Pda Potential

[TheLonelyGod]

I've lately been messing in the ds homebrew scene. I've also had a large dump of crap I need to deal with. Thus I've started using google calendar with remember the milk for a to do list. Now I'm wondering if anyone is working on a pda program for the pandora.

I mention the ds because I've tried ds organize. And frankly it sucks. It doesn't have enough I dunno, power might be the word I'm looking for? Something like the calendar set up in the Iphone/ipod touch is what I'm looking for. At this point I don't think I'll have enough money for a Pandora and and ipod touch and I really need a functional portable calendar, todo list, calendar manger more than portable emulators. (Not dissing the pandora, just don't have enough cash for everything, I'm a poor student )

If no one knows about anything actively being worked on I might try and do it myself. But in all honestly It'll probably be very bad.

 

[javaJake]

I'm looking for PDA functionality, as well. Here's what I hope to use:

• Google Calendar can be viewed through Firefox 3, but also a private feed could provide a read-only event list to any calendar software.
• Task Coach is an excellent piece of task-management software. I hope to use it extensively on the Pandora. I plan on falling back to Remember the Milk if necessary. This software can also handle "notes" easily, despite the feeling of it being tacked on.
• E-mail is definitely managed by claws-mail, hands down. Low on memory, very fast, an amazing filter system, a nice set of preferences, and rock solid stability FTW.

The name Evolution has been thrown around a bit, but the mention usually comes with a shudder or two due to its size (ever compile the beast?) so I don't know if it'll make it. The feature set for Evolution is good, and probably enough, if it ever did arrive.

There's plenty of UMPC people around here, so I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Kings]

I'm going to try porting Sunbird. But I can't commit to doing something when I don't have a Pandora(or know when I'll have mine). And that I would have to do it while at college.

 

[zaoin]

Wow. Task coach seems prettty good!

No timetables for linux?

And something like:
http://sciral.com/consistency/

or this:
http://www.traxitall.com/

 

[Julius]

There are big communitys around the Sharp Zaurus linux PDAs which more or less everything you could want as PDA software and all that could be ported to the pandora very easily.

 

[MilanC]

In fact, almost any zaurus program (except some hardware-specific things like X11) should 'just work' (after installing the required libs, of course).

 

[conso]

As Nokia gifted ~200 N810s to KDE-Developers, I'm really optimistic on having a lot of modern software optimised for 800x480 even before pandora's release.

 

[sindbad]

The KDE PIM suite is very good and there are indeed efforts to port KDE to small devices. Time will tell, there isn't anything usable atm.

 

[FRZ]

I'd like a pda program as well.

 

[menno]

Altough there are some nice linux PIM ultilities, only one can be best.....
PIM applications by PALMOS.
The new owner of PALMOS (ACCESS) as made a linux based emulator of the PALMOS,
which will give us feature openpandora users instant access to the biggest handheld
software library in existence. And moreover a library which has 10 years + experience in
PIM and other handheld specific programs.

a link to this project is here
http://www.access-company.com/products/gvm/

I would like to know if there are some developers who would like to port this,
its all open source!

 

[TaG]

Altough there are some nice linux PIM ultilities, only one can be best.....
PIM applications by PALMOS.
The new owner of PALMOS (ACCESS) as made a linux based emulator of the PALMOS,
which will give us feature openpandora users instant access to the biggest handheld
software library in existence. And moreover a library which has 10 years + experience in
PIM and other handheld specific programs.

a link to this project is here
http://www.access-company.com/products/gvm/

I would like to know if there are some developers who would like to port this,
its all open source!

I might have missed it, but are you sure this is open source? (if so please show quote)

 

[chad78]

I really doubt Garnet VM is open source. The over-use of the ™ symbol all over the website makes me doubt it. It is *free* (at least for now) as in you don't have to pay for it. But I don't think it's open source.

However, if someone ports Maemo (which *is* open source) - then Garnet VM should run on the Pandora if it's running Maemo.

 

[TaG]

I really doubt Garnet VM is open source. The over-use of the ™ symbol all over the website makes me doubt it. It is *free* (at least for now) as in you don't have to pay for it. But I don't think it's open source.
That was my thinking - I couldn't see open source mentioned anywhere either.

