Additional Sources to Synchronize

[Josh Geenen]

As mentioned in the gContactSync 0.4 plans thread, version 0.4 may support synchronization with other sources.  Not all of these allow write access (applying local changes to the service) or have as many fields as Google.

So far I have been able to access (read-only) contacts from pirules.org for Plaxo, Google, and MySpace using OAuth and PortableContacts, I'm still working on Yahoo and an easy way to get the JSON feed into Thunderbird for import.

[tanstaafl]

Hey Josh,

My 'Other' vote is for support for syncing to a local filesystem using your own file format that is entirely under your (gContactSync's) control, as I mentioned here.

Also, adding support for FTP syncing if the user also has FireFTP installed would be awesome as well (that way you could just add hooks to it, instead of writing your own FTP client).

Thanks!

Charles

[Linkin]

I'd really like the FTP option!

[Josh Geenen]

From http://pirules.org/forum/index.php/topic,89.msg631.html#msg631

I will still be using gContactSync for syncing my personal contacts between TB and my phone, but I have to say, all of the clients that I have talked with about using it all balk when I tell them it doesn't support syncing to a local filesystem. They don't want their sensitive company data synced to google, or any other 'cloud' based system, they only want it where they have full ownership/control...

Good point about the privacy concerns.  For 0.4 I will most likely start with figuring out an easy-to-parse JSON format for storing contacts and store it on a local or remote (mapped) filesystem.  If that isn't enough I will definitely at least look into adding FTP support through something like FireFTP or just use WinSCP.  Otherwise, I don't suppose you use Linux and have sshfs, do you?

[tanstaafl]

From http://pirules.org/forum/index.php/topic,89.msg631.html#msg631

I will still be using gContactSync for syncing my personal contacts between TB and my phone, but I have to say, all of the clients that I have talked with about using it all balk when I tell them it doesn't support syncing to a local filesystem. They don't want their sensitive company data synced to google, or any other 'cloud' based system, they only want it where they have full ownership/control...

Good point about the privacy concerns.  For 0.4 I will most likely start with figuring out an easy-to-parse JSON format for storing contacts and store it on a local or remote (mapped) filesystem.  If that isn't enough I will definitely at least look into adding FTP support through something like FireFTP or just use WinSCP.  Otherwise, I don't suppose you use Linux and have sshfs, do you?

Well... I do, but many people won't... but...

Since gContactSync is a Firefox extension, I don't think it is unreasonable at all to make installing FireFTP - also a Firefox extension - a pre-requisite/requirement to get FTP support for syncing to a personal FTP serve, with one caveat being maybe you should talk to the FireFTP developer(s) and make sure they're ok with you making use of their code?.

[Josh Geenen]

Since gContactSync is a Firefox extension, I don't think it is unreasonable at all to make installing FireFTP - also a Firefox extension - a pre-requisite/requirement to get FTP support for syncing to a personal FTP serve, with one caveat being maybe you should talk to the FireFTP developer(s) and make sure they're ok with you making use of their code?.

Right now I believe FireFTP is for Firefox only, but, without taking a look at the code, I don't think it would be too difficult to add support for TB.  I'll get in contact with the FireFTP dev(s) when I'm closer to having something ready to use an FTP client.

[tanstaafl]

Oh ... my ... god...

I can't believe I was confusing TB and FF... I use FireFTP all the time, so I know it is a Firefox only extension.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my ramblings...

[davidovitch]

I was wondering what the status of the version 0.4 was. The developers channels shows a gcontactsync-0.4.0a1pre1-tb+sm version. Will there be a new forum topic to discuss, test, debug and maybe improve the plugin (as there is one for the version 3)? Is it already safe to test this 0.4.0a1pre1 version?