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The keys to performing a Network HotSync (continued)
FIGURE F
During a LANSync, the HotSync Progress dialog looks like this. Click picture for a larger image.
Normally you see "Synchronizing <some application>" as shown in Figure G.
FIGURE G
This is a normal HotSync Progress dialog. Click picture for a larger image.
Where do I put my software?
It all seems so simple. Okay, you had to configure hardware and software on two computers and your handheld, but it really wasn't very difficult. As with any more sophisticated uses of technology, the under-the-hood view is more complicated and carries caveats with it.
The first question that may have occurred to you is, "Where do I install the desktop software for my favorite applications?" Applications like Documents To Go, AvantGo, Vindigo, the Adobe Acrobat Reader for PalmOS, TealPaint and MGI's Photosuite Mobile Album all have desktop software that either sets files up for synchronization via standard methods or have their own custom conduits. The short answer here is that you install the desktop applications on your primary computer.
"As you would expect from a function authored by Palm, it behaved entirely as expected."
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The applications listed above are some that either came with my Palm handheld or I have adopted as useful. Of the ones listed, I believe that TealPaint and Photosuite handle their HotSync needs through conversion to PDB files, allowing them to HotSync without the need for custom conduits. The others all have custom conduits.
AvantGo, Vindigo, and Acrobat Reader all performed as well over the Network HotSync as they did when directly connected. However, Documents To Go seemed to hang when checking whether the first document should be updated. I have contacted DataViz with a bug report. Unfortunately, the workaround is either to use the Custom menu to disable the Documents To Go conduit for each HotSync (which defeats the purpose of remotely synchronizing) or to disable it entirely and re-enable it when performing a local HotSync, which is awkward.
I also tested installing new applications. As you would expect from a function authored by Palm, it behaved entirely as expected. I even used it to install a system patch (not without some apprehension, I might add), and it correctly prompted to reset the handheld when the HotSync operation was finished. Installing data to the expansion card worked as well.
What goes away must come back
Another question you may ask is, "Do I have to switch my handheld back to LocalSync when I return to my primary computer?" Palm has properly handled this so that you don't have to switch back. When you HotSync on your primary computer, it proceeds as normal. I ran into a problem in which the HotSync hangs with the message "Synchronizing psysLaunchDB" and then times out. I've been unable to reliably repeat the problem but have found that manually deleting the psysLaunchDB.PDB file from the <Palm Install Directory>\<User Directory>\Backup directory seems to solve the problem (although deleting a backup isn't necessarily the best course of action).
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