Posted in 2010
SyncEvolution "Christmas Edition" 1.1.1 released
- 26 December 2010
Maintenance release, in particular improving syncing with phones. There was a bug that could cause all kinds of weird behavior after a failed sync with a phone, so updating is highly recommended. Changes 1.1 -> 1.1.1 ==================== * Synthesis engine: fixed a corruption issue in internal meta data which caused duplicates and other problems in a pretty indeterminstic way; apparently caused by failed syncs ([BMC #11044](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=11044)). * Synthesis engine: recurrence rules with end date now sent correctly to phones ([BMC #11241](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=11241)). The RRULE property was not encoded correctly previously during the iCalendar 2.0 -> vCalendar 1.0 conversion. Events with recurrence count were okay. Probably also affected SyncML servers without iCalendar 2.0 support. The fix was confirmed to work with Nokia phones. It also helps with Sony Ericsson phones, but at least the t700 still has a problem: depending on the phone’s time zone, it repeats the event for one day too long ([BMC #10092](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=10092)). * Synthesis engine: fixed broken time zone information when sending to phone; previously that broke sending calendar updates to Nokia phones ([BMC #9600](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=9600)). iCalendar 2.0 time zone definitions imported from libical were not encoded correctly in vCalendar 1.0 items as sent to phones. Nokia phones accepted such data when part of a new event, but rejected updates of it. * Synthesis engine: shorter TZIDs, might help N900 calendar ([BMC #6680](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=6680)). The shorter TZIDs will be included in iCalendar 2.0 data exported by libsyntesis and thus SyncEvolution. This change is motivated primarily by the observation that the N900 calendar storage can handle TZID=
deb http://downloads.syncevolution.org/apt stable main These binaries include the “sync-ui” GTK GUI and were compiled for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy). Older distributions like Debian 4.0 (Etch) can no longer be supported with precompiled binaries because of missing libraries, but the source still compiles when not enabling the GUI (the default). The same binaries are also available as .tar.gz and .rpm archives in http://downloads.syncevolution.org/syncevolution/evolution. In contrast to 0.8.x archives, the 1.0 .tar.gz archives have to be unpacked and the content must be moved to /usr, because several files would not be found otherwise. After installation, follow the [getting started](/documentation/getting-started) steps.
ScheduleWorld shut down - R.I.P
- 14 December 2010
End of November, the scheduleworld.com service shut down. As a user [confirmed later](http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.mobile.syncevolution/1868), a notification had been sent earlier to paying customers. So the site is really gone and not just encountering some temporary problems. There does not seem to be any publicly accessible statement about the shutdown, hence this blog post. I have no information about the reasons for discontinuing the service. The notification to users did not give an explanation either. My guess is that the business side of the service did not work out. Syncing is a very challenging, technically difficult problem. I suspect that many users do not understand how much hard work goes into it and thus are less willing to pay for it. Then there is the competition with free services. If users are happy with online access Google Calendar, why should they bother paying for a synchronization service? There are reasons (see below), but perhaps not enough users care. This is really sad, for several reasons. ======================================== First, ScheduleWorld offered a technically superior SyncML implementation for calendar synchronization by supporting the full iCalendar 2.0 semantic, including [UID and RECURRENCE-ID](http://www.estamos.de/blog/2008/06/30/icalendar-20-detached-recurrences/). When describing these properties in 2008, I wrote that not supporting them “looks like a rather significant gap for SyncML-based calendar synchronization compared to proprietary solutions. Hopefully SyncML server vendors will wake up and do something about it…” I don’t think they have - or can anyone point to a SyncML server which supports this today, over one and a half year later? I’m not aware of any. Second, although ScheduleWorld used the open source Funambol server code, none of the extensions or modifications were ever made available. That’s perfectly compliant with the license of the code that was used (GPL instead of AGPL as today), but it implies that the ScheduleWorld source code is now lost and no-one can use or study it. Third, I believe that storing my data on my own hardware and synchronizing it via open standards is crucial. ScheduleWorld made that possible for users who did not want to run their own SyncML server. With true syncing instead of just online access, data is available while offline - pretty obvious, but worth spelling out explicitly. When syncing is based on open standards, users can decide which service they want to use. They don’t depend on that service to store their data; important, because any service might go away unexpectedly and take the data with it. With ScheduleWorld, all data was always and by design also stored locally, so no data was lost when the site shut down. The same is not true for many (if not all) of the now popular Web 2.0 services. Replacements for ScheduleWorld ============================== I’m not sure yet what I should recommend as replacement. Memotoo seems to be popular, but it does not support UID/RECURRENCE-ID semantic, so there are [issues when synchronizing complex iCalendar 2.0 calendar data](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1180). For advanced users the [SyncEvolution server mode](http://syncevolution.org/development/http-server-howto) might be an alternative, but it is in a very rough state at this point and requires a publicly accessible machine for anytime, anywhere synchronization.
