This page contains information on how to get a Palm's handhelds running under Linux. I use a Palm handheld to always have my calender, todo list and contacts with me when I'm on the road.

• Palm Treo 600: All in one smartphone: Mobile phone, calender and music player
• Palm m505
• Palm IIIe
• Palm - Linux synchronization: Either using a USB or serial hotsync cable or a infrared connection
• Using it as console login: Using a terminal application on a Palm Pilot to log onto a Linux system via the serial port

Synchronizes via a USB hotsync cable. Works fine with Telmore's GPRS service.

Essential software for a Palm Treo 600:

• Autocorrect_enUS: Disables auto correction of some words, e.g. i to I, and changes the sequence in which the accent characters appear (useful for danish people (æøå dukker op øverst i listen))
• FieldPlus: Lets you select text using the 5-way navigation button

For more information:

Synchronizes via a USB hotsync cradle.

For more information:

The IIIe is a rather solid and simple PDA (I dropped it a couple of times before the touchscreen died), which provided basic PDA functions. A nice feature is that it uses normal AAA batteries.

Synchronizes via a serial hotsync cradle.

For more information:

In order to use an USB cradle or cable, your kernel has to have generic USB support enabled, and a couple of extra modules:

Device Drivers  --->
    USB support  --->
        USB Serial Converter support  --->
	    <M> USB Serial Converter support
	    <M>   USB Handspring Visor / Palm m50x / Sony Clie Driver

The device setting in gnome-pilot (for evolution), jpilot or pilot-link, depends on whether you either use udev, devfsd, or neither of them. After you have compiled your kernel with the above mentioned drivers, and rebooted, connect your Palm to your computer, and press the hotsync button. Then look in your dmesg, to see which device the Palm connected to. Note!: the device will only exist while the hotsync process is running.

Note!: If you have problems syncing, check the permissions on the device. In Gentoo you have to be a member of the tty group to access the device.

Serial sync works fine using a symbolic link from /dev/ttyS0 to /dev/pilot. The pilot is synced at 57600 baud speed.

First you need support in your kernel (see settings for a Powerbook 3400), then you have to install Linux irda-utils, and openobex to send and receive files with.

If your Palm Pilot is running an OS older 3.3, you will need the Ir update for PalmOS 3, else you will not be able to sync the palm via IrDA (you can still beam files to the Palm Pilot).

Next run irattach /dev/ttyS1 (see Infrared Devices working with Linux for a list of ports). Now you should be ready to transfer files to the Palm Pilot.
You can try to send a file with irobex_palm3 filename to see if the Palm Pilot receives it (remember to have "Beam receive" enabled on the Pilot). If it is working, proceed with setting these two variables:

export PILOTPORT=/dev/ircomm0 # Not /dev/ttyS1 !
export PILOTRATE=19200

Now use pilot-xfer -S path/to/sync_dir to synchronize your Palm Pilot.
You try to use a faster speed setting, but I could not get it working with anything higher than 38400. jPilot also works fine with these settings. Once you have everything working, edit /etc/sysconfig/irda, so it looks like this:

IRDA=yes
DEVICE=/dev/ttyS1
DISCOVERY=yes # or no

Now you can launch IrDA with service irda start (remember to load all necessary modules first)

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Console login via the serial port is a nice feature if you either don't have a monitor connected, or the X server has crashed, now you can login with your Palm and shutdown X or reboot. Note! this may only work with a older Palm Pilot that uses a serial cable to sync. If you use a Treo 600/650 you can use a ssh client (like pssh) and a GPRS network to login remotely.

You need mgetty installed and a line in your /etc/inittab:

T0:2345:respawn:/sbin/mgetty -r -b ttyS0

You also have to enable the following in your kernel:

Device Drivers  --->
    Character devices  --->
        Serial drivers  --->
	    <*> 8250/16550 and compatible serial support
	    [*]   Console on 8250/16550 and compatible serial port

Next you need a terminal program on your Palm handheld. I use Pilot vt100, and you just have to press the line button, and maybe enter a return sign on the Palm and you should get a login screen.

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