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Technical Support - FAQ's - Pimlical/Desktop Frequently Asked Questions

Pimlical is showing a different ReferenceID from the one I want (or nothing at all) and I am not licensed - how do I fix this?

Go into menu | Preferences, search for the preference: RegisteredUserName and change that to your ReferenceID. If you ordered the bundle of P/A and P/D, use your P/A ReferenceID as the ReferenceID for P/D. Alternatively, remove Pimlical and reinstall it and this time, when you first launch Pimlical, do not click through that first dialog that appears, as that is your opportunity to change the ReferenceID to match the one on the order form (typically the email address you used to purchase Pimlical/Desktop).

 

Have just installed V-4.0.16 (or later) and the Icons seem to be all messed up - missing, etc.
It is possible that you had an old IconArchive.dat file located in the User Pimlical folder that was corrupt, incompatible, or never used. Just exit Pimlical and delete IconArchive.dat in that folder (path in menu | Help | About) and your prior UserIcons.dat file will be used (or converted to a new IconArchive.dat file if you have an active subscription). If you want your icons in P/D to match those in P/A, just copy the IconArchive.dat file from P/A's Pimlical Folder (with V-4.0 of P/A, remember the Pimlical folder will be in: .../Android/data/com.pimlicosoftware.PimlicalA/files/Pimlical) to the Pimlical folder in P/D (Path is shown as User Folder Path in menu | help | About). If you can't access scoped storage, use menu | BackupEverything to copy Pimlical folder in scoped storage to the /Pimlical folder (off the root), as you will then be able to access it. If you are planning on moving icons back and forth between P/A and P/D, it is generally recommended to use PNG graphics rather than GIF or JPG's.
 
AutoSync is failing with System Error or other Error Message
Autosync can fail for a number of reasons (sometimes the dropbox server seems unavailable(?!). Sometimes the contents of the calendar on the server get corrupted because of an interrupted file copy, etc. However, as of August 2022, there is a new issue:

Dropbox no longer permits applications (like Pimlical) to store the login credentials and re-use them. So you have to log in fresh to dropbox every time. This means that on both the desktop and the phone, you have to RESET AUTOSYNC first before using it (P/D: Special menu, P/A: Debug Menu). V-4.x.x of P/A and P/D both have a preference option AlwaysResetBeforeAutoSync that will do this automatically for you.

Unfortunately, since this was a security measure by dropbox, there is no way to defeat it or work around it.


My Antivirus program (most likely AVG, AVAST, SYMANTEC or NORTON) is complaining about malware and quarantined the Download File
Pimlico ALWAYS sensure that any downloads from the Pimlico Website are completely clean – that should go without saying.

There are always issues with False Positives in AntiVirus programs due to overly-aggressive heuristics. Many users do not realize that most anti-virus programs depend on GUESSES to try and figure out whether a program has malware or not. Why? Because new malware appears all the time, and users systems could get infected BEFORE the anti-malware program had downloaded the new signatures. So instead, they also depend on guesses, but sometimes the guesses are really made badly – often because some of the programmers screw up or are novices in this area.

In particular, Pimlical uses Java libraries, and so if some idiot releases malware written using Java classes, then those java classes often get INCLUDED as part of the guesses about malware, so then a perfectly innocent program that uses the identical Java libraries may get flagged when in fact the Java libraries were never the problem in the first place. A properly written Anti-Virus program should keep track of the code in ALL standard Java library routines and exclude those from any of these heuristics, but often mediocre programmers just can’t be bothered to do that. Other AV companies flag all Apps that aren't in their proprietary databases just as a matter of practice.

BTW – there is a useful website (www.virustotal.com) that you can upload a program to in order to scan files using some 56 different anti-malware programs. Interestingly, this site reports that NO popular anti-malware app has any problem with the Pimlical.jar file, so you may just have an old version of the anti-malware program.

