Just Start Writing
In the Daily view, you can write text to start a new event. If you write a number, the event will start at the corresponding hour. If you write a letter, then a new event will be created as a No time event. A No time event is one which comes at the top of the Daily view. It does not reserve any particular time for the event, unlike an all-day event, which takes your normal day's hours (e.g., 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.).
If you need to reinstall
applications and you don't have the .prc file
anymore, then you have an alternative. Any applications that you have
ever
installed on your Palm device are stored in one of two locations:
c:\Program
Files\Palm Handheld\<HotSync
ID>\Archive
and c:\Program Files\Palm Handheld\<HotSync ID>\Backup.
You can modify this directory when
you first install the desktop software, so you may need to look around
a bit.
Also, for a Treo 600, the directory will have Handspring instead of
Palm
Handheld. Also notice that if you have a space in your HotSync ID, then
the
name will get modified (at least on Windows). For example, "Jeff
Ishaq" becomes "IshaqJ."
Once you have figured out the path, you can simply point the Install
tool
at these locations and select the programs you want to reinstall. You
will also
need to install any necessary .pdb files and any related .prc files.
For
example, some applications require third-party .pdb or .prc files such
as WABA
or CASL. Applications that have been selected for installation but have
not yet
been copied over to the Palm device can be found in c:\Program
Files\Palm
Handheld\<HotSync
ID>\Install.
Agendus
Agendus (http://www.iambic.com/agendus/palmos/)
is a full featured PIM
replacement that integrates the Date Book, Address, To Do, and Memo
functions
built into your Palm Powered handheld. Besides offering color coding,
icons,
and a variety of views for your data, it also adds a Contact Linking
feature
that is very powerful. Create a contact for each of your classes in a
special
category, such as English, History, Calculus, Physics, Spanish, and so
on and
then link that contact to each of the relevant pieces of information
about that
classexams, due dates for papers, reading assignments, and so forth.
You can
then use the Contact History function to find everything related to
that class
at a moment's notice. You can also add icons and color and use the
monthly
calendar to see which weeks are going to be the busiest so that you can
plan
ahead and perhaps do a few reading assignments early for one class so
you'll
have time to prepare for an exam in another.
ShadowPlan
There are a variety of course management applications especially
designed
for students, such as 4.0 Student, CoursePro, Due Yesterday, and
Thought-Manager for Students. You can find more information and links
to all of
them in the PalmSource How-To Guide for Students, located at:
http://www.palmsource.com/interests/education_student/
Shadow Plan is an
outliner, but it also does a very good job of handling
lists of all kinds. I've found that the best method is to start a new
outline
for each kind of collectible, such as DVDs, books, or hub caps. Within
the
outline, create top level parent items for each category. I
have a rather extensive book collection, so I chose to organize the
list by
topic; under each topic I've listed books by title, or when I have
several by
the same author, by author as sub-topic with the individual titles
listed
below. I can attach a note to any or all of the items that contains
additional
information such as the condition of the book, the publisher, the
price, notes
from my reading, and so on. I also use Shadow's tagging feature to
locate the
book on a particular shelf, which makes finding any book in my
collection very
simple.
This setup could be adapted to suit any sort of collection, from the
most
mundane to the most elaborate. Within each outline you can set up areas
for
what items you have or are looking for, as well as information about
dealers
and shops that carry the sort of collectible that interests you.
ShadowPlan has
many other uses, as well as a very active online discussion group. For
more
information about ShadowPlan, visit the Code Jedi web site at
http://www.codejedi.com.
This is an unusual recommendation based on one of the most popular Palm OS applications ever. HandyShopper is a freeware grocery shopping manager, but beneath that simple interface is a surprisingly powerful database. It requires a bit of tweaking to set up correctly, especially since you'll be using it for something slightly different than what it was designed for. But with some careful thought and planning, you can turn HandyShopper into a rather powerful database application. You can start by creating a different shopping list for each type of collectible, and then using "stores" to organize your collectibles. If you have a large movie collection, you could have stores like Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, and Romance, with a list of items contained within each store. Each item can have its own notes, and since HandyShopper is designed to handle shopping tasks, it already has built-in fields for quantity and price. There are also some desktop applications available that allow HandyShopper lists to be imported from and exported to Microsoft Excel. You can get a free copy of HandyShopper from PalmGear at http://www.palmgear.com. Also, be sure to check out the very active discussion group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/handyshopper/.
