I love Linux, and yet at the same time I find trying to sync my mobile devices with any given Linux distribution to be a complete hassle when using the existing "built for Linux" sync solutions.

SyncCE, among other options, are just not happening in their current form for what I would consider the casual desktop Linux user. Not because there is anything wrong with the software per se, rather the hardware support making localized syncing a possibility is just not there for most people. And maybe I am stretching my opinions out a bit here, but based on the never-ending questions appearing in various forums, it would seem that my thoughts on this are not too far off.

For a number of years, I have watched in slack-jawed amazement as people wasted weeks trying to get their Windows Mobile or BlackBerry devices synchronized with their preferred Linux distribution. Unwilling to waste that kind of time myself, I took a completely different approach. I learned that Evolution for GNOME provided solid MS Exchange support. This meant that I could get myself an Exchange account with one of the hundreds of resellers offering individual accounts for roughly $10 per month. Bundle this discovery with my existing data plan for my mobile, and in a matter of minutes, I had working, two-way synchronization with the greatest of ease!

So where is the problem then? Well, I had to take this on myself rather than seeing anyone from either the Linux desktop or mobile industry providing a solution that, honestly, should have been made more readily available to their users interested in migrating to desktop Linux without diving into an enterprise-level service. This left me using a Microsoft Exchange to sync my Linux distribution. Now granted, there are other options like Zimbra out there. Unfortunately it's just too bad that I cannot find server access as easily or at the same kind of pricing for an individual user that I can with MS Exchange. And this is not even considering the fact that Zimbra is not ready with PIM clients like Evolution "out of the box." The plugin certainly exists, but it is hardly a friendly process to install it for most people.

Mobile Sync -- Funambol & SyncEvolution
Despite a number of attempts for most installable software to sync up mobile devices with Linux these days, the clear winners are those using over the air (OTA) options. Funambol is one over the air option that yields the best chance for success. It has both strong development behind it, and due to its over the air nature, allows users to bypass driver-related headaches found with other mobile sync solutions seen out there for the Linux desktop.

Yes, Funambol is a great option ... for Linux nerds and savvy enterprise users willing to pay for assistance. Sadly, for most people migrating to the Linux desktop, it could not be more useless without extensive study on how to use It. And their latest portal efforts? Just look at the graphics presented on this page -- they are targeting the masses on closed source platforms. This does not represent Linux users from my standpoint, as far as I am concerned. While I am sure they support Linux as a platform, you would not know it from visiting their website at first pass.

Story courtesy of Intranet Journal