Mobile Computing in an Open Source World

December 28, 2000
By Christopher Molnar

Software Selection and Setup

All the software you need to do your work is most likely contained in the PowerPack of your favorite deluxe Linux distribution. You'll find that you don't need to purchase any additional software; you just need to know where to look.

Let's look at the PDA tools first. Like most users, I use my PDA to display data, take notes, and keep track of appointments and addresses. I need to synchronize my PDA with my laptop regularly to make sure that I don't double-book things. I also keep a copy of my inbox on my PDA so that I have quick access to recent issues. Sound easy? It is.

Linux-Mandrake 7.2 includes two pilot tools (conduits) in the distribution. The one I am going to mention is JPilot. JPilot allows you, with very minimal setup, to connect your Palm to a calendar on your desktop, and to your e-mail (be it Netscape, Pine, or KMail). It also allows you to do expense reports electronically and download Web pages from AvantGo (www.avantgo.com), where you can set things up to capture your favorite EarthWeb news pages whenever they change. The one thing that no one mentions in the directions of JPilot is that the user who is running it has to have read/write access from the serial port that your PDA uses (on most laptops this will be com1 or /dev/ttyS0). This is easily fixed by opening a terminal window, logging in as root, typing "chmod a+rw /dev/ttyS0", and then exiting the terminal window. Also note that the speed of the connection in setup needs to be at or under 19200 bps.

In KDE 2.1, which is currently in beta, you will also find the return of KPilot, the KDE version of the Palm desktop tools. KPilot will become my choice in the future, as it will synchronize with my KMail and with my KOrganizer applications, as well as do the backup, software install, and other operations that JPilot does. KPilot also runs as a daemon (meaning it runs in the background without user interference) and only becomes active when the hot sync button is pressed.

Moving on in software, if you choose to use the Web cam, there is a really nice application called Gqcam that will handle this really well. You may have to add the following lines to your /etc/rc.d/rc.local file to make it all work and then reboot. (With Linux-Mandrake, just add the second and third lines; thefirst one is a default.)

modprobe usb_uhsci
modprobe cpia_usb
modprobe videodev

Next, we need a way to connect to the Internet. I, as do most users, use a landline to connect from hotel rooms, but I also use my cell phone when traveling. So I need a tool that is very flexible and easy to configure. I have found my home with kppp. Kppp is a default part of the KDE 2.x distribution, and was even present in KDE 1.x--but don't use that version. Kppp allows me to have multiple accounts (actually, different versions of the same account for various locations), and with only three mouse clicks I can change from COM 1 to COM 2 for either landline or cellular connections. More importantly, kppp handles both a scripted login like one used by CompuServe or a non-scripted authentication like my local home ISP (Southern New England Telephone) uses. The setup is very self-explanatory and easy. If you are in the U.S., do not attempt the setup wizard, use the dialog-based setup. Here's an example of my CompuServe connect scripts. Note the user IDs and the passwords have been changed to protect the innocent (me).

Script example in kppp for CompuServe.

When you set up up the cell phone, all you have to do is change the port and drop the speed. Most cell phones will not connect over a speed of 19,200 bps.

The other two pieces of software that most mobile users need quick access to are an organizer (calendar, to-do list, and note pad) and e-mail. Let's discuss the organizer first. I use the one contained in JPilot, as it is self contained and easy to synchronize. I also keep the one contained in KDE, named KOrganizer, updated as well. The reason for this is that as KDE 2.1 moves into a release state it will once again contain KPilot. Once this occurs, I will stop using JPilot and only use the KDE application. Why? The KMail interface.

KMail is the mailer contained within KDE. It is a joy to work with this application. It is extremely friendly and configurable for the mobile user. You can set it up to use either a work or personal e-mail address, and when you compose a message you can choose which account to send from. Someone once told me they were using 32 different profiles with KMail. It also will filter messages and sort them into folders. The most important item for the mobile user the draft folder, where you can queue messages to be sent later. KMail has this functionality. JPilot doesn't, which is why I prefer KMail. Another mailer that deserves mention here is Evolution, a project being developed by the Gnome desktop team. Evolution will KOrganizer, KPilot, and KMail into a single interface. It is still in the early alpha stage of development, so I have not seen it run yet.

The next software that the mobile user always needs are an office suite products, such as the Microsoft Office applications Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Well, no problem. Take a look at my articles on KDE and KOffice articles on EarthWeb. You also have access to a very stable office suite in StarOffice from Sun Microsystems; it is freely available. Just don't use the Mail module in StarOffice, as it won't work with any of the PDA links.