For the truly serious collector, a database application is the best option. Since databases are customizable, you can add all of the fields you need to adequately describe your collectibles. Example fields include:
· Item Name
· Date Acquired
· Purchase Price
· Purchased From
· Current Value
· Date Sold
· Selling Price
· Notesvariations, etc.
One of my personal favorites is Piranha from FPS Software. It's very easy to use and has a robust Windows desktop companion application available that quickly and easily imports and exports databases to Microsoft Excel. You can get a free trial at http://www.fps.com. A more advanced option is HanDBase from DDH Software; it has a desktop application capable of communicating with Microsoft Access but has a much steeper learning curve. You can learn more at http://www.ddhsoftware.com/.
Moderately complex
projects require you to view the status of the project
broken down by tasks and sub-tasks. It may also be important to filter
tasks by
various criteria such as due date.
Moderately complex projects can be managed with a list or task manager.
ShadowPlan (http://www.codejedi.com) is a good example of a task
manager. You
can use it to create hierarchical task.
The parent tasks' completion percentages are calculated automatically
from
their children. Unfortunately, all children are weighted equally. Thus,
if you
have a one-day task grouped with a five-day task, finishing either of
them
marks the parent as being 50% complete. ShadowPlan allows you to assign
start, target, and finish dates for
tasks, and it has sophisticated filters for viewing items. Other list
and task
managers have similar capabilities
Complex projects require
the most support. They may require dependencies,
or they may require careful allocation of people or resources. They may
need to
have a strict ordering of tasks. It may be necessary to view
dependencies,
estimated and actual completion dates, resource usage, and milestones.
Complex projects need real project management software. One open-source
application is called Progect (http://sourceforge.net/projects/progect/).
There is an application called Project@Hand
(http://www.natara.com/) that
allows you to synchronize with Microsoft Project.
You can view and modify projects on your handheld. The same company
makes a
product called Project@Hand2 which is a standalone project management
application for the Palm. Another full-featured project management
application
for Palm is FastTrack Schedule (http://www.aecsoftware.com). You can also use a list manager or outliner, such
as Thought-Manager (http://www.handshigh.com/).
One thing that project management software lacks is the ability to
handle
change easily. If some tasks get completed out of order, it can be very
difficult to go back and update the project data to reflect the new
task order.
There are applications
such as BalanceLog (http://www.healthetech.com)
that can manage this information for you. BalanceLog contains lists of
foods
and exercises and the related calorie amounts. For exercise, the
calories burned per hour is
adjusted by your weight. As you lose weight, you burn fewer calories.
Having a
program on your Palm device to track this is nice because you usually
have your
Palm device with you. Thus, you can enter meals and exercise in a
timely
fashion, instead of entering them when you get home and having to
remember back
over the day.
Sustained weight loss only comes with regular attention to the
detailsfood and exercise. As always, check with a doctor before
starting an
exercise program or altering your diet.
Another program for tracking calories and exercise is EatWatch
(http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/palm/).
EatWatch is designed to help you follow the Hacker's Diet. The Hacker's
Diet is a
combination of reducing your calories and doing some calisthenics.
EatWatch
helps you on both these counts. It tracks your food intake and the
number of
exercises that you do. The exercises include sit-ups, push-ups, jumping
jacks,
running in place, and a few more. You can find more about the Hacker's
Diet at
the EatWatch web page.
SimCity
SimCity is the classic simulation game (http://www.ateliersoftware.com/palm/scc.html). This version doesn't work with Palm OS 5, but if you have an earlier machine it works fine. This is the official port of the desktop game. There is also an open-source version called PocketCity (http://pocketcity.sourceforge.net/) which works with Palm OS 5, but it is still in an early stage.