 

[Karel Jansens]

Indeed. GarnetVM is not OSS and most likely never will be. It also has its share of problems (not recognizing removable storage on the host device, nigh-impossible synching...) and does not adapt well to the higher-resolution screens.

But since we're talking PIM here, does anyone know if the EPOC PIM programs (you know, Psion) have ever been copied in Linux? EPOC's Agenda, Contacts and Data are without a shadow of a doubt the best PIM programs ever made, but they're obviously as closed as a closed source clam.

 

[ashdjones]

Indeed. GarnetVM is not OSS and most likely never will be. It also has its share of problems (not recognizing removable storage on the host device, nigh-impossible synching...) and does not adapt well to the higher-resolution screens.

But since we're talking PIM here, does anyone know if the EPOC PIM programs (you know, Psion) have ever been copied in Linux? EPOC's Agenda, Contacts and Data are without a shadow of a doubt the best PIM programs ever made, but they're obviously as closed as a closed source clam.

I have the official EPOC emulator that came with the SDK. I remembered it being Java based, but a quick Google seems to show it's a Windows APP... could it run in QEMU?

If I remember correctly, the Psion 5 & 5mx were ARM based like the Pandora.

There are some details on getting SIBO (Epoc16) working in DosBox:

http://www.garethjmsaunders.co.uk/psion/emulator16.html

 

[zaoin]

Jeff from codejedi.com answers my request to port shadow plan to pandora(or make compatible with that palmos emulator):

"We'll see; depends on a few things and I'll have to do polls.. but
its possible since I coudl target it and Win Mobile at the same time,
in a way..

But my other apps for Pandora for sure "

 

[peca]

When my PalmOS era, I'm using Progect. It is really good piece of SW.
edit: Project manager or outliner, if you wish.

 

[Karel Jansens]

I have the official EPOC emulator that came with the SDK. I remembered it being Java based, but a quick Google seems to show it's a Windows APP... could it run in QEMU?

If I remember correctly, the Psion 5 & 5mx were ARM based like the Pandora.

There are some details on getting SIBO (Epoc16) working in DosBox:

http://www.garethjmsaunders.co.uk/psion/emulator16.html


I used to use a HP Omnibook 425 (Windows 3.1, booted off ROM SSD, 4 PCMCIA slots, mono VGA screen, 10 hrs batt life. Amazing portable), on which I had the SIBO emulator installed. It really was like having a giant Psion Series 3a, mighty cool and the envy of other Psion users. It is my understanding that the EPOC emulator is far less complete as a Psion replacement than the SIBO one. But even running SIBO in DOSbox on the Pandora would be a near-sexual experience... :rolleyes:

Even so, the last thing I'd want is for my PIM to run inside an emulator. These are not games where the loss of a savegame is the biggest of your worries. I was just wondering if someone had gotten "creative" with the EPOC PIM and made them into Linux lookalikes.

PS: I submitted an article with photos of my "Psion Omnibook" to the (now defunct) Foxpop website. Their archives should still be floating around the Intertubes, but I couldn'd find them. Maybe a more knowledgeable person has an inkling of an idea about their whereabouts?

PPS: Having a Psion NetBook sitting on my desk next to me, I can confirm that the EPOC PIM utilities are even more useful and awesome on a big, colour touchscreen. If the NetBook wasn't so dated on the multimedia and networking front, I'd not even consider a Pandora. Psion's Word and Sheet programs are absolutely, positively perfect for a portable computer; they laugh in the face of Linux "equivalents" like Abiword or Gnumeric, and OpenOffice.org daren't even show up at the party.

 

[ashdjones]

The Epoc emulator has all the functions and applications present in the operating system, plus the ability to run in full colour and at any resolution. As far as I know you can install EPOC apps just like on a real machine, you just drop your files into the right folders.

Don't forget also, that DosBox creates normal files wherever it is installed - for example, if I open EDIT and write a document and then save it, the file will just exist as a file and not as part of some virtual drive.

Still not ideal though. You might as well buy a real Psion (60 hrs battery life!)

 

[peca]

For real PDA functionality is need ability alarm on timed event. If device can't awake and buzz you from lethargy, than it is not real PDA. And I doubt that any emulator on dosbox can do this.