[jp] Cannot use the program

On May 29, 2008, at 10:53 AM, Andrew Taylor wrote:

> I have a new Palm Tungsten T|X and am using version 0.99.9.17 of  
> JPilot.
>
> No matter what approach I get I always received the following error  
> message:
>

To make a long story short Unix uses the concept of a file to control  
devices. You're error message references the fact that jpilot cannot  
find a file entry called pilot in the /dev directory. In Unix this  
entry is called a device node. It needs the device node to sync with  
your palm pilot.

I'm assuming that you have a USB Palm Pilot. I use FreeBSD and a Treo  
755p. If Ubuntu is like FreeBSD then this device node doesn't get  
created until after you start the hotsync.

If you do try this:

      1) Open a Terminal session it should leave you at a '$' prompt

      2) Start a hotsync on the Palm.

      3) From the terminal session type 'ls -l /dev/pilot'

That should give you a listing that shows your palm pilot. The session  
will look a little like this:

      $ ls -l /dev/pilot
      crw-rw-rw-  1 uucp  wheel  12, 1 May 10 13:08 /dev/pilot
      $

If instead you get something like this:

      $ ls -l /dev/pilot
      ls: /dev/pilot: No such file or directory
      $

Then there is some problem detecting your Palm Pilot or the USB system  
isn't creating the proper device node. For further assistance post  
what you get from this test on the list. Regardless I would cancel  
this hotsync from the Palm Pilot.

Assuming you get something like the first set of results your next  
step will be to attempt a Sync with jpilot as follows:

      1) Initiate the hotsync from the Palm Pilot.

      2) Wait a moment. On FreeBSD I find that between 2 and 5 seconds  
is sufficient.

      3) Start the sync process from Jpilot. If everything goes  
correctly the pilot should begin to sync (plays it song and the screen  
changes) in a couple of seconds.

I reviewed the code that handled hotsyncs in Jpilot a while ago and I  
believe that the code's intention under Linux was to silently back off  
and retry a hotsync if it got the "file not found" error. However  
FreeBSD's USB system is significantly different than Linux's so I  
found that I had to use the "Initiate on the pilot, then start the  
sync in Jpilot" method to get a reliable hotsysnc in FreeBSD.

In all likelyhood the problem is a misconfigured USB system which  
isn't creating /dev/pilot when you start the hot sync process. The  
first set of tests will skunk that out.

-- Chris

Chris Hilton                       tildeChris -- http://myblog.vindaloo.com
                                         email -- chris/at/vindaloo/ 
dot/com
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                          "I'm on the outside looking inside, What do  
I see?
                                Much confusion, disillution, all  
around me."
                                          -- Ian McDonald / Peter  
Sinfield