SyncEvolution 1.1 released
- 26 October 2010
SyncEvolution 1.1 ================= An incremental update, resolving issues where the fixes would have been too intrusive for a 1.0.x release. It replaces 1.0.x as the officially supported stable version. Compatibility with Nokia phones was improved. Some new features were also included (command line options for [manipulating items](http://syncevolution.org/blogs/pohly/2010/manipulate-evolution-kcalextendedmkcal-qtcontacts-pim-items-uniform-command-line), backends for MeeGo PIM storages). Details: * bug fix in sync-ui: wrong direction of one-way data transfers with devices ([BMC #7091](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7091)) * bug fix in syncevo-dbus-server: incorrect Presence status after config change ([BMC #8453](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=8453)) Shows up in sync-ui as “‘Sync Now’ button active after creating a config while offline”. * sync-ui (GTK version): app is now listed as “SyncEvolution (GTK)” under “Office” * Nokia phones: avoid data loss in two-way sync due to X-EVOLUTION-UI-SLOT ([BMC #2566](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2566)) * Nokia phones: alarm times in UTC, sending PHOTO ([BMC #1657](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1657), [#5860](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5860)) * included all phone templates submitted to syncevolution.org Wiki ([BMC #5727](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5727)) * syncevo-phone-config: set consumerReady in output, more useful for Wiki ([BMC #3803](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3803)) * workaround for D-Bus timeouts in EDS libecal/libebook ([BMC #4026](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=4026)) * added generic command line options for importing, exporting, updating, listing and deleting items in the different backends * added backends for mKCal and QtContacts (MeeGo PIM storage), meant to be used for manipulating this data on the command line * enhanced D-Bus interface ([BMC #3558](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3558), [#3559](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3559), [#3560](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3560), [#3562](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3562), [#3563](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3563), [#7761](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7761), [#7766](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7766)) * the command line tool now warns when running against a different D-Bus daemon ([BMC #3563](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3563)) * creating and configuring sources in a context (without peer-specific properties) is now supported * improved documentation: README.rst, man page, and –help output * fixed some compile issues ([BMC #6367](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=6367)), improved nightly testing Source, Installation, Further information =============================== Source snapshots are in http://downloads.syncevolution.org/syncevolution/sources i386, amd64 and lpia binaries for Debian-based distributions are available via the “stable” syncevolution.org repository. Add the following entry to your /apt/source.list, then install “syncevolution-evolution”:
deb http://downloads.syncevolution.org/apt stable main These binaries include the “sync-ui” GTK GUI and were compiled for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy). Older distributions like Debian 4.0 (Etch) can no longer be supported with precompiled binaries because of missing libraries, but the source still compiles when not enabling the GUI (the default). The same binaries are also available as .tar.gz and .rpm archives in http://downloads.syncevolution.org/syncevolution/evolution. In contrast to 0.8.x archives, the 1.0 .tar.gz archives have to be unpacked and the content must be moved to /usr, because several files would not be found otherwise. After installation, follow the [getting started](/documentation/getting-started) steps.
