[dot] OpenSync and KDE to Cooperate on Unified Data Syncing

[Dot Stories]

URL: http://dot.kde.org/1131568739/

From: Cornelius Schumacher <>
Dept: sync-it-baby
Date: Wednesday 09/Nov/2005, @14:38

OpenSync and KDE to Cooperate on Unified Data Syncing
=====================================================

   The OpenSync [http://www.opensync.org] and KDE [http://www.kde.org]
teams have joined forces to create a unified library to synchronize data
from mobile devices with the data on the desktop. OpenSync, the
successor to the MultiSync project, provides a modular
desktop-independent synchronization platform. It can be extended by
plugins to support additional devices and data types. Plugins for the
most commonly used devices and applications such as Kontact
[http://www.kontact.org],  Palm, Windows CE, mobile phones and more are
already available or under development. KDE has now adopted OpenSync as
the base for its future synchronization tools.
    [http://kubuntu.org/~jr/dot/kitchensync-synchronizing.png]
KitchenSync using OpenSync
[http://kubuntu.org/~jr/dot/kitchensync-synchronizing.png]
     With KDE making use of the desktop-independent OpenSync project, a
unified syncing platform becomes a reality. Other desktop applications
and projects already use OpenSync or have signalled interest in using
it. With OpenSync as a unified platform vendors of mobile devices and
other parties interested in integrating with the desktop syncing
platforms have a single point of contact. By writing a simple OpenSync
plugin they enable desktop users to sync their devices with all other
devices supported by OpenSync and most applications used on the desktop,
independent of the desktop environment.

     At the end of August leading members of the OpenSync and KDE
projects met for a three-day coding session
[http://www.opensync.org/wiki/OpenSync-KDE] at Nuremberg in Germany,
sponsored by SUSE [http://www.suse.com]. At the meeting a KDE based
graphical user interface for OpenSync was created. A presentation of the
results of this meeting is available on the OpenSync website. The code
for the KDE frontend, codenamed KitchenSync can be found in the
"opensync-integration" branch
[http://websvn.kde.org/branches/work/opensync-integration/] in KDE's
Subversion repository. It has been constantly improved over the last few
weeks and already represents a usable application to operate the
OpenSync backend. Not only can it be used on the KDE desktop, but also
on all other GNU/Linux or UNIX desktops.

     The combination of OpenSync and the new KitchenSync frontend will
replace great parts of the current variety of KDE syncing solutions by a
unified approach. The old versions of KitchenSync, KSync, Kandy,
libksync have already  been removed from the code base for the upcoming
next generation of the KDE desktop, KDE 4. KPilot is planned to be
replaced once all functionality is available with the new framework in
an equivalent way.

     The first official stable 1.0 release of OpenSync is planned for
the beginning of 2006. The KDE based frontend will be released in
parallel to OpenSync 1.0. This release will contain support for syncing
Palm Pilots, SyncML, Evolution, Kontact, files and IrMC capable devices
like mobile phones.