OpenSync (software)
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (December 2007) |
| OpenSync | |
|---|---|
| Developed by | The OpenSync Project |
| Latest release | 0.36 / 26 January 2008 |
| OS | Cross-platform |
| Genre | Synchronization |
| License | GNU Lesser General Public License |
| Website | http://opensync.org/ |
OpenSync is a software library framework used for synchronization of PIM data (contacts, calendar, tasks and notes) between personal computers and mobile devices. OpenSync is plugin based and its product specific plugins allows support for wide variety of different synchronization endpoints (PIM applications, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, groupware servers, and LDAP directories). Its design and implementation would allow other synchronization uses as well.
OpenSync has been selected to be KDE's main synchronization framework. It is a cross platform software that can be run on Microsoft Windows and various Unix-like systems including Linux and Mac OS X.
Released under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License, OpenSync is free and open source software.
Contents |
[edit] Features
OpenSync has ambitious goal to solve all possible PIM synchronization needs and regardless of its temporary shortcomings, its feature list is extensive:
- cross platform software, implemented in C-language
- plugin based
- uses threads
- two or more members in one synchronization (group)
- capabilities detection
- object merger
- object type filtering
- supported formats are defined in external XML file
- multiple graphical user interfaces for different environments
- command line user interface
- bindings to other languages (python)
- vcard 2.1, 3.0 support
- vevent 1.0, 2.0 support
- vnote 1.1 support
- vtodo 1.0, 2.0 support
- SyncML 1.1 and partial SyncML 1.2, WBXML support
- IrMC support
- Bluetooth support
- USB support
- HTTP support
- LDAP support
- only SyncML server support
vevent 1.0 is the same as vcalendar 1.0 and vevent 2.0 is the same as vcalendar 2.0 or icalendar - which all are supported as well.
OpenSync synchronization takes place in groups which can have two or more different type of members supporting different set of object attributes. Development version also has a sync-engine that is able to merge attributes from same object changed on different endpoints.
[edit] Architecture
[edit] Virtual Formats
Before synchronizing anything, OpenSync converts data coming from members into internal XML based formats, which are:
- xmlformat-contact
- xmlformat-event
- xmlformat-note
- xmlformat-todo
This conversion is implemented in VFormat plugin and format descriptions are in XML format allowing more frequent updates to those without modifying and recompiling the actual program code.
[edit] Capabilities
OpenSync is able to automatically configure some products for synchronized attribute settings (supported attributes and data formats).
[edit] Merger
OpenSync is able to merge different attribute changes of same object since last synchronization between different group members. This reduces significantly manual conflict resolutions and user attention to actual synchronization process.
[edit] Supported platforms
Since OpenSync is written in the C programming language and libraries it uses are openly available, it can be compiled to almost any platform where C compiler is available. Currently known working platforms are:
- Linux i386 and x86_64
- Sun Solaris Sparc, i386, x86_64
- Microsoft Windows (only file plugin is usable) i386, x86_64
- FreeBSD, i386, x86_64
[edit] Supported Devices
Support is based on general features and may vary depending on features of particular device, OpenSync bugs or used connection method (Bluetooth, USB, IRDA).
[edit] Motorola
Motorola plugin is written with Python.
[edit] Nokia
Generally devices supporting SyncML 1.1 or 1.2 over Bluetooth, USB or IP-protocol are supported.
Nokia 770 and N800 Internet Tablets using GPE suite are supported .
[edit] Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson devices supporting SyncML or IrMC.
[edit] User Interfaces
[edit] Msynctool
Msynctool is the command line interface that comes along the Open Sync. Its name comes from Multisync and has already been decided to be changed to something close the project name. Msynctool supports all features that Open Sync itself supports and is thus considered to be the reference user interface.
[edit] Mototool
Mototool is command line interface for Motorola's devices and is also written in Python.
[edit] KitchenSync
KitchenSync is GUI frontend for K Desktop Environment and synchronizes KDE PIM suite applications Kaddressbook (contacts), KOrganizer (calendar), Knotes (notes). Mail synchronization is not supported. In future versions Kitchensync will be ported against KDE Akonadi.
KDE PIM applications can also be combined into Kontact framework where they appear as a single application with tighter integration. As applications are the same, Kontact is also supported application.
KitchenSync is written with C++-language, Qt- and KDE toolkits.
[edit] Gnome-Sync
Gnome-Sync is GUI frontend for GNOME desktop Environment.
Gnome-Sync is written with C-language and GTK toolkit.
[edit] Plugins
Brief description of each plugins and some of the links refer external resource.
- vformat - Internal virtual format.
- python - Python programming language API
- file - File plugin syncing vcard, vevent and vnote files in directory.
- kdepim - K Desktop Environment - KDE PIM suite
- evolution2 - GNOME Evolution PIM suite
- irmc - IrMc
- syncml - SyncML
- moto - Motorola
- ldap - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - LDAP
- palm - Palm OS
- synce - SynCE, Windows CE / Windows Mobile
- gpe - GPE Palmtop Environment
- google-calendar - Google Calendar
- gnokii - Gnokii (Nokia)
- jescs - Sun Java Enterprise System Calendar Server (JESCS)
- sunbird - Mozilla Sunbird
- opie - Open Palmtop Integrated Environment (OPIE)
[edit] Current Status
Latest stable release is 0.22 and as codebase it will be its last release (although since 0.22 release 0.2x branch has got some fixes) and main development efforts focus to the current versions. Development versions (0.31, 0.32) have gone through major architectural changes (capabilities, merger) and next stable release 0.40 is expected to be released at end of the year 2008[citation needed].
OpenSync is under active development.
[edit] Shortcomings
These are current challenges that developers are aware of and trying to address in the future releases[citation needed].
- older versions do not work in many cases.
- due recent heavy modifications and rare releases, compiling it manually currently is recommended.
- most platforms ship the latest releases and it is laborious to compile manually.
- configuration its current versions is difficult for normal user.
- lack of Microsoft Windows PIM suite plugin (limits community).
- for SyncML it only supports server peer.
- architecture is not very suitable for binary data synchronization (music, pictures etc)
[edit] See also
- LibSyncML
- LibWBXML
- Funambol
- Nokia PC Suite
- Intellisync
- iSync
- ActiveSync
- HotSync
- Kdepim