SyncEvolution status update + 1.0.99.7 available
- 01 October 2010
SyncEvolution 1.0.99.7, the release candidate for 1.1, is available for testing. Company supported development shifts towards other areas like [local synchronization](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=712) and non-SyncML protocols, so now would be a good time for contributors to step in and help improve the SyncML part or work on non-SyncML protocols. For those not familiar with the project, SyncEvolution synchronizes personal information management (PIM) data like contacts, calenders, tasks, and memos using the SyncML information synchronization standard. Up to and including 0.9.2, a third-party SyncML server was required. In 1.0, SyncEvolution itself is able to act as a SyncML server, both via HTTP and Bluetooth (direct sync with phones). SyncEvolution partly spare time project again ============================================= Before talking about the next release(s), first a word from our sponsors… ;-) Although Intel continues to support the development and is still interested in some things that it has to offer, some part of the work now has to be done in spare time activities again. After Moblin and Maemo merged into MeeGo, Nokia made the code they had developed for the upcoming Maemo Harmattan release available as open source ((Buteo)[http://wiki.meego.com/Buteo]). For various, mostly non-technical reasons, this Buteo framework was chosen for MeeGo. This was announced by Sunil Saxena [at OSCON](http://meego.com/community/events/presentations/meego-technical-overview-sunil-saxena). More information about Buteo and a technical comparison with SyncEvolution can be found in my [LinuxCon 2010 talk](http://meego.com/community/events/presentations/data-synchronization-in-netbooks-desktops-and-mobile-devices). MeeGo Netbook continues to use Evolution and SyncEvolution, but this is considered legacy code which needs to be replaced at some point. Therefore everything related to the GTK sync-ui and SyncML is in maintenance mode. On the other hand, thanks to the generous contributions by Intel and Synthesis, the existing code already supports local synchronization with phones and arguably is in a very usable state. It is up to the open source community to make use of this functionality. There isn’t that much left to do: continue testing with additional phones, some workarounds for known issues with peers, etc. If you are a developer who was holding back because everything seemed to move forward automatically anyway, now is a good time to become active. The issue tracker contains more than enough ideas for features and improvements which currently [don’t have an owner](http://bugs.meego.com/buglist.cgi?bug_status=UNCONFIRMED&bug_status=NEW&bug_status=NEEDINFO&bug_status=ASSIGNED&bug_status=WAITING FOR UPSTREAM&bug_status=REOPENED&classification=MeeGo Projects&email2=syncevolution-bugs%40meego.bugs&emailassigned_to2=1&emailtype2=substring&field0-0-0=product&field0-0-1=component&field0-0-2=short_desc&field0-0-3=status_whiteboard&field0-0-4=longdesc&field1-0-0=product&field1-0-1=component&field1-0-2=short_desc&field1-0-3=status_whiteboard&field1-0-4=longdesc&known_name=SyncEvolution Next&product=SyncEvolution&query_format=advanced&type0-0-0=substring&type0-0-1=substring&type0-0-2=substring&type0-0-3=substring&type0-0-4=substring&type1-0-0=substring&type1-0-1=substring&type1-0-2=substring&type1-0-3=substring&type1-0-4=substring&query_based_on=SyncEvolution Next&columnlist=bug_severity%2Cpriority%2Cop_sys%2Cassigned_to%2Cbug_status%2Cresolution%2Cshort_desc%2Ctarget_milestone). KDE + Akonadi ============= Most relevant for those users who didn’t want to use Evolution is certainly the progress made in the Google Summer of Code project by Dinesh Said (student) and Sascha Peilicke (mentor). I reviewed the [first set of patches](http://meego.gitorious.org/~saidinesh5/meego-middleware/saidinesh5-syncevolution) and look forward to merging them. SyncEvolution 1.1 ================= SyncEvolution 1.0.1 was strictly a bug fix release. For 1.1, the goal is to include some features that may be relevant for KDE and Genesis (D-Bus interface improvements) and address as much of the issues reported by users for direct synchronization with some phones. 1.1 also happens to add backends for QtContacts and KCalExtended (now called mkcal). These are the core PIM storage engines in MeeGo. The goal is not to synchronize them (that’s what Buteo is for), but rather offer a command line tool for manipulating PIM data automatically. New command line options (–import/export/print-items/delete-items) were added for that. They also work with most other backends, in particular Evolution and the Maemo 5 calendar. Prerelease 1.0.99.7 is available for testing. It is considered a release candidate for 1.1. The rpm-style x.99.y numbering scheme replaces the “beta” and “alpha” parts in older version numbers. 