04-02-2002, 10:08 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 137
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The Un-Switch
http://www.writingonyourpalm.net/column020401.htm
Tempted by visions of the forthcoming Sony Cli� NR-70 and assertions that WordSmith really is better than Pocket Word, I tried to switch back to PalmOS for my "daily use" PDA. Here's why I ended up running back to the Pocket PC.
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04-02-2002, 10:17 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 85
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:wink: If it wasn't for the fact that ActiveSync is equally troublesome to most users, I'd think that the lack of success that you experienced was someone's deliberate aim.
Bad luck old chap.
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04-02-2002, 11:48 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 194
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Of course Jeff, now you're going to get hammered again for being a "sell-out..."
My blood always boils when all the Palm-loyalists start denegrating you on the WOYP newsletter whenever you sing the praises of PPC. As a longtime lurker (in digest form) your insights with the Jornada 548 are what turned me towards the PPC platform for mobile writing in the first place. I quietly moaned when your first Jordie bit the dust forcing you back to the Handspring, but I was overjoyed when the 568 brought you back into the fold.
I have recently been forced back into using my old Palm IIIx while my iPAQ was away getting a RAM upgrade, screen clean, and touch screen replacement (from heavy transcriber.) I have been in agony trying to re-learn Graffiti, and trying to see that murky gray screen. HotSync *worked* but doesn't do anything smoothly like ActiveSync. I keep forgetting to hit the sync button, I forget appoinments as there is no handy Today screen. I will never go back... never, never, never...
Hopefully you can find a workable solution to your dilema of double pocket computers but I for one look forward to the day that I can remove Palm Desktop completely. (Unfortunately it seems that will not be soon as I prefer the Palm DOC format and the pDOCs plug in for MSWord needs to have HotSync, et. al. installed.)
Sorry to vent... I get my iPAQ back tomorrow and by then I'll have calmed down.
RickP in AZ
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04-03-2002, 12:05 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 37
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by RickP in AZ
Of course Jeff, now you're going to get hammered again for being a "sell-out..."
My blood always boils when all the Palm-loyalists start denegrating you on the WOYP newsletter whenever you sing the praises of PPC.
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I doubt that Chubbergot is a Palm Loyalist, and neither am I. What we find funny is the response to the many PPC users who are unhappy with the fact that PPC is riddled with issues that MS has neglected. PPC loyalists feel some sort of need to remind us that Palm devices have significant issues, as if we were unaware of that.
The Clio may well be a piece of junk. That claim makes my PPC neither more reliable nor usable than it actually is.
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04-03-2002, 12:19 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 137
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by burmashave
I doubt that Chubbergot is a Palm Loyalist, and neither am I. What we find funny is the response to the many PPC users who are unhappy with the fact that PPC is riddled with issues that MS has neglected. PPC loyalists feel some sort of need to remind us that Palm devices have significant issues, as if we were unaware of that.
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Oh, I'm well aware of the issues in the current and past versions of the Pocket PC. I'm well-versed in the limitations of Pocket Word, the brain-dead alarms and all the rest. What I found interesting (enough to write about, anyway) was that when I tried to switch back to a PalmOS device, there were even more headaches there.
Would things have been easier if I'd been using a device based on PalmOS 4.x, like the Palm m515 or even the as-yet-unavailable Clie NR-70V? Perhaps. Would I have been able to sync with Outlook more cleanly with Pocket Mirror or Desktop to Go than IntelliSync? Almost certainly. But the options I have on hand didn't measure up to what I get out of the box with my Pocket PC. You can qualify or spin that however you like, but it's a fact.
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04-03-2002, 12:20 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 194
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I wasn't referring to Chubbergott's post but in general to slew of posts on Jeff's mailing list whenever he mentions the things he likes about PPCs over Palms. I agree that for many people ActiveSync can be quite a nightmare, as can HotSync. Fortunately my set up is purposely kept as simple as can be so I rarely have issues with ActiveSync and the only times I've had problems with HotSync were when I was playing with PocketMirror or doing something "tricky."
At my part time job I can sell *only* Palms and as difficult as it can be at times I try to keep my personal feelings out of my discussions with customers. It has been my experience that for about 90% of the general public the PalmOS is better. They aren't concerned with the antiquated structure if the sync software as long as it syncs their contacts, appointments, and maybe the occasional Word document. Most people who walk in and start asking the most basic questions are probably not going to evolve into PDA-freaks.
Each person's experience is different and I have been lucky with incredible stable connections on both mobile platforms, but like Jeff I find the "do nothing" nature of AS's "Constant Sync" setting a joy of laziness.
(And like Jeff I find the new clamshell style Clie to be quite enticing. If it were running PPC 2k2 on an Xscale processor, my keyboard would be shorting out form all of the drool.)
Respectfully,
RickP in AZ
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04-03-2002, 03:01 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 37
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To Palm or not to Palm
Quote:
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What we find funny is the response to the many PPC users who are unhappy with the fact that PPC is riddled with issues that MS has neglected. PPC loyalists feel some sort of need to remind us that Palm devices have significant issues, as if we were unaware of that.
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Hahaha, too true. The fact of something being false, doesn't automatically make its supposed opposite 'true'. Everything unto its own. Riddled is quite the correct term too. I am constantly amazed over all the hardware and software blowouts in 2002 and the sheer..."oh well, Palm is worse" attitude. Pretty soon one has to call a spade, a spade, sotospeak.
Been watching the posts of late and burmashave and Chubbergott are quite a breath of fresh air. Kudos. 8)
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04-03-2002, 05:03 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 37
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jeff Kirvin
What I found interesting (enough to write about, anyway) was that when I tried to switch back to a PalmOS device, there were even more headaches there.
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I concede your valid point, and for the moment I'll remain satisfied with the evil that I know. :wink:
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04-03-2002, 01:18 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 414
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Jeff is one of my heros. I have a PDA to do Word Processing and he appears to have the time (or make the time) to find out all the answers in this area.
I have been wondering about upgrading to a NR70V and how it might affect my syncing. Truth is I use the PIMs so little I might not miss syncing at all. I prefer to copy and past files so that I know which version of which file is where rather than the syncing software automatically replacing things. In fact, I don't have complete Outlook or Word so I really don't know what ActiveSync syncs to when it does it's thing. (Isn't that pathetic!) Yet, I have hundreds of word files and tons of info on my PDA.
I came to the IPaq from a Diamod Mako and still have the old PSION sharing stuff on my desktop. I wonder how I would install everything on a new PPC (mostly FITALLY and OliveTree Bible) if it had a different identifying name. I expect I would have to rename me old PPC as that is the way the lisencing works. My daughter would get the old Ipaq.
If I get a Sony, I can start fresh, but I have a cheap desktop that would likely not be happy with two devices on the weak USB ports. Though I would not longer need to sync my info with both PDAs as Jeff was trying, I wonder what problems could occur.
As usual Jeff is in the front of the questions regarding writing on our PDAs.
Thanks.
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04-03-2002, 06:50 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 89
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jeff Kirvin
Oh, I'm well aware of the issues in the current and past versions of the Pocket PC. I'm well-versed in the limitations of Pocket Word, the brain-dead alarms and all the rest. What I found interesting (enough to write about, anyway) was that when I tried to switch back to a PalmOS device, there were even more headaches there.
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Jeff, when I read your article I though your issues were Windows and installation based, not necessarily the fault of the PalmOS platform. Nonetheless, you did write about your "out of the box" experience so that's fine.
Palm's Hotsynch has certainly not been bullet-proof for me, but I have heard far more horror stories from Activesync users.
An important issue here is the type of user, if I may generalize for a minute. The PPC user is going to be more technical and more demanding of the product than the (typical) Palm user. Maybe that type of user has a more complex system and thus encounters more installation problems. Maybe he asks far more of the product and thus encounters more problems. It's just not as simple as advocates on both sides make it out to be. Maybe having used Activesync there was some evil code on your sabotaged the Palm.
Anyway I look forward to your future review of the new Clie. I am sure you can't resist.
Scott
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