Serial Cable or Cradle
Setting up a connection
via a serial cable or cradle is similar to
setting up a modem, except that you don't have to enter a phone number,
username, or password. Choose Cradle / Cable from the Connection list.
Note
that you need to be running a PPP stackon your desktop machine to
connect via
cable. For Windows machines, you can get a PPP stackcalled SoftickPPP
(http://www.softick.com/ppp/).
This stacksupports USB, Serial, Infrared, and
Bluetooth connections. Configuring SoftickPPP is fairly simple.
The one tricky setting depends on what kind of device you have. For
Sony
Cliés (and some other devicescheckthe Softickweb site for more
details), you
will need to set the PPP stackto operate in exclusive mode. This means
that you
can't HotSync while connecting to the Internet. Most devices can do
this, but
for the ones that can't, you need to select Use USB in exclusive mode
from the
USB tab in PPP. You will need
to enable SoftickPPP explicitly when you want to connect to the
Internet and
disable it when you want to HotSync.
Another choice for connecting with a cable is to buy a cable to connect
your Palm device to a cell phone. You can find cables online at various
sites
such as http://www.thesupplynet.com. Your cell phone must be set up
with data
access through your wireless service provider. A cell phone can act as
a modem
(follow the modem instructions) or as a direct networkaccess point. You
will
need to check your wireless service plan for details.
You can also edit the connection (as with a modem) to select what you
are
connecting to.
Infrared (IR)
You can use an infrared connection to a desktop computer or to a cell phone. For a desktop computer, the setup is similar to setting up a connection through a serial cable, except that you will choose IR or IR to a PC/ Handheld from the Connection list. Connecting to a phone depends on whether the phone acts as a modem or as a direct networkaccess point. Checkyour service plan for details. Select the appropriate connection type IR to a GSM Phone, if that is applicable, otherwise choose IR or IR to a PC/ Handheld. If you are using the phone as a modem, then follow the modem instructions.
Bluetooth
You can connect to the
Internet via Bluetooth, if your Palm device has it
installed. If your Palm device doesn't have Bluetooth built-in, you may
be able
to buy an adapter depending on which device you have.
You need a Bluetooth-enabled access point to get on the Internet. That
can be an access point, a cell phone, or your desktop computer.
Bluetooth LAN access point. If you are connecting through a LAN Access
Point (either your office or some other business like a coffee shop),
then you
will need to get the networkinformation from them. If you are in a
public place
that has Bluetooth access, this information is usually posted somewhere
convenient.
If you are connecting to an access point, select Trusted Devices and
Add
Device. Your Palm device will then search for Bluetooth access points.
You may
have to search more than once to find the network you are looking for.
When the networkis found, tap on it and hit OK. You need to enter in a
passkeythis is something that you set up when you were configuring your
desktop, or it should be available from the provider of the access
point.
Cell phone. You will need to find out from your cell phone service
provider whether or not you have data service set up on your cell
phone, and if
so, how should you access it. Some cell phones can be used as modems.
Your wireless plan also
needs to support this. Other plans will let you use your cell phone as
a direct
networkaccess point. You need to make sure that your wireless plan
allows you
to connect other devices to your phone. This is usually called
tethering.
If your phone and plan support it, then you can connect your Palm
device
to your phone. From the Bluetooth Preferences, select Setup Device. You
will
also probably want to set your Palm device to not be discoverable,
unless you
want people trying to connect to your Palm device.
From the Setup Devices form, select Phone Setup and then Phone
Connection. Make sure your cell phone is set to be discoverable, select
your
phone model, and type in a passkey to pair the devices (as with a
desktop
connection). You will have to type the same passkey into your cell
phone when
prompted.
After you have paired the phone and your Palm device, your Palm device
will askyou if you want to set up your device to connect to the
Internet.