1.0.99.7 can be downloaded from http://downloads.syncevolution.org/syncevolution/evolution/ as .rpm or .tar.gz and [installed as .deb](http://syncevolution.org/documentation/installation) from the unstable repository. Details: * bug fix in sync-ui: wrong direction of one-way data transfers with devices ([BMC #7091](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7091)) * sync-ui (GTK version): app is now listed as “SyncEvolution (GTK)” under “Office” * Nokia phones: avoid data loss in two-way sync due to X-EVOLUTION-UI-SLOT ([BMC #2566](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2566)) * Nokia phones: alarm times in UTC, sending PHOTO ([BMC #1657](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1657), [#5860](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5860)) * included all phone templates submitted to syncevolution.org Wiki ([BMC #5727](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=5727)) * syncevo-phone-config: set consumerReady in output, more useful for Wiki ([BMC #3803](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3803)) * workaround for D-Bus timeouts in EDS libecal/libebook (MBC #4026) * added generic command line options for [importing, exporting, updating, listing and deleting items](http://syncevolution.org/blogs/pohly/2010/manipulate-evolution-kcalextendedmkcal-qtcontacts-pim-items-uniform-command-line) in the different backends * added backends for mKCal and QtContacts (MeeGo PIM storage), meant to be used for manipulating this data on the command line * enhanced D-Bus interface ([BMC #3558](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3558), [#3559](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3559), [#3560](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3560), [#3562](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3562), [#3563](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3563), [#7761](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7761), [#7766](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=7766)) * the command line tool now warns when running against a different D-Bus daemon ([BMC #3563](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3563)) * creating and configuring sources in a context (without peer-specific properties) is now supported * improved documentation: README.rst, man page, and –help output * fixed some compile issues ([BMC #6367](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=6367)), improved nightly testing SyncEvolution after 1.1 ======================= [Local synchronization](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=712) between two SyncEvolution backends is already available on a branch. It’ll allow synchronization with peers which do not support SyncML. My pet project will be to add support for the AVM FritzBox’s address book. Others have expressed an interest in adding CalDAV and Exchange Web Service support. The future improvements in core SyncEvolution are meant to make that possible.
manipulate Evolution, KCalExtended/mkcal, QtContacts PIM items via uniform command line
- 31 August 2010
The current development version of SyncEvolution, the one which will become 1.1, has some new features which may be useful for command line aficionados like myself: query and manipulate items in the databases that can be accessed with SyncEvolution backends. This is particularly useful for the new PIM storages in MeeGo, QtContacts and mkcal (formerly known as KCalExtended). Both are part of MeeGo Core, but come without any kind of frontend in Core. SyncEvolution provides a uniform way of testing these new storages using the command line or scripts. Installation ======== In MeeGo, make sure that at least 1.0.99.5 rpms (required for mkcal) or better, 1.0.99.6 (for QtContacts) get installed. The core “syncevolution” rpm is needed plus “syncevolution-kcalextended” resp. “syncevolution-qtcontacts”. When compiling from source, check out the master branch of [“syncevolution”](http://meego.gitorious.org/meego-middleware/syncevolution) and [“libsynthesis”](http://meego.gitorious.org/meego-middleware/libsynthesis) and follow the instructions in the “HACKING” document. Add –enable-kcalextended resp. –enable-qtcontacts as needed… HOWTO ======= These examples illustrate how to use the new options in combination with mkcal. In 1.0.99.6, “mkcal” can be used as type instead of “kcalextended”, as in the examples below. Only events are supported at the moment, todos and journal entries in the calendar are ignored. Wipe out calendar data the hard way:
rm -f ~/.calendardb* Import an event:
$ cat >/tmp/example.ics <<EOF BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Ximian//NONSGML Evolution Calendar//EN VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20100823T170000 DTEND:20100823T173000 SUMMARY:first event CLASS:PUBLIC END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR EOF
$ syncevolution --import /tmp/example.ics --source-property type=kcalextended @foo bar #0: 3f630f1d-8009-4465-907b-3ec28248b90b-rid [ERROR] stderr: kdedate/ksystemtimezone.cpp: 313 - cannot get wall_clock_info (localzone) - QDBusError("org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown", "The name com.nokia.time was not provided by any .service files") Because many of these system libraries don’t expect to be used by command line users, they spew out a lot of debugging information. The SyncEvolution command line filters this output and suppresses most of it. Developers who *want* to see it, can set the SYNCEVOLUTION_DEBUG environment variable to 1. They should also add *–daemon=no* to run the operation inside the “syncevolution” process instead of the “syncevo-dbus-server”. The error in this case is [MeeGo bug](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=6174 “timed not started”), which I’ll strip from the output of the following examples. The command line above works without any “@foo” configuration and “bar” data source, because the source type is specified explicitly. Configuring this value permanently makes the command line shorter:
$ syncevolution --configure --source-property type=kcalextended @default calendar List all events:
$ syncevolution --daemon=no --print-items @default calendar 3f630f1d-8009-4465-907b-3ec28248b90b-rid: first event Export events to stdout:
$ syncevolution --export - @default calendar BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//K Desktop Environment//NONSGML libkcal 4.3//EN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT CREATED:20100901T131100Z DTSTAMP:20100901T130859Z UID:a62893e3-3df1-4a92-b57b-d05c805d4078 LAST-MODIFIED:20100901T131009Z SUMMARY:first event DTSTART:20100823T170000 DTEND:20100823T173000 TRANSP:OPAQUE END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR Export one specific event into a file (like everything else, this also works for multiple events, writing into a single file or a directory):
$ syncevolution --export /tmp/exported.ics @default calendar 3f630f1d-8009-4465-907b-3ec28248b90b-rid Update that event, showing of reading from stdin here:
`
$ perl -p -e ‘s/first event/first event modified/’ /tmp/example.ics | syncevolution –daemon=no –update - @default calendar 3f630f1d-8009-4465-907b-3ec28248b90b-rid
#0: 3f630f1d-8009-4465-907b-3ec28248b90b-rid
$ syncevolution –daemon=no –export - @default calendar | grep SUMMARY
SUMMARY:first event
Hmm, that didn't work as intended. Need to investigate... ah, I haven't reimplemented that part with the new mkcal API yet. Will be fixed in 1.0.99.6. Delete the event:
$ syncevolution –delete-items @default calendar 3f630f1d-8009-4465-907b-3ec28248b90b-rid
[INFO] calendar: deleting “first event”
REFERENCE ===========
$ syncevolution –help
…
List items:
syncevolution –print-items
SyncEvolution 1.0.1 released
- 17 July 2010
SyncEvolution 1.0.1 ================ A bug fix release. The main reason for releasing it is that SyncEvolution 1.0 no longer worked on recent distros (Fedora Core 13, Debian testing) because of a name clash between the Bluez D-Bus utility code and recent glib. Details: * compile fix for FC 13 (and possibly others): use private copy of gdbus ([BMC #3556](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3556)) * sync-ui: prevent overwriting device configs by accident ([BMC #3566](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3566),[BMC #1194](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1194)) Setting up a phone used the template name as config name and overwrote an existing configuration of another phone that was created using that same template. Now the code uses the Bluetooth device name as set on the device and checks for (less likely) collisions. It also sanitizes the name to avoid complicated config names (only relevant when also using the command line). * syncevo-dbus-server: accept ‘application/vnd.syncml+xml; charset=UTF-8’ for starting an HTTP session ([BMC #3554](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3554)) The redundant charset specification was set by the Funambol Thunderbird client. Because of a literal comparison against ‘application/vnd.syncml+xml’ the messages were rejected. * config fix: operations on non-peer configs failed ([BMC #3157](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=3157)) When running operations on a non-peer configuration (like –restore @default addressbook), the operation fails with [ERROR] deb http://downloads.syncevolution.org/apt stable main These binaries include the “sync-ui” GTK GUI and were compiled for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy). Older distributions like Debian 4.0 (Etch) can no longer be supported with precompiled binaries because of missing libraries, but the source still compiles when not enabling the GUI (the default). The same binaries are also available as .tar.gz and .rpm archives in http://downloads.syncevolution.org/syncevolution/evolution. In contrast to 0.8.x archives, the 1.0 .tar.gz archives have to be unpacked and the content must be moved to /usr, because several files would not be found otherwise. After installation, follow the [getting started](/documentation/getting-started) steps.
