| Syncing your BlackBerry on Linux | ||
| From: linux.com read times: 122 | ||
Provided by yangyi at 2007-12-22 21:16:23 | ||
If you use Linux on your desktop, and you also happen to have a BlackBerry handheld device, you're probably aware that Research in Motion, the company that develops the BlackBerry platform, offers nothing in the way of support for its devices on Linux -- but the intrepid geeks in the free software world do. Thanks to to the efforts of the Barry and OpenSync projects, I just finished syncing my BlackBerry 8800 with my Evolution contacts on my Ubuntu 7.10 desktop. If all you want to do is share data between your Linux box and the BlackBerry, no sweat. The 2GB Micro SD storage I inserted in my 8800 is available to my Linux system just like any other USB storage device. When I connect the USB cable to the BlackBerry, I simply say yes when Ubuntu asks if I want to enter Mass Storage Mode, and I can copy music and photos to the phone. I have run into a problem getting the audio for videos that were created with Kino to work correctly, but other than that, moving data back and forth between the PDA and the desktop "just works." The Barry and OpenSync projects aim to provide a little more functionality than just moving data. According to its home page, the Barry project "is a GPL C++ library for interfacing with the RIM BlackBerry Handheld. It comes with a command-line tool for exploring the device and a GUI for making quick backups. This project's goal is to create a fully functional syncing mechanism on Linux." Release 0.11, which I've been playing with the past week, goes a long way toward meeting those goals. With it, you can explore, backup and restore, and -- with a little help from OpenSync -- sync databases. There is, however, some assembly required. Some assembly requiredIf you're not willing to get your hands dirty by downloading and building software executables in their early stages of development, and working from the CLI once you do, then the Barry/OpenSync combo is not ready for you just yet. If you are, heed this advice: back up your BlackBerry before you begin, because it's possible you could lose some data. If you're willing and able to take the risks, you can get in on the fun and functionality ahead of the curve. The buzz on the Barry developers mailing list indicates that work is already underway to provide Barry as an Ubuntu package, as it already is on Mandriva, so it shouldn't be long before everyone can simply install the executables and leave the building and testing processes to developers. ...... Please access the below link to view the full content. Original link: http://www.linux.com/feature/123251 |