Answer yes, and then follow the remaining prompts. When you are
finished, go to
Bluetooth Preferences and tap the Connect button to finally make the
connection.
At this point, you should be able to access the Internet.
Use a Windows XP computer as an access point. If you are connecting
through your desktop machine, you will also need a Bluetooth adapter on
your
desktop. Make sure that your drivers are up-to-date.
Start by making sure that Bluetooth is set up and working on both the
PC
and Palm. Then, create a COM port for the Bluetooth connection.
6.2.5. Wi-Fi (802.11b)
Getting set up for Wi-Fi depends on whether 802.11b is built in (e.g., the Tungsten C) or whether 802.11b access is coming from an add-on card.
Setting up internal Wi-Fi. To get started with built-in Wi-Fi, select Wi-Fi Setup from the Palm Launcher. Tap Next and your Palm device will search for all available networks. If the application finds the network you want to connect to, then you are setjust tap the network name to continue.
If the networkyou were looking for was not found, then you need to tap the Other button. You will need to enter the networkname (SSID) in the corresponding field. Finally, tap OK and Done, unless you want to set up a VPN first.
You can also configure WEP encryption. This will help make your connection more secure, but it is not guaranteed to be completely secure. When you enter the networkname under Other, you have an option to turn on WEP encryption. You can also select this option by editing the networkconnection. If you checkthe WEP Encryption box, then you can set an encryption key. Tapping on the encryption key control brings up a dialog box with options for choosing a key type, specifying up to four keys, and also a key index that specifies which of the four keys to use. Set these as appropriate to match the network. The dialog box also has a text field for entering in your WEP keys. Tap OK when finished.
After the basic networkhas been set up, you can configure the standard Internet settings. Launch the Preferences application and select Wi-Fi. Select Edit Networks from the Network list and then choose the network you want to edit. Tap Details, then Advancedit seems like all the interesting stuff is always hidden behind an Advanced button. The Advanced button brings up a dialog box that lets you choose between a static and dynamic IP address (and lets you configure the subnet maskand router for a dynamic address). You can also choose to use the default DNS server or to use a DNS server at a specific IP address.
Setting up a Wi-Fi card. Launch the Preferences application and select the Wi-Fi category. Select On in the list. The Wi-Fi card will automatically search for available networks. The Wi-Fi card will try to connect to the first networkit finds. If you want to connect to a different network, then you need to tap on the Networklist. If the networkyou want to connect to appears in the list, then go ahead and select it.
If the networkdoes not appear in the list, you will need to set it up manually. Launch the Wi-Fi Setup application. Tap Next, and then tap Other to bring up a dialog box for creating a new Wi-Fi network. Enter the network name (SSID), and select WEP encryption if desired. If you select WEP encryption, then you will need to tap on WEP Key to set up the encryption keys.
To change the IP or DNS settings, bring up the Wi-Fi Setup application and select the networkto edit. Press the Details button, then press Advanced in the next dialog box, and you will be able to choose between a static or dynamic IP address. You can also select whether to automatically choose a DNS server or to use specified primary and secondary DNS servers.
One solution is to use a
web-based email service. The popular services
such as Yahoo and Gmail have one limitation: you have to use one of
their email
addresses (@yahoo.com
or @gmail.com). If
you have an
existing email account that you want to use, you can't use these
services.
Instead, you will need to use a web-based email aggregator. An email
aggregator
combines email from one or more POP accounts and presents it through a
common
web interface. You use a web browser to access your email wherever you
are. You will see the same
interface, folders, and email from your desktop and Palm device. You
can still
use all of your existing accounts for reading and sending email. Any
changes
you make from your PDA will automatically be reflected on your desktop
and vice
versa. Also, if you end up somewhere where your Palm device can't
connect to
the Internet, then you may be able to find a local Internet connection
(e.g.,
an Internet cafe) to continue working with your email until you regain
Internet
connectivity.
One useful email aggregator is Gopher King (http://www.gopherking.com).
