[Sven Johannsen]

You have to understand the limitations and features of what you are using. Illium software apparently provided a hotsync conduit that does db replication on the Palm. They did not do that on the PPC.

Files in the PPC sync folder are only updated to the latest copy, the one that was changed last. I expect the original concept was that you would be making changes on the desktop version when at the desktop, which are automatically copied to the docked PPC without any intervention, so you can grab and go at any time. If you make changes on the document on the PPC while away, that will be immediately copied to your desktop when you return and cradle. Again no need to punch a hotsync button. This makes sense for most documents. It would be pretty tough to set up a system where it parses through a Word Document and merges/reconciles changes you have made on two copies.

PIMs. contacts, calendar, etc, are different. They are database formats which can embed information on when particular pieces within the structure are changed. With that embedded information the sync engine can determine if a piece, or field, such as phone #, was changed on one copy and not the other. If the same item was changed on both devices, there is normally a prompt to allow you to specify which is current, or some setting to always pick one over the other.

If you use Access as a database on the PC and one of the compatible apps on the PPC, that does syncing of database-ish information they way you would expect. While Listpro is a database-ish application, AS treats the datafile as a file. It would be up to Illium to provide a conduit to do otherwise. There are DB apps on the PPC other than Access that do provide their own sync mechanism to allow 'cross-updating'.

Spreadsheets are a unique sort of thing. Many folks use them like a DB, but they are not DBs in that they don't have the underlying overhead to log changes to specific cells. That would be needed for any sync mechanism to determine what individual cell was changed, at what time, to be able to 'cross-sync'. AS treats spreadsheet files as a file. latest is copied. That is the way the briefcase works on a desktop PC, and I would be darned surprised if an Excel compatible app on a Palm does any different.