When I click on the PimlicalJavaInstall.jar file nothing happens, or it asks me what I want to do. Or Launching Pimlical just causes Splash Screen to appear and nothing else.
Java is not properly installed on your system. In the first two cases, it looks like the .JAR extension is not properly associated with the Java Runtime Environment. And in the latter case, it looks like something is corrupt in Java. To get a completely CLEAN installation of Java, first remove Java completely using Windows Control Panel | Programs and Features. Reboot Windows and reinstall the latest version. If that does not fix the issue, remove Java using the Java Removal Tool which you can download from here. If that still fails, try JarFix which you can download from here. Also, after removing Java, you might look in C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86) and delete ANY folders that have the name 'Java'. 
If Java gets installed properly, when you go into Windows Control Panel | Default Programs | Associate a File Type or Protocol... and scroll down to the .JAR extension, you should see it associated with the Java Runtime Environment.

The JAR file contains both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Pimlical/Desktop. The installer picks the version based upon whether the current, running version of Java is 32-bit or 64-bit. Trying to run the 32-bit version of P/D with the 64-bit version of Java (and vice-versa) won't work.

I just installed new versions of P/A and P/D, but get an error in DirectSync about mismatched versions - Why?
When you use DirectSync, the P/A databases are copied over to the desktop for syncing. But if you invoke DirectSync before the database was ever rewritten with the new release, it may have the prior version number stored and so you will see this error occur just one time. In most normal conditions, the user will have updated the P/A database at least once prior to the first DirectSync and would therefore not normally see this error condition. In the vast majority of cases, unless you have missed many interim releases, DirectSync is likely to proceed without error anyway (and if there is an error - you will be notified).

After running the Installer, Pimlical does NOT display the Install Dialog on first launch - or it displays the Install Dialog on EVERY launch
Most likely, you installed Pimlical with standard level privileges and not Administrator level privileges. If your Administrator profile is marked as completely inaccessible, you will see the first problem (Install Dialog never displayed) and if you only have READ-ONLY access, then you will see the second problem (Install Dialog appears every time you launch Pimlical).

The solution is to either (A) install Pimlical using your Administrator level account, or (B) manually create a file with the name NewPimlicalInstall.txt in C:\Users\{Your Windows Standard User Name} - the contents of the file are ignored - only the name matters.

I am losing preferences and seeing them unexpectedly reset/seeing error messages, etc.
Look in the Pimlical folder for error files (files that have the word 'error' in the filename or extension). If you see error messages that contains messages referring to a rename problem such as: Failed to rename temporary file to current!, this indicates you are having an issue with badly written antivirus software (written by unskilled programmers it would seem). The problem is that when Pimlical closes out a temporary file, before it can rename it, some other process leaps in and locks the file so it can scan it for viruses, and by locking the file, Pimlical is then unable to rename the file. This is, of course, outrageous behavior - as no application should be stepping in and locking another application's files (!). The antivirus program is assuming, that since the file has been closed, the application won't need to look at it for a while and that should be long enough for it to quickly scan the file, but that's an asinine assumption and leads to this problem as it is quite common to write a temporary file out first (to be sure it gets written properly) and then delete the original and rename the temporary file. It is also a stupid idea as if an application is inserting viruses into its data files, it's not going to be so incredibly dumb as to leave it out in the open where it's obviously detectable.

Anyway, the latest releases of Pimlical attempt to recover from this by repeating the rename operation if the main data file is missing and a temporary file exists - it might be possible to improve the workaround a bit, but the only rational solution is to turn off any "live-scanning" or 'real-time scanning" feature until such time as the company rewrites it properly so it does not interfere with a running application.

I am running Linux and everytime a window is opened, it get one pixel narrower or shorter than it was!
This is most likely due to a rounding issue in Java 8 (probably saving the value in a different coordinate system), so every time the window is closed, the value is rounded up for its next use.

A Pimlical user provided a work-around using devilspie2 (https://www.nongnu.org/devilspie2/), a window matching utility that interposes itself between an X application and the window manager. Each time a window is opened, devilspie2 executes one or more LUA scripts (https://www.lua.org/). The script tells devilspie2 what size a given Pimlical window should be rendered.

For example, if a LUA script named DevilsPie2Pimlical.lua is placed in the directory ~/.devilspie2:

function string.starts_with(String, Start)
    return string.sub(String,1,string.len(Start)) == Start end

if get_application_name() == "Pimlical Advanced Calendar" then
   if string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Alarm Dialog") then
     set_window_size(468,520);
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Display Results Dialog") then
     set_window_size(1193,744);
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Edit Dialog") then
     set_window_size(767,1023);
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Direct Sync") then
     set_window_size(1038,593);
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Icon Dialog") then
     set_window_size(1323,800);
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Link Contacts") then
     set_window_size(1064,1023);
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Memo Database Record") then
     set_window_size(720,550);
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Meeting Information") then
     set_window_size(795,930);
   --
   -- Contacts View (may include "List Filtered for ...")
   --
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Pimlical Local Contacts") then
     set_window_size(1208,900);
   --
   -- Memos View (may include "List Filtered for ...")
   --
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Pimlical Local Memos") then
     set_window_size(1200,1020);
   --
   -- Edit Event Dialog > Category
   --
   elseif get_window_name() == "Select Categories" then
     set_window_size(700,525);
   --
   -- Tasks View > Categories
   --
   elseif string.starts_with(get_window_name(), "Select Categories for Task Display") then
     set_window_size(650,525);
   --
   -- Tasks View
   --
   elseif get_window_name() == "Tasks Database Display" then
     set_window_size(1272,800);
   end
end

and devilspie2 is started with this shell program:
 #!/bin/bash
PATH=/bin:/usr/bin
trap 'rm -f /tmp/{devilspie2,java}.log' 0 1 2 3 15
devilspie2 -f ~/.devilspie2 &>/tmp/devilspie2.log &
dpPID=$!
java -jar /usr/local/PimlicalApp/Pimlical.jar &>/tmp/java.log
kill -1 $dpPID
wait $dpPID
exit 0
when you open an event edit dialog, it will always be rendered with the geometry 767 pixels wide and 900 pixels tall.
 

How do I get all my  Pimlical/Desktop (or Palm/Desktop) data visible using Java 8 (or I have installed Java 8 and now can't find anything, etc.)

First make sure that you are using the current, official release of Pimlical/Desktop (see http://www.PimlicoSoftware.com for versions) and that the preference SynchronizeWithPalmOS is set to False. You will also need to do a one-time migration using Java 7. Here is a general procedure that should get you up and running again:

First do a menu | Backup Everything so you can GUARANTEE that you can return to precisely where you were if for some reason you encounter a problem.

If you have Java 8 installed, you will need to remove it and then re-install the latest release of Java 7, If you don't have your original download of Java 7, you can download this copy from Pimlico's website. Keep in mind that Java 7 is no longer updated, and could potentially become a security risk because of that. It is very strongly advised that you migrate to Java 8 as soon as possible.

If you see any/all of these folders:

  Pimlical/PimlicalCalendars

  Pimlical/PimlicalContacts

  Pimlical/PimlicalMemos

delete them. If you see the file CalendarCache.dat in the Pimlical folder, delete that too.

 

1. Launch Pimlical/Desktop and make sure that the preference SynchronizeWithPalmOS is set to FALSE (if true, change to false, exit and relaunch Pimlical).

2. Make sure that you have tapped on the CONTACTS and MEMOS buttons at bottom left and answer affirmatively to migrating your data to the new format.

3. Exit Pimlical

4. Remove Java 7, install latest release of Java 8

5. launch Pimlical/Desktop - you should now see all your data and it will have been migrated to the new format.


Before syncing with Google Calendar, if you have events on January 1, 2020 (possible if you were a former DateBk6 user and still have the preference: SynchronizeDateBkTemplates set to True), you should remove all those template events before syncing with Google calendar as some users have reported the presence of those events caused Google to go berserk and start deleting events in the calendar (why is not known, and other users have had no problem).

If you are still syncing with an old Palm OS device, you must stay on Java 7 as Java 8 is not compatible with the old Palm MS Access databases and make sure the preference SynchronizeWithPalmOS is set to TRUE. In that case, remove Java 8 and re-install Java 7 and if present, delete the folders:

  Pimlical/PimlicalCalendars

  Pimlical/PimlicalContacts

  Pimlical/PimlicalMemos

and delete CalendarCache.dat in the Pimlical folder if you see it.