SyncEvolution 1.0 released
- 16 June 2010
After several betas and lot of testing, it’s finally time to announce the end of the 1.0 development cycle: SyncEvolution 1.0 is released and replaces 0.9.2 as the stable version. 0.1 was released over four years ago. It has always bee part of the long-term vision to bring “personal SyncML” to desktops. Thanks to the Synthesis engine and Intel’s support for the project, this goal has been reached and this release really deserves the magic 1.0 label. For those not familiar with the project, SyncEvolution synchronizes personal information management (PIM) data like contacts, calenders, tasks, and memos using the SyncML information synchronization standard. Up to and including 0.9.2, a third-party SyncML server was required. In 1.0, SyncEvolution itself is able to act as a SyncML server, both via HTTP and Bluetooth (direct sync with phones). SyncEvolution 1.0 ================= Major new features compared to previous stable release: * synchronize directly with a phone over Bluetooth/OBEX * accept Bluetooth/OBEX connections in cooperation with obexd >= 0.19 * run SyncEvolution as a rudimentary HTTP SyncML server The GTK sync-UI can be used to select a paired phone and create a configuration for it based on the bundled configuration templates. Configuration templates are included for Nokia phones; for other phones see the [HOWTO](http://syncevolution.org/development/sync-phone) and check out the Wiki there. Some users have already reported success for Sony Ericsson phones and added setup instructions. New templates from the Wiki can be dropped into ~/.config/syncevolution-templates under an arbitrary file name. Unexpected slow syncs can be detected when running as client ([MB #2416](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2416)) and unless turned off (see “preventSlowSync”), SyncEvolution aborts the session so that the situation can be analyzed. A refresh from client or server might be more suitable. The command line tool provides instructions at the end of its output. The GTK sync-UI points towards its recovery dialog. Automatic synchronization is supported by the syncevo-dbus-server ([MB #6378](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6378)). When that is installed, it will be started as part of a user session and keep running to trigger syncs in the background. Notifications are emitted when syncs start, end or fail ([MB #10000](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=10000)). Automatic synchronization can be enabled separately for each peer (“autoSync=0/1”, off by default), will be done at regular intervals (“autoSyncInterval=30” minutes) when online long enough (“autoSyncDelay=5” minutes). That last option ensures that a) an automatic sync does not attempt to use a network connection unless it was already active and b) hopefully is also around long enough to complete the sync. The Synthesis XML configuration was split up into different parts which are assembled from /usr/share/syncevolution/xml. Files in ~/.config/syncevolution-xml override and extend the default files, which my be useful when adding support for a new phone. SyncML servers: * ZYB.com now works thanks to a workaround for anchor handling ([MB #2424](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2424)); only contacts tested because everything else is considered legacy by ZYB.com * Horde: avoid confusing the server with a deviceId that starts like the ones used in old Funambol clients, helps with calendar sync ([MB #9347](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=9347)) * Mobical.net (and other, similar services): fix vCalendar 1.0 alarm properties before importing them ([MB #10458](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=10458)) * desknow.com works when switching to SyncMLVersion = 1.1 * Funambol, Memotoo (and probably others): preserve meeting series when receiving update for detached recurrence ([MBC #1916](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1916)) Evolution: * calendar backend: minor fix for change tracking when deleting a single instance of a recurring event * workaround for Evolution 2.30: “timezone cannot be retrieved because it doesn’t exist” is triggered incorrectly when importing non-standard timezone definitions because libecal changed an error code ([MB #9820](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=9820)) Performance and reliability improvements ([MB #7708](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7708)): * synccompare much faster * database dumps consume less disk space * more intelligent about expiring obsolete session directories and backups * database accesses are reduced in several backends * shorter logs ([MB #8092](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8092)) * message resending helps under unreliable network connectivity (“RetryInterval”) * full support for suspend&resume in SyncEvolution client to SyncEvolution or Synthesis server syncs * better handling of certain third-party time zone definitions ([MBC #1332](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1332)) Improved GTK sync-UI: * revised config screen: all in one list where entries can be expanded, integrated setup