[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-pim
Subject:    Re: [Kde-pim]  [RFC] libkmobile - A Universal Mobile Devices
From:       Cornelius Schumacher <schumacher () kde ! org>
Date:       2003-04-21 19:46:04
[Download RAW message or body]

On Monday 21 April 2003 20:09, Helge Deller wrote:
>
> I would like to start a universal "Mobile Devices Connection Kit",
> which should make it easy for a lot of programs to access different
> mobile devices through a universal and generic interface and enable
> them to exchange any type of data through this interface.

That's a good idea, but it sounds like a subset of what KitchenSync is 
meant to be. That doesn't mean that we don't need something like 
libkmobile, but I would see this as integrated part of KitchenSync. 
Access to mobile devices is important, but in addition to moving the 
data we also need a way to control how the data is handled when it is 
exchanged with KDE applications. Import/Export is only the most simple 
case. In general we need a syncing solution which allows to handle 
conflicts, convert data where necessary, select which data has to be 
synced, etc.

> As a few examples we currently have:
> 	- kitchensync has it's own type of different plugins e.g. to access
> qtopia (mobile phone support not yet available) - korganizer hasn't
> any direct import/export functionality to/from an organizer or mobile
> phone yet (IIRC) - kaddressbook has a gnokii import/export filter for
> NOKIA mobile phones only, other devices like e.g. organizers are not
> supported yet.
> 	- most other applications are still lacking any mobile device
> import/export functionalities

- KPilot, which does import/export/syncing of all kinds of data with 
Palms.
- Kandy, which syncs addressbook data with mobile phones.

> The idea:
> 	- write a universal/generic plugin system (e.g. "class
> KMobileDeviceManager") - for every mobile device write a
> access-driver based on a "KMobileDevice" class (sample code example
> attached below),

The attached interface seems to be a bit limited. It isn't very 
extensible in terms of data types. I think such a library should focus 
on abstracting the transport level and leave handling of data types to 
something independent of transport.

> 	- modify the applications to use this plugin system, so that all
> types of mobile devices will be supported.

I don't think it's a good idea to give applications direct access to 
this layer. Applications should use KitchenSync to talk to mobile 
devices. Otherwise we will run in a lot of syncing problems.

> Further ideas could be:
> 	- a kicker module. It would search regulary at the
> USB/IRDA/Bluetooth ports for new devices and allow the user to
> configure the new device at once.
> 	- a kioslave (e.g. "mobile://") , which shows all configured
> devices. The root-directory would show an icon for each device (like
> a sub-directory), then in each of those sub-directories you would see
> directories for each capatibility (Addressbook, Calendar, Notes,
> Storage). The Addressbook could show vCard files, the calendar
> vCalendar files, and the storage subdirectory would show the files on
> the device.

In my opinion a kioslave would be of limited use, because mobile devices 
have a lot of restrictions and normally can't be accessed like a 
filesystem. I would much prefer to leave the access to mobile devices 
to specialized programs and provide good syncing mechanisms to give 
access to the data in the apps designedfor this kind of data instead of 
something general in Konqueror.

> 	- a new kcontrol module to globally configure the attached mobile
> devices

KitchenSync is meant to be the central place where access to mobile 
devices is controlled. This should also contain the configuration.

> Since my time in general is very limited, I definitively would need
> help from others on such a project.
> Personally I would like to start with an implementation with gnokii
> and gammu to make most mobile phones directly accessible.
> If people don't complain, I would like to create the subdirectory
> kdepim/libkmobile and put my initial work there.

Why don't you add gnokii and gammu support to KitchenSync?

-- 
Cornelius Schumacher <schumacher@kde.org>
_______________________________________________
kde-pim mailing list
kde-pim@mail.kde.org
http://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-pim
kde-pim home page at http://pim.kde.org/
[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]