Gopher King provides access to all of your
existing email accounts. You can also set up rules for processing your
incoming
email (move, delete, copy, etc).
An email aggregator is still a choice, but it may be more suitable to
your lifestyle than either Yahoo or Gmail. These services each achieve
a
slightly different goal
IMAP
Another solution is to
use IMAP instead of POP. IMAP is designed to
support accessing an email account from multiple computers. So, you can
read
email and move messages into different folders on your desktop, and
then pick
up where you left off with your Palm device.
In addition to VersaMail, which is bundled with many Palms, there are
many PalmOS email programs that support IMAP.
Agendus Mail. Agendus Mail (http://www.iambic.com)
supports POP, IMAP, and SMS text messaging. You can send, receive,
and manage emails and text messages. Agendus Mail allows you to manage
multiple
email accounts from your Palm device.
Aileron Mail. Aileron Mail (http://www.corsoft.com) provides mail
access via IMAP, POP, or SMTP. It also provides secure
versions of IMAP and POP via SSL. It can also connect to a variety of
different
mail servers: Yahoo, MSN/Hotmail, AOL, Gmail, and Outlook Web Access.
SnapperMail. SnapperMail (http://www.snappermail.com)
also supports SSL for secure email. SnapperMail
supports several popular mail services such as AOL, Gmail, and Yahoo.
Chatter Email. Chatter
Email (http://www.chatteremail.com)
is a
full-featured IMAP and POP client. It also has an innovative push
feature that
will send email to your Treo without having to manually download it.
There is
also a summary folder which contains a color-coded set of lines
representing
your other folders.
The web-based or IMAP solutions provide access to the same emails and
folders from both your Palm device and your desktop. Each type of
service has
its own strengths and weakness. Be sure to pick a service that meets
your
needs.
Hacking the Hack
You can send these emails as an SMS quite easily. Most wireless providers have email addresses that automatically forward emails to a phone number as SMS. The next table shows a partial list of US operators. Simply replace <number> with the 10-digit phone number (no spaces or dashes, e.g., 5035551212@messaging.nextel.com) when you send the email. Keep in mind that a single SMS may contain at most 160 characters. Be aware that the wireless providers may put a limit on the number of consecutive messages that go through their email-to-SMS gateways to cut down on SMS spam.
Operator Email
Nextel
<number>@messaging.nextel.com
Sprint PCS <number>@messaging.sprintpcs.com
AT&T Wireless
<number>@mobile.att.net
Cingular Wireless
<number>@mobile.mycingular.com
Verizon Wireless
<number>@vtext.com
T-Mobile
<number>@tmomail.net
You can surf the
Web even if your Palm device is not connected to
the Web.
Surprisingly, you don't
even need the ability to connect to the Internet
to view the Web with your Palm device. If you want to lookat arbitrary
web
sites, or you need to view live (up-to-date) pages, then you do need to
be
connected to the Internet. In that case, you would use a standard web
browser or an Internet suite.
However, Access (who recently acquired PalmSource) makes an excellent,
full-featured browser called NetFront that is bundled with some
devices. Web
Browser Pro is available for some Tungsten and Zire models. For a
comprehensive
overview of the browsers available for Palms, see
http://www.palmsource.com/interests/browsers/.
However, many sites lend
themselves well to offline reading.There are many web browsers
available for
the Palm and Treo. Some models include a web browser called Blazer.
Some sites are very useful only if you have a live Internet connection,
but would not be very useful as static content. One such example is the
extremely useful (at least if you live in Portland) http://www.tripcheck.com.
This site is run by the Oregon Department of Transportation. It
provides an
average-speed map for the local Portland freeways, color-coded red,
yellow, and
green. You can use it to check which way you should go to avoid traffic.
For those of you who read web sites that aren't quite so dynamic,
another
solution exists. There are some offline web browsers available for Palm
devices. An offline web browser comes with both a desktop component and
a Palm
component. The desktop component allows you to choose which sites or
pages you
want to read. You can also choose how many levels of links to follow,
how much
data you are willing to download for a single site, and how often to
update
your local copy of the site. You can also select whether or not to
download
images.
You can use iSilo as an offline web
browser in addition to using it as a document reader. There is a
companion
program called iSiloX which allows you to convert web documents to the
internal
iSilo format. The iSiloX program can also set
up the converted documents to be transferred on your next HotSync.
For example, you could set up the desktop component to grab Slashdot
(http://slashdot.org), follow links
one level (to get the text of the articles
from the headlines), and to download at most 100K. Then, the desktop
would
update a local copy of Slashdot at whatever interval you requested.
When you
HotSync your Palm device, the latest copy that was downloaded from the
Web will
be transferred to your device.
You can download news or blog sites for ever-changing content, or you
can
download static pages for reference. You will need to update the amount
of
content you download and the frequency with which you perform a HotSync
depending on how much time you spend reading offline content. If you
are
seriously addicted to reading blogs, then you probably want to get a
dedicated
RSS reader
Control Your
Computer Remotely
It can be useful to be
able to access your desktop machine remotely. You
could checkserver logs, restart failed services, or even post to your
weblog. If you have a home
network, you can set up all of your computers so that they are
accessible
remotely.
VNC (Virtual NetworkComputing) is an open-source application that is
designed to allow one machine to control another machine over a
network. It was
originally developed at Bell Labs. VNC is also useful for
collaboration.
Multiple viewers (clients) can connect to the same server. Each viewer
has its
own cursor. You can use these cursors to point to content on the remote
machine. The viewers display the cursors for all of the other viewers
as well.
Each cursor is displayed differently from the others so you can tell
them
apart.
The server side comes in Windows, Mac, and Linux flavors. You can
download these versions and get more information from the main VNC web
site
(http://www.realvnc.com). There
are other versions of VNC available as well.
For Windows and Linux machines, there is TightVNC (http://www.tightvnc.
com). For Windows, there is also UltraVNC (http://www.ultravnc.com).
UltraVNC supports server-side scaling. For Macs, you will need OSXvnc
(http://www.redstonesoftware.com/vnc.html). The built-in VNC on Macs
doesn't
work with PalmVNC.
You will also need an application to access the server. In typical
computerspeak, this application would be called the client, but VNC
uses the
term viewer instead. The Palm viewer is called PalmVNC
(http://palmvnc2.free.fr). You
can also download UltraVNC for Windows with
PalmVNC.
For a different kind of remote control experience, check out the
Pebbles
Project (http://www.pebbles.hcii.cmu.edu/), which makes a variety of
remote
control products for Palm devices. For example, their SlideShow
Commander is a
specialized application for remotely controlling PowerPoint
Presentations. If
you're on a Mac, checkout Salling Clicker
(http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling/Shareware/Clicker/),
a general-purpose remote control package that can be extended with a
little bit
of AppleScript programming.
Set Up VNC on Your Desktop
To access your desktop
remotely, you need to know its external IP
address. If you have a single computer which is directly connected to
the
Internet and has a static IP address, that's easy. All you have to do
is lookup
your IP address in the appropriate place and write it down for use in
setting
up PalmVNC.
If you have a dynamic IP address (e.g., your home computer is sitting
behind a router), the situation is a little more complicated. You need
to
consider using an IP publishing service (see the "IP Addresses"
sidebar). An IP publishing service will typically let you choose a
hostname
within their domain. You end up with a name like
hostname.domainname.com. Keep
this symbolic address handy for setting up PalmVNC.
Download and install the appropriate version of VNC on your desktop
machine. After VNC has finished installing, run the configuration part
of it.
You will be able to choose a password for VNC. Choose a good password
(at least eight characters and a mixture of
upper-and lower-case characters, numbers, and punctuation). This
password is
all that is needed to access your machine over the Internet, so choose
carefully. Either write it down or remember ityou will need the
password when
configuring PalmVNC.
IP Address
All computers on the
Internet have an Internet Protocol (IP) address. An
IP address uniquely identifies any computer on the Internet. It is used
for
routing sessions to the appropriate machines.