Can I use Pimlical on more than one Desktop device?
Generally, yes. But you do need to understand the restrictions. Your payment provides a ReferenceID will cover one user name, so if you use multiple PC's you must use the same ReferenceID on each PC. This is not a problem if you are the only user. But if there are two or more users using the same registration code at the same time, problems can arise because the registration name is used to generate uniqueID's for events. If two users enter a new event at the same time, it could be treated as the same event after syncing, and one of the events will mysteriously disappear. So if you are going to have more than one user updating a shared database as the same time, you would be advised to purchase a second subscription so you can use a different registration name on that PC - you can do that by going to this web address: http://www.PimlicoSoftware.com/PayPalSubscription.html.

I forgot to heed the warning about removing the old version first, inadvertently created a 'new entitity' and now have an entry in Windows Control Panel | Programs & Features that I can't remove because it says it can't find some uninstall program...
You have two choices for removing this 'orphaned' entry from the windows registry. If you are a power user, then simply launch Regedit and remove the program registry key in the Uninstall section: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Pimlical Advanced Calendar X.X.XX  where 'x.x.xx' is the version number. This key may be slightly different on your machine.

If you are not a power user and dislike making changes in the windows registry (and if you mess it up it could potentially cause big problems), then you can resolve this by saving a copy of the PimlicalUninstall.jar file that was associated with the version you are trying to remove. If you have the same version installed, you can copy that file from C:\Program Files (x86)\PimlicalApp\Uninstaller and save it temporarily. If it's an older version, download the installer for that version from the Pimlico website and install it, copy the PimlicalUninstall.jar file to a save area, and then uninstall that version.

Then go into C:\Program Files (x86) (or C:\Program Files if it installed there), and create a PimlicalApp folder there. Then create a sub-folder in PimlicalApp with the name Uninstaller and copy the PimlicalUninstall.jar file that you had previously saved. You should then be able to remove that version from windows control panel.

Macintosh Version: Install Warning Dialog about Unregistered App/Developer
If you try to open an app that is not registered with Apple by an identified developer you may get a warning dialog. This doesn’t necessarily mean that something’s wrong with the app. 

To override your security settings and open the app anyway:
• In the Finder, locate the app you want to open. Don’t use Launchpad to do this. Launchpad doesn’t allow you to access the shortcut menu.
• Press the Control key, then click the app icon, then choose Open from the shortcut menu.
• Click Open.

The app is saved as an exception to your security settings, and you can open it in the future by double-clicking it just as you can any registered app.

Macintosh Version: Pimlical when launched complains about Java not installed
You do need to have a Java runtime environment installed in order to run Pimlical. In most cases, OSX will volunteer to install a Java runtime environment if none is present. You can just let OSX proceed with installing it. Or you can visit http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp to download a version appropriate for the Mac.
 
I am seeing several ACCESS DENIED errors and seeing problems like preferences being reset, etc.

By far the most likely cause is badly written antivirus software. McAfee is just one example. There are programs that have a feature under names like Real Time Scanning which is ill-conceived and badly implemented. In particular, as soon as a file is closed out, such programs lock the file for reading, thereby preventing Pimlical from renaming the file. Good programming practices run afoul of badly written antir-virus programs like this, and you should turn off features like this until such time as the programmers at the company understand the problem and write code that accomodates properly written programs.

How do I move Pimlical/Desktop to a new computer?

Just follow these steps:

1. Go into Menu | Backup  | Backup Everything

2. Copy the folder created in step 1 to the new Computer

3. Download and Install Pimlical/Desktop on the new computer

4. Go into Menu | Backup | Restore Everything

All the data file formats are identical across platforms, so you can also use these steps to move your Pimlical data from a Windows PC to a Macintosh or Linux PC or vice-versa.
 

How can I get contacts from Gmail into Pimlical Contacts (or vice-versa)

Right now there is no direct sync of contacts in Pimlical with Gmail contacts, however, you can migrate your Android contacts directly into pimlical/Android and then DirectSync them to the desktop. You can also export all your Gmail contacts in vCard format and then use the IMPORT button in Pimlical/Desktop's contacts dialog to import them. Note that to do this, you must migrate your contacts from the old Address.mdb database into the new contacts database format (you will be asked about this automatically provided the preference SynchronizeWithPalmOS is set to false (and it will be if you use the standard installer).

