Sharp Organizers Views

General Goods

It was nice to see that Gene Sharp once again got to make an appearance. He has been a relentless advocate and theorist of non-violence and one of the unparalleled heroes behind many of the most dramatic efforts to win popular voices a place against firmly entrenched dictatorships. His has been thankless work, so when he is anywhere near a success, the world is frankly a better place. When I read the Times piece on Optor, I tracked down Gene at his Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and he not only agreed to speak at one of the first dialogues of the Organizersn’ Forum, but sent me a copy of his books developing his theories on non-violent organizing, which I found fascinating. That

IMPORTANT NOTE: Sharp uses many different serial interfaces on their organizers. Currently XLink/Win supports the the 4-pin slot serial port or the 2.5mm round port on the side of the newer Sharp YO/ZQ/EL/TM organizer models, and the 3.5mm round port on the newer OZ models (see Compatibility below for more information). For the 4-pin slot serial port you will need the CE-139T or equivalent cable for Windows (included in the Sharp CE-490W and CE-491W packages). The older Sharp CE-136T serial cable (included in the CE-390 package) is designed for DOS only will not work because of timing problems with Windows. IMSL Software does not sell these cables. Unfortunately they are now difficult to find and expensive. The R-Lynx YO Cable from www.mobilemania.com is compatible, but they are now asking $100 for it. Former supplier an appear to be permanently out of stock.

XLink/Win 2.6a is now available for download. It includes some minor new features, and several model-specific updates for Sharp organizers, and support for several neworganizer models. It is available in English and Portugese. New German and Slovak versions should be available before the end of the year.

A new Message Board has been set up with sections on Sharp organizers and accessories, and on using XLink/Win software with Sharp organizers. There's even a For Sale/Wanted section for those who want to buy or sell Sharp organizers and accessories. The message board is open for message posting by anyone. It is preferable to post technical support questions to the message board if they are of general interest. Of course we will still answer technical support questions by email. Read the News and Announcements section for more information on the message board.