influence to sort things out. The story everyone has been told: "Not my problem, it's blocked because of someone else." So drivers are still not yet in the kernel, let alone in ubuntu.]]> Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:50:54 +0000
in windows, all i have to do is install activesync (for WinXP anyways...) and microsoft outlook.... and BAM! it all works.]]> Sat, 01 Mar 2008 05:13:40 +0000 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 06:08:25 +0000
Mobile computing (Smartphones, PDAs, etc) is becoming more and more popular - Ubuntu cannot afford to be left behind.]]> Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:03:41 +0000 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:14:02 +0000 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:34:38 +0000 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:56:58 +0000 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:09:06 +0000 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 18:27:44 +0000 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:08:09 +0000 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:01:40 +0000 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:10:28 +0000
To me contacts is very very important. I think pimlico-project is very interesting http://www.pimlico-project.org/

If we have this and sync to mobile phones, internet tablets and MIDs will be very interesting.
]]> Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:12:50 +0000
]]> Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:23:31 +0000 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:11:28 +0000
Devices already sync all their data to servers, and thus client desktops can do the same thing. Check out the Funambol project which uses syncML and has very high device compatibility, even when compared to commercial providers. And its all open source.

It sounds to me like you people are suggesting we go back to 1995 and sync our PDA using a serial cable (or now, bluetooth). That is all fine and dandy, if all your doing is 1 user, 1 desktop, and 1 device. Then you have 20 manufacturers each using a different proprietary and undocumented protocol, even changing protocol between model#s. But if that is how the world worked, we probably would still not be using cellphones or iphones yet.

This is 2008, time to get with the program. If you are unhappy with network sync, then we need to improve upon it. But individual device sync to the desktop? They all have different proprietary protocols, what a waste of time IMO. ]]> Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:42:26 +0000 Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:24:21 +0000
Daniel]]> Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:33:35 +0000 Sun, 16 Mar 2008 12:19:22 +0000 Apparently, the new version of Mandriva has WM5/6 syncing working out-of-the-box with Evolution and I think also Kitchen-Sync; it mainly entailed a bunch of tweaks to Opensync and a few other packages.

Ubuntu should copy these tweaks; you can read about them at:

http://osnews.com/comments/19481

In the mean time, I will probably switch to Mandriva, and wait for Ubuntu to fix this problem.....
]]> Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:18:52 +0000 http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/2008.1_Synchronization]]> Sun, 23 Mar 2008 13:34:17 +0000 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:43:51 +0000
Even better would be the ability to install Ubuntu on my Palm LifeDrive, and then have my minibuntu sing with my laptopbuntu]]> Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:23:31 +0000 Else see that idea : http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/5588/
And vote for it!!]]> Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:48:39 +0000
PLEASE, DO THIS ONE!!! ]]> Fri, 16 May 2008 16:37:12 +0000
http://www.estamos.de/projects/SyncML/]]> Mon, 19 May 2008 20:36:13 +0000 Thu, 29 May 2008 16:19:34 +0000
(So we don't need to "Set up an official Ubuntu SyncML server for Ubuntu users" , but rather do it locally.)]]> Thu, 29 May 2008 16:39:36 +0000

Needs A LOT of polish though. For me it's rather buggy, and creates duplicates like hell.]]> Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:23:37 +0000
Does "we need work to make it a seamless experience for the user" mean that Canonical is contributing to this work and puts some of the "huge effort" in it?

IMHO 3-way synchronization is of lower priority. The problem of syncing a mobile device (at least one of the most popular ones) to some available PIM applications should be first addressed.

I only have _very_ little experience with OSX but the "missing sync" app seems to do the trick there. Why isn't it possible to do the same for Ubuntu and Linux in general? Do you have to pay money to get the phone/API/protocol/whatever specs or is it "simply" a lack of manpower?
]]> Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:41:11 +0000 http://www.symbianfoundation.org/

Now that's a bit of hope!]]> Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:33:17 +0000
Also (I've not read all of the comments, but), an easy way to synchronize my /home partition with a NAS drive would be fantastic. Everything I've tried so far doesn't seem to want to let my synchronize easily with my NAS.]]> Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:25:28 +0000 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:13:59 +0000 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:39:39 +0000 And the best part: you can't log in to scheduleworld.com, simply because the link is missing! It has a "sign up now", but no "log in"!
I think I'm giving up my syncing hopes with Ubuntu. Let's face it: Opensync will never be ready.]]> Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:02:00 +0000
I use OpenSync to synchronize my BlackBerry with both KDE-PIM and Google Calendar.

It works great!

(My only issue is lack of support for Contact categories in the current version (0.22). And even that should (hopefully) make it into perhaps the 0.4 branch.)]]> Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:25:59 +0000 Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:03:08 +0000
+1]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:13:19 +0000
after weeks of searching/testing/installing/scripting I managed to sync my Windows Mobile with evolution. That was a nightmare.

Now I got a iPhone, and have to go through hell again to sync it. There are a zillion pieces of the puzzle to put together before it'll work; Funambol, SheduleWorld, Genesis, SyncML, syncevolution..

The infrastructure is there; The programs are there; And these actually do work; It's only a matter of bundling the pieces together (out of the box) so that it "just works".]]> Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:07:52 +0000
Considering that GPE is free software, wouldn't it at least be in our best interests to support that on some level (preferably on the same level we support the far less free Palm PDAs), even if it isn't super pretty?

I can't help but think it would be fairly straight forward to get a gnome-pilot for GPE going, since there are many existing sync plugins scattered here and there to prove that it's possible.]]> Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:47:51 +0000 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:01:20 +0000
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PimSyncPlan

]]> Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:06:10 +0000
Since each PDA uses its own transfer protocol, each PDA needs its own small program that reads/writes that protocol on one side and then reads/writes some standard thing on the other side.

It seems that we already have some standard things for contact information -- vcards or similar.

It seems that we already have some standard things for
calendar information -- iCal or similar.

Next the several desktop applications need to read and write these standard things.

Next we need some way to accomplish all of this from a script.

ACPI will already launch a script when your usb device (PDA, phone, player, etc) connects.

This is lots of small programs, each doing one thing well.

~~~ 8d;-D]]> Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:15:38 +0000