An IP address is a four-part number. Each part is a number in the range
0-255. The numbers are separated by decimal points. Thus, an IP address
can
look like 192.168.0.1 (a typical home network address) or 127.0.0.1 (a
reference to the local machine). IP addresses can be static, which
means that
the addresses don't change. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) usually
charge a
bit more for static addresses. Most people (at least at home) have
dynamic
addresses. A dynamic address is assigned by the ISP on a periodic
basis. Thus,
a dynamic address won't necessarily be the same from day to day. To
connect to
a computer over the Internet, you either need to know its IP address,
or you
need to have a name for it (e.g., www.google.com).
The name is then mapped via a Domain Name System (DNS) server into the
actual
IP address.
If you have a dynamic IP address, you can hookup with a free service to
publish the address. The service acts as a DNS server for a name you
select (a
hostname within their top-level domain) and maps that name to your
computer's
current dynamic IP address. You download a small program that runs on
your PC
which updates the IP address for your computer in the service's DNS.
You get to
choose a hostname for your computer within the domain names offered by
your
service. Then you can refer to your computer via hostname.domainname.com.
Some
service providers are No-IP.com (http://www.no-ip.com),
Dynu
(http://www.dynu.com), and DynDNS.org
(http://www.dyndns.org).
Securing the connection. You will need to open some ports in your
firewall for VNC. VNC itself needs access to ports 5900-5902. By
default, VNC
sends information (including passwords) as plaintext. You can use ssh
(a secure
protocol that can encapsulate other types of connections such as VNC;
see
http://www.openssh.org for more
information) instead for more security. You
will need to open port 22 in your firewall for ssh, if you have not
already
done so.
Some of the servers (notably TightVNC) have ssh setup by default. For
other VNC servers, the process is fairly simple. From the client side
of a
desktop machine, you want to run something similar to the following:
ssh
L 5902:localhost:5901 remotehost
l username
PalmVNC comes with a
plug-in that does RSA-40 encryption. If you want
more security than that, you can tunnel your VNC connection through a
VPN.
Whenever VNC is running, it will lookfor incoming connections. If you
have a personal firewall (Norton Internet Security, ZoneAlarm, or
others), you
will need to set the firewall to allow VNC to access the Internet. If
you have
a port-based firewall, you will need to allow access to the ports that
VNC
uses. By default, VNC uses ports 5900 and 5800 (port 5800 is only used
for a
Java-based viewer), but you can change those ports if you want to under
the
Connections tab.
Setting up VPN. There is a Palm VPN client called Mergic VPN
(http://www.mergic.com). To set up
a VPN, you need to have an externally
visible IP address for your desktop machine. Enter that IP address into
Mergic
VPN in the area titled VPN Server Name or Address. You can create
multiple VPN accounts for connecting to different
machines. Set the account name in the Account edit box. Note that this
name is
only used to distinguish between different setups in Mergic. The actual
username for logging into VNC goes into the User Name field. You can
also
choose to have Mergic VPN autoconnect to the server when specific
applications
are run
Set Up PalmVNC
Download PalmVNC from http://palmvnc2.free.fr. Unzip it
and install
palmvnc.prc onto your Palm device.
Connect your Palm device to the Internet and run PalmVNC. Set up a
new connection to your desktop machine,. Enter the IP address for your
desktop machine and the password you
used when setting up the VNC server, and then tap OK and Connect from
the next
form. If everything is working, you should now see your desktop on your
Palm
device.
You can move around the desktop by using the narrow scrollbars on the
right and bottom of the screen. If you set up server-side scaling when
you were
configuring the server, then you can select from PalmVNC's menus (or
the
Advanced dialog box) to take
advantage of scaling. At 1:2 scaling, you can view a 640 x 640 desktop
on a 320
x 320 Palm device or even up to a 640 x 960 desktop on a 320 x 480 Palm
device.
That's large enough to see (and do) a decent amount.