Build Databases on Palm Device with Pilot-DB
Productivity Sauce
I love the technology of yesteryear. That's why I prefer to shoot with my trusty Nikon F-501 film SLR. Film photography can be a great learning experience, but the lack of EXIF data makes mastering the basics more tricky. After all, knowing what aperture and shutter speed values were used in a specific situation can come in rather handy. To solve the problem I enlisted the help of another vintage device: Sony Clié PEG-NX73V. When launched almost a decade ago, it was mind-boggingly expensive, but I bought mine on eBay for peanuts. This Palm OS-based device from Sony features a swanky design, it runs for weeks on a single charge, and it's reasonably fast. More importantly, there are many excellent open source apps available for Palm OS, including my all-time favorite Pilot-DB database. This is a simple yet versatile database app that can be used for a variety of purposes: from maintaining lists and tracking tasks, to building more advanced databases. I used Pilot-DB to maintain a simple database (I named it RollDB) for storing key information (aperture, shutter speed, focal length, lighting conditions, etc.) for each film exposure.
Pilot-DB is capable of handling several field types, including Interger, String, Float, Date, and Time. In addition to that, the app supports more advanced field types like Calculated, Link, and List. The latter type is particularly useful, as it allows you to specify a list of values the user can select from, which can significantly speed up entering data. In RollDB, lists are used to quickly specify aperture, shutter speed, and lighting conditions from a list of predefined values. Pilot-DB also supports user-defined list views. Each list view can contain selected fields, and you can specify each field's size. The ability to duplicate the currently viewed record is a great time-saver which makes it easier to create records containing similar data. For example, when I shoot several frames at the same aperture and shutter speed, I can simply duplicate records instead of entrering them from scratch.
Once a film roll has been finished and developed, I import the digitized photos into digiKam and use it to add key EXIF values to selected images. I also use the Java Pilot-DB desktop application to view and manipulate data stored in the RollDB database. The application is written in Java and it doesn't seem to work with OpenJDK Java 7 Runtime, but it does run fine under OpenJDK Java 6 Runtime.
For your convenience, I made the Pilot-DB and Java Pilot-DB application along with the RollDB database available for download. You can grab them from https://www.box.com/s/miwqtc8hgjli549zqzdf
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs