KC5ODS // PROJECT ARCHIVE●NODE ONLINE · UTC --:--:--
// initializing bridge — palm os ↔ microsoft 365 ...........
hotsync conduit: DETECTED
graph endpoint: AUTHENTICATED
status: READY FOR DOWNLOAD
Field Utility · Release 2.0
PALM365
Palm OS Handheld · ↔ · Microsoft 365
Keep a classic Palm PDA in sync with your Microsoft 365 calendar,
contacts, and tasks. Runs on Windows beside Palm Desktop and HotSync — nothing
is installed on the handheld itself. An obsolete device, back in daily service,
talking to a modern cloud.
Sync Manifest
What it moves, and which way
Data
Device → 365
365 → Device
Mode
Calendar
● YES
● YES
Two-way — create/delete either side
Tasks / To Do
● YES
● YES
Two-way
Contacts
— NO
● YES
One-way — 365 is master, device mirrors
Contacts are one-way by
design: entering a full contact card on a Palm is painful, so you manage those in
Outlook. Calendar and task entries are quick one-liners — those stay fully two-way,
with the handheld as your daily capture device. To delete a calendar or task item,
delete it on the Palm.
Transmit · Downloads
Pull the package
Recommended
Palm365
Universal build. The setup wizard auto-detects your device and database
paths — works with any Palm that syncs to Palm Desktop.
Palm365 relies on
these — it does not install them for you.
Windows — the required database driver and Palm Desktop are Windows-only.
Palm Desktop 6.2.2 with a working HotSync for your device. Getting an old cradle talking to modern Windows can be its own project.
Python 3.11+.
Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 (free Microsoft download; bitness must match your Python).
A Microsoft 365 account you can register an app on.
Bring-Up Sequence
From download to first sync
Install the requirements above. Confirm HotSync already works and you can see your data in Palm Desktop.
Unzip Palm365 somewhere simple, e.g. C:\Palm\.
pip install -r requirements.txt
Register a Microsoft 365 app — follow M365_SETUP.md. You'll copy one client ID from the Azure portal.
Run the setup wizard — it finds your Palm databases and writes the config.
python setup.py
First sync (creates the mirror; sign in once at microsoft.com/devicelogin), then press HotSync.
python sync_to_palm.py sync
From then on, the daily rhythm is just:
HotSync → sync.bat → HotSync
Known Limitations
Straight talk
Contacts can't be created or edited on the device (one-way by design — manage them in Outlook).
Delete calendar/task items on the device, not only in 365, or they may reappear on the next sync.
Requires a working HotSync on modern Windows — the biggest hurdle, and outside this tool's control.
Very old PDA batteries can let the clock drift or reset, which can temporarily block the calendar database from being written. If the datebook stops updating, check the device date first. Existing events are not harmed.
Use At Your Own Risk
Palm365 reads and writes live data in both your Microsoft 365
account and your Palm databases, including creating and deleting records. It ships
with safety features — it backs up your 365 data before any deletion and pauses if a
sync looks catastrophically wrong — but you are responsible for your own
data. Back up your Microsoft 365 information and your Palm databases before
first use. Provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, under the MIT License.
For Operators Who Build
Rebuild it from the schematic
The package includes PROJECT_OVERVIEW.md — a complete build
specification with the hard-won details of the Palm Desktop database format, the
duplication-prevention design, and HotSync conduit behavior. Detailed enough to
reconstruct the tool from scratch.