Re: [coldsync-hackers] sync with multiple computers

[Andrew Arensburger <arensb+CShackers at ooblick dot com>]

On Wed, 7 Jan 2004, Ed Davison wrote:
> I have multiple computers (home and work) and one palm that I would like
> to sync in both places.  I cannot do this with the windows software as
> the palm os hotsync platform/sequence thinks that the palm is a new one
> if it is sync'd with another windows computer.

	This doesn't sound right. Are you sure this is what's happening?
It sounds like a bug.

> Does this software follow that paradigm?  Will I be able to sync with my
> work windows computer AND my home linux computer?

	There is an issue with syncing on two different machines, but yes,
ColdSync handles it.
	Normally, what happens is this: the Palm keeps track of which
records have changed since the last time it was synced. This way, the
desktop doesn't have to read every single record on the Palm, only those
which have changed.
	So what happens if you add a memo, then sync at home, and then
sync at work? Your machine at home sees that the only thing that has
changed is the new memo, which is correct. Then it resets all of the flags
so that everything on the Palm is marked "clean" (i.e., up to date with
respect to the desktop). But then, when you sync at work, if your work
machine only asks for the modified records, it won't get anything, because
everything is marked "up to date", even though the machine at work doesn't
have the new memo.
	In this case, the Right Thing to do is for the machine at work to
read every record on the Palm and compare it to what the desktop has. This
is called a "slow sync", for obvious reasons.

	ColdSync handles this (as should any decent Palm sync utility),
but bear in mind that if you sync both at home and at work, it's likely to
be slow.

-- 
Andrew Arensburger                      Actually, these _do_ represent the
arensb@ooblick.com                      opinions of ooblick.com!
                        Generic Tagline V 6.01
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