How does DirectSync work?
DirectSync can sync to any standard, recognized device, including devices connected via Bluetooth, USB, or WiFi. In the case of Windows, it is very important that the device present itself to Windows as a standard Windows device, and not as some 'faked' device. For example, Windows File Explorer can fake a device connected via MTP to look like a windows device, but the emulation is imperfect and other windows applications (especially java apps)  can not see the device. DirectSync can support a USB/MTP Connection provided it is a plain vanilla Android type MTP connection (some vendors have modified the MTP connection in a manner that Pimlical/Desktop can not be used.

WiFi connections are supported on all platforms with the local HTTP Sync option or through the use of a WebDAV server on the Android device and a version of Windows later than XP (Vista, needs to be fully updated to support WebDAV, Win7 and Win8 work fine out-of-the-box). In general, the local HTTP sync option will be the simplest for most users to set up. It only requires that both devices be on the same network.

For WebDAV, Pimlico has recommended Olive Tree's WebDAV Server Pro on Android, but there are other WebDAV type apps that also provide this functionality. In a worst case situation, you can always use file Manager to copy the Pimlical folder from the phone to the desktop, sync it there and then copy it back. Setting up a WebDAV server is not that complicated and only has to be done once. Step by Step instructions for doing that are in the DirectSync document on Pimlico's website.

DirectSync seems to hang or fails to connect

Did you inadvertently tell Pimlical to sync memos and/or contacts when they had never been setup and properly migrated? If you have the SynchronizeWithPalmOS preference set to False (and it will be if you used the standard installer), then on the first access to contacts or memos, you will be asked to migrate them into the new format (answer the query affirmatively). Until you do that, just make sure you uncheck the box to sync contacts and/or memos.

Did you reconfigure your firewall? Almost all computers these days have a firewall designed to protect against unexpected network intrusions - to test, you can briefly turn your firewall off and re-test. If that was the issue, consult your documentation as you should be able to re-enable your firewall and then whitelist Pimlical as an application whose data is allowed to pass through the firewall (Pimlical uses port 8391). 

Also, check to see if your WiFi network is marked as a public or home network. With some firewalls, even if you whitelist Pimlical, it won't be allowed to connect if your network is marked as a public network.

Also make certain that BOTH platforms have the same value for the preference: PortNumberForNetworkSync - the default value is 8391 and you should use that value unless there is a good reason to use something else.

If you are using the new local HTTP Sync and having problems getting it to work, see the DirectSync manual for trouble-shooting tips (or go into menu | Help | Using DirectSync To Android...). Make sure you have your desktop's IP Address in Pimlical/Android's preference (it's displayed in menu | About, as well as on the button in the DirectSync Dialog). Unless you have more than one network adapter in your desktop, you do not have to set any IP address on the desktop. The error message:  HttpAddressesForSyncIOException: cannot assign requested address: JVM_Bind usually indicates you have the wrong IP address set.
 

I heard there was a new release of Pimlical, but the upgrade check says I already have the latest version?

When a new version is released, it will be at least a week or more before the upgrade check shows that there is a new version available. This is intentional as the user base is so large that (a) having tens of thousands of users attach to the site to download the application causes problems, and (b) if there are any problems, Pimlico would get inundated with emails, and while the Beta Test period usually flushed out most errors, there are always some issues that slip by the beta testers and being able to fix those problems before masses of users download the latest release obviously benefits all users.

Remember that you can always go to www.PimlicoSoftware.com and tap on the link where Download is indicated which leads to a web page where you can download the latest official release.

Pimlical installed, but on launch get error about no such class "Main"

Most likely you are running and old verison of Pimlical on 64-bit Win Vista/7 and do not have the 32-bit version of the JVM installed (it is installed by default on almost all machines, but might have been inadvertently removed). Just download the standard 32-bit JVM. Note that the current official release will run on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Java.
 

Accented characters are not displaying properly after DirectSync to other platform

This will be an encoding issue. You need to set the preference: JavaDefaultEncoding to be matched on both platforms. If they are currently blank, try changing them to read UTF-8 as that will likely resolve this issue. If you are using a non-Roman language, note that any valid encoding that is permitted by Java can be used in Pimlical - just make sure both platforms are properly matched, and also always re-test with newly created memos and not old memos as changing this preference is not likely to retroactively correct any encoding issues.

