Syncronize mobile device with pc
Mac Os X has a beautiful program called iSync that allows to syncronize a mobile device that is supported with system's calendar and adress book. Windows has a program that allow to make the same with mobile devices that has as operatingt system windows mobile.
Linux has a library called OpenSync that allow to syncronize many devices with system's calendar and adress book. There are many programs that uses this library:
OpenSync (command line)
- MSyncTool (gnome)
KitchenSync (kde)
There are general programs: can syncronize mobile devices with system calendar, or google calendar, or two devices can be syncronized witouth touch system informations. For making this there are some plugin to the library: there is one configuration phase that is used to tell the system which plugin must be used and which informations must be syncronized.
With my mobile phone works correctly only the syncronization of calendar.
If you use kubuntu, you have noticed that from version 8.10 kitchensync has been removed. So you can use one of the two remaining programs or you can work for haing kitchensync on your operating system.
But: if you try to install the package included in repository of ubuntu 8.04 in ubuntu 9.04, you have many troubles.
So the idea is the downgrade: you have to install ubuntu 8.04 form scratch and then upgrade it to the latest version.
Upgrade kubuntu
General informations
If you try to install kubuntu 8.04 and upgrade it directly to kubuntu 9.04, you will obtain an error, but the system will not be unusable. The problem is made by some packages, such as digikam, that block the upgrade.
If you try to upgrade kubuntu 8.04 to kubuntu 8.10 using adept, the program will crash during the update, but the system will not be unusable. I think that the problem is for packages that are upgraded, such as python integration with kde3 that became python integration with kde4.
So we will use the command line program do-release-upgrade.
It's necessary an adsl rapid and reliable because of the packages for upgrade must be downloaded.
Making the upgrade
Initial changes
First of all there is a file that must be changed in kubuntu 8.04: it is /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades. By default the update manager will upgrade only to another LTS version, but 8.10 and 9.04 are standard versions.
Launch the upgrade manager
Once make this, we have to logout from x session and log-in in a terminal session and launch the command sudo do-release-upgrade.
First phase
The program will download the meta-informations from intrepid repository and will calculate whick packages will be deleted, upgraded or installed.
What appens if this phase fails
If there are some external packages that block some offical packages this phase can fail: the system will not be modified.
Second phase
Once calculated it, do-release-upgrade will show the number of packages that will be removed, upgraded or installed, and will ask the permission to make the job. It's possible have the names of those packages.
What appens if this phase fails
If this phase fails, the system will be unusable.
The new packages will be first downloaded and once finished all will be installed.
Third phase
After this phase, do-release-upgrade wants to remove all packages declared as deprecated. In upgrade from version 8.04 to version 8.10 in those packages will be even kitchensyc: so we will have to say to not make this phase: this can be done from a prompt similar to the old one.
What appens if this phase fails
If this phase fails, the system can still be used, but it should not be upgraded to another version.
Once finished the program will delete apt cache and will ask to reboot.
Once rebooted, the system can be used to be upgrade to the a new version. Notice that making this we will have a system with all latest updates.
Something to know
Making this you will block the kde 3 libraries to the old version, so some programs, such as k3b cannot be installed. If you want to install it you have to using apt from terminal: the installation will fail. You have to install manually the packages that apt don't want to update.
Syncronizing kitchensync with kontact on kubuntu 9.04
If you will see the deprecated packages of upgrade from version 8.10 to version 9.04, there will be even opensync-plugin-kdepim. This is a sign that the previous version of package is not good for syncronizing kitchesync with kubuntu 9.04's kontact and in fact if you will say no and try to use it, will not work.
The calendar can be syncronized using a normal calendar file (.ics) that can be read from both kitchensync and kontact.
The plugin fro read and write ics file is opensync-plugin-sunbird that is the official plugin for sunbird and lighting.
unfortunately sunbird and lighting uses a different method for archive address book informations.
About kitchensync and kubuntu 9.10
Quanta has not been ported jet on kde 4 libs.
It seems that kubuntu 9.10 has only a part of kde 3 libs, so if you install quanta after having upgraded, kitchensync will crash. In particular it will exit because of it doesn't find drkonqui excutable.
On kubuntu 9.10 has returned opensync-plugin-kdepim and it works, and k3b does have upgraded to kdelibs5, so the incompatibility listed here has ended.
Changelog
30-10-09: Upgraded informations for kubuntu 9.10
27-09-09: added Something to know box
25-09-09: initial version