I am about to delete all contacts in google. First I am making a backup file in a google specified CSV format.
OK, I deleted all google contacts.
Next, I will go to the Goosync program on my Palm Treo 700P. In the menu options settings there is a hidden thing buried among other confusing stuff: Sync Mode Options. I tap that and it shows drop down lists for Calendar, Tasks and Contacts. All are set to normal. When I click the list for Contacts additional options include:
slow
update device
reload device
update server
reload server.
No explanation. I will select update server. I'd better remember to change this back to normal after the operation. Too bad Goosync did not have an option to make this a one time setting. I click done, then OK. I guess that changed it
Let the games begin! Click the start button on the Goosync Client Palm program!
These are tense moments.
The Contact count is up to 1,137. God knows what Goosync is doing. There should be about 500 contacts. I wonder if Goosync programmers think that the words displayed during the sync operation are informative. The whole thing seems diabolical. Who is sending to whom? Who is waiting for what? How about a cartoon to show some activity even if it is not real. Waiting still. This seems bad. There is the increasingly tempting abort button but what the heck would that do? Oh, boy! No SyncML response. I think that is an error message from the connectivity program (Softick PPP) that I had to buy to make Goosync work without incurring the $30 plus each month for the Verizon Wireless data feature.
The Goosync log in the Palm only shows info for syncing Tasks. Who cares? What about the Contacts?
My Palm contacts seem to be intact. Google still has no contacts. OK. No damage. That's a plus for Goosync.
I checked Softick PPP but do not know how to determine if there is a valid connection.
Let's try the Goosync again. But first I will login to my account at Goosync. It reveals that the status of today's sync failed with this info:
Contacts: One way from device sync.
Calendar: Two way sync.
Tasks: Two way sync.
Sync failed.
Error 511: Unknown error, Please contact Support.
Not very helpful.
When I click on Settings at https://www.goosync.com there is nothing analogous to Settings inn the Palm.
Ah, there's a page for the Goosync Client Palm program!
It states:
Please note that the client you download will be mostly pre-configured.
You will only need to enter your GooSync login details.
The information below is mainly for reference.
Yeah, right.
It says:
Start the SyncML application by tapping the icon on the home screen of your PDA.
Isn't SyncML the app mentioned in the error message? I had thought that it belonged to Softick PPP.
I cannot find SyncML in the Palm Info list of programs.
It shows the mysterious screen for Palm setting but does NOT explain them!
This link has the details on syncing to google as opposed to Goosync. Who the heck would use this to sync with Goosync?
http://www.goosync.com/GoogleContactsHelp.aspx
The main thing on this page is this:
Google Contacts Sync Limitations
Google Limitations
GooSync Limitations
Device Limitations
Oh, yeah. Lots of limitations. Pretty hideous.
One major limitation of Google Contacts is that it will not allow multiple contacts to share the same email address.
I can live with that. Here is another.
Google Contacts only provides a single "Address" field (there are no individual fields for street, city etc). This means that the address information, when sent to the device, will only appear in the "Street" section of the devices contact.
This could be a major problem. Does it mean that if I change a field in google other than address that address will be messed up in my Palm? That would really suck. By the way, google let's you add additional address fields so I do not understand why Goosync states otherwise. And what the heck is wrong with google that it cannot use discrete fields like state, zip, etc.?
Only the first number of each type provided by Google or the device will be synchronised to the opposite platform. All other numbers of that type will be ignored by the sync process.
My experience is that Goosync seemed to handle this randomly.
Due to a restriction in the vCard specification GooSync is unable to synchronise the "type" associated with email addresses (Home, Work etc).
What? Who uses vCard and what does that have to do with this? Isn't here a mapping file somewhere that matches field names:
Last - Lastname
Home email - Personal e-mail
Blah, blah, blah. Syncing cannot be so complicated, especially after all these years, that these basic things are still screwed up.
New Goosync attempt, this time skipping Calendar and Tasks. Processing ... yeah, process. Do something. Now the number of contacts is 632 on the right of the / and increasing on the left side. Sending ... Processing ... Sending ... Processing ... Sending ... Processing ... Waiting ... Processing ... Left side count up to 1,128. Waiting ... Sent: 1128/632 Say what? Waiting ... Is there a secret decoder ring? Waiting ... Damn. Should have timed it. Waiting ... I grow weak. Waiting ... Abort grows larger. Waiting ... Ah, No SyncML response!
Goosync Palm log shows Normal Sync for Contacts. Hmn. Didn't I select update server? I did! Blah, blah, blah. Received 0 / Sent 244332 bytes. Nice to know the number of bytes but how does that relate to Sent: 1128/632?
This is a joke.
And on the Gosync web site my latest failed sync shows:
Contacts: One way from device sync.
Sync failed.
Error 511: Unknown error, Please contact Support.
I am out!
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