Also, memo titles are used to create filenames, so you should in general avoid accented characters in those titles as they may otherwise not create a valid filename for the memo.
 

How do I set up WebDAV Server Pro to mount my Android phone as a 'real' windows device?

First install WebDAV Server Pro on your Android phone (it's on Google Play). And launch it so you can see what http://..... address it is using for your phone (you'll need it in step 5 below).
 

Then in windows:

1. Right-click computer and select MAP NETWORK DRIVE

2. Click on link: CONNECT TO A WEB SITE THAT YOU CAN USE TO STORE YOUR DOCUMENTS.....

3. Click on NEXT button in dialog :ADD NETWORK LOCATION

4. Click on NEXT button in dialog WHERE DO YOU WANT TO CREATE THIS NETWORK LOCATION (make sure CHOOSE A CUSTOM NETWORK LOCATION is selected - usually it's the only option).

5. For INTERNET OR NETWORK ADDRESS:, type in the full URL that WebDAV Server Pro displays on your Android phone - for example: http://192.168.1.12:8080 then click on NEXT button.

6. If you entered it correctly, you get a dialog WHAT DO YOU WANT TO NAME THIS LOCATION? type in something you will recognize easily - I usually enter something like HTC Phone 192.168.1.2:8080 - so I know the device and also what path it used (because that might change if you reconfigure the network). Click on NEXT button.

7. Click on FINISH button.


 The phone should then appear as a device in file manager, AND Pimlical should be able to see it too when you select HTC Phone 192.168.1.2:8080 (or whatever the name was you assigned to your phone). you only have to do this setup one time. In future, just start the server on Android and wait some 30s or so until you can see it in windows.
 

Some Dialogs are cut off and don't display properly

This is a known issue in Java on a windows platform if you change the DPI resolution of the screen to a value other than the default value. To get larger text, rather than change the DPI resolution, go into the screen settings (right-click desktop, select properties) and change the font size of the various UI elements (menu, dialogs, etc.) to make it more readable. A future release of the JVM may address this issue in Windows.

If the right edge seems to be partly hidden under the vertical scrollbar, try adjusting the preference: VerticalScrollbarThreshhold to a higher value (try 4 or something larger). Some display drivers miscalculate (or are using faulty font metrics) the precise size of the screen and end up displaying a vertical scroll bar when in fact there is nothing to scroll. Windows Classic Theme, and some Mac's exhibit this issue.

Finally, remember that most dialogs are resizable, so make sure this issue can't be addressed by simply resizing the dialog.

I changed screen resolution (or swapped screens, etc.) and now a dialog is "stuck" off-screen - how do I fix this?
There is a simple fix in Windows - just press ALT/Spacebar to open up the System menu (won't be visible, but that does not matter), then press letter 'M' (for move), then use the left and up arrow keys to move the invisible dialog back onto the screen.

How do I set up a separate archive calendar in Pimlical/Desktop that will DirectSync to Android?

Simplest way to handle setting up an archive in Pimlical is this:

1. In Pimlical Desktop, go into advanced find, hit clear, then pick a start date of 1-jan-1900 and an end date of say 31-dec-2009 and hit ok
2. Click on CHANGE and specify a category of ARCHIVE (create that category if necessary) and click on OK
3. Set the preference ApptCategoriesToSync to only include the Archive category.
4. Create an archive calendar on the handheld called say PimlicalArchive.dat - you can easily create that by just duplicating PimlicalLocalCalendar.dat under that name so that both PimlicalLocalCalendar.dat and PimlicalArchive.dat are in the PimlicalCalendars folder.
5. Do a sync overwrite from desktop to PimlicalArchive.dat (ApptCategoriesToSync will only copy the Archive category).
6. Change ApptCategoriesToSync to include ALL categories, EXCEPT "Archive"
7. Sync normally now from desktop to PimlicalLocalCalendar.dat

On the desktop, you can see all your events by just displaying all categories. In Pimlical/Android, to view the archived items, you would go into menu | Select Local Calendar and select the Archive calendar to look at (and then do that again to return to viewing the regular calendar).
 

I am in an unusual timezone and get an error: ERROR: TimeZone Problem.....