of sync with other devices * recovery support: restore from backup, unexpected slow sync handling * spinner while network is in use ([MB #2229](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2229)) * interactive password requests ([MB #6376](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6376)) * uses new D-Bus API Command line: * fixed printing of rejected items ([MB #7755](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7755)) * consistent logging of added/updated/deleted items with short description * improved error reporting (textual descriptions instead of plain error codes [MB #2069](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2069), partial success [MB #7755](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7755), record and show first ERROR encountered [MB #7708](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7708)) * can create new sources ([MB #8424](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8424)) * runs operations inside daemon and thus avoids conflicts with operations done by other clients; for testing purposes (like running a client which talks to a local server in the daemon) it is still possible to ignore the daemon (–daemon=no, [MB #5043](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5043)) * revised README, now also available as man page ([MBC #690](http://bugs.meego.com/show_bug.cgi?id=690)) [Redesigned](http://syncevolution.org/development/direct-synchronization-aka-syncml-server) and reimplemented D-Bus API, used by sync-UI and command line: * central syncevo-dbus-server controls configurations and sync sessions * accepts incoming SyncML connection requests and messages received by independent transport stubs (obexd, HTTP server, …) * can be used by multiple user interfaces at once * fully documented, see src/dbus/interfaces and http://api.syncevolution.org * no longer depends on dbus-glib with hand-written glue code for C++, instead uses gdbus plus automatic C++ binding generated via C++ templates Revised [configuration layout](http://syncevolution.org/development/configuration-handling “design document for configuration handling”) ([MB #8048](http://bugzilla.moblin.org/show_bug.cgi?id=8048)): * several peer-independent sync and source properties are shared between multiple peers * they can be accessed without selecting a specific peer, by using an empty config name or with the new “@
deb http://downloads.syncevolution.org/apt stable main These binaries include the “sync-ui” GTK GUI and were compiled for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy). Older distributions like Debian 4.0 (Etch) can no longer be supported with precompiled binaries because of missing libraries, but the source still compiles when not enabling the GUI (the default). The same binaries are also available as .tar.gz and .rpm archives in http://downloads.syncevolution.org/syncevolution/evolution. In contrast to 0.8.x archives, the 1.0 .tar.gz archives have to be unpacked and the content must be moved to /usr, because several files would not be found otherwise. After installation, follow the [getting started](/documentation/getting-started) steps.
SyncEvolution 1.0 beta 3 released
- 21 April 2010
SyncEvolution 1.0 beta 3 is available. This release is feature complete and has been tested thoroughly, so only minor bug fixes are expected before releasing 1.0. Beta 3 is ready for day-to-day use and for getting packaged in staging distros as replacement for 0.9.2 or previous betas. If you find issues, please [report them](http://syncevolution.org/support). Binary packages are provided, including Bluetooth support. Major improvements:
automatic, time-driven synchronization in the background
SyncEvolution 1.0 beta 2 released
- 24 February 2010
SyncEvolution 1.0 beta 2 is available. Binary packages are provided, including Bluetooth support this time. Major improvements:
easier setup of a phone with the sync-ui and GNOME Bluetooth plugin
FOSDEM 2010
- 04 February 2010
To learn more about SyncEvolution, come to **FOSDEM 2010**:
Lightning Talk for users, Saturday 18:00: slides (PDF) and video
SyncEvolution 0.9.2 and 1.0 beta released, support Maemo 5/Nokia N900
- 25 January 2010
SyncEvolution 0.9.2 and 1.0 beta are available. 0.9.2 replaces 0.9.1 as the official stable release. Binary packages are provided. Changes in both releases are listed below. 1.0 beta contains all changes included in 0.9.2. Development has already shifted towards 1.0, but if you find issues in either version, please report them. In the 1.0 beta, SyncEvolution itself is already able to act as a SyncML server, both via HTTP and Bluetooth (direct sync with phones). Because of incompatible versions of libbluetooth in different distros, the precompiled 1.0 beta packages do not include Bluetooth support. One has to compile from source to use that. **2010-01-30:** if you had problems installing the 1.0 beta binaries because of dependencies on libbluetooth2 or libpcre.so.3, then please try again. Binaries without these dependencies replaced the initial set of binaries today (-3 release instead of -2 for .rpm and .deb). To learn more about SyncEvolution, come to **FOSDEM 2010**:
Lightning Talk for users, Saturday 18:00