If you see an error message like: ERROR: TimeZone Problem, Home, Current or Creation Timezone Specified in Preference database is not in correct format or references an undefined Timezone or DST Rule, this most likely means that your particular timezone has not been defined in the Worldtimezones.txt database. If this is the case, you need to add a line to the Worldtimezones.txt file that is in the Pimlical folder on the phone (use either an Android text editor like Jota, or connect phone to PC and use notepad.exe to edit the file). Add the line in this format (this example is for Saskatchewan that uses Central time, but no DST rule):

-06:00 Canada/East-Saskatchewan[Sask]

The first character is - for timezones West of GMT and + for timezones East of GMT. This is followed by the Offset from GTM in HH and MM. If there is a DST rule, there is a single letter after the GMT offset (See Pimlical Reference Manual for details on how to setup DST rules). This is then followed by the Olsen database name for the timezone. Try and locate the name in the Olsen Database which lists all the Olsen names for timezones. If it's not there, try and at least locate a timezone with the same attributes (GMT offset and DST rule) - if not, make one up (it's ok for Pimlical, but if you sync to Google, Google needs a valid Olsen name). At the end put in the abbreviation for the timezone in brackets (this is arbitrary, so you can use whatever you like there). Close out the Worldtimezones.txt file. Launch Pimlical, go into Menu | Change Time Zone and click the button Restore Original Settings - you should then see the new timezone displayed in the timezone lists.
 

I am using non-Roman fonts (Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, etc.) and fonts aren’t displaying properly in Pimlical

You have to set up java and your operating system to properly handle non-Roman languages. Then you need to go into the Display Fonts section of Pimlical's preferences and setup all the non-Roman fonts.  An Asian user provided this comment which you may find useful in getting things setup in Windows:

 

I have a window 7 Starter English on my netbook, normally under Control

Panel>Region & Languages> Format, I set it as english (US). It is the same

for my XP Home desktop.

 

For window 7 only, if I change the Format to Chinese, all the NEW

appointments, contacts, and memo in Palm Desktop will display correctly. I

create NEW appointment in Chinese from handheld, Palm Desktop and Pimlico

Desktop. I saved them. I have the NEW appointment sync to all platform. I

re-opened the Palm Desktop and Pimlico Desktop. All the characters were

displayed correctly.

Unfortunately, those OLD appointment with font already changed to "?" cannot

be reverted back to its original font. I have to do a sync from handheld to

overwrite all the data on the PC to have the data display correctly.

 

If I do a change on the format again, ie back to English(US). All the font

will become "?". As a result, I have to do a sync overwrite from handheld to

PC to correct it. Therefore, for any non-Roman font users, if they want to

have some of their appointments, contacts or memos in their local language

on window 7 platform. They have to set the Format, under Region & Languages,

to their respective local language and do not change it again.

What is the difference between Floating Events and Tasks? They look very similar
They are very similar, and tasks exist largely for historical reasons rather than as a necessity to manage task-type functions. Most Pimlical users only use floating events, but users who were used to having a separate tasks app/database, or who are still syncing to or using third party apps that need the old Palm MDB databases find it essential to have this function maintained.

The most obvious difference is that every instance of a repeat floating event appears in the database, while only the next occurrence of a repeat task appears in the database.  There are significant differences in how repeat floats and repeat tasks are managed - the former automatically reschedules itself to the next occurrence and drops a non-repeat instance of the item as a reminder on that instance day. Also, repeat floating events support a reschedule from checkoff date, so if you set a repeat float with a 60 day repeat interval but check it off thirty days later, it will reschedule in another 60 days rather than just 30 days.

There are also separate tasks views in Pimlical/Desktop and Pimlical/Android, for users who just want to focus on those items.  Floating events share the same set of categories as regular events, while tasks have their own separate set of categories. The start/end dates of a task are tied closely to the due date, while the start/end dates of floating events are not. Users who regularly export their calendar in iCalendar format may want to keep their tasks as tasks rather than floats so they can be easily excluded from the output file.

Over the years, the attributes of floats and tasks have become closer and closer as users have asked for the same capabilities in both items, so if you are wondering whether you should use floats or tasks, or why both are present, chances are you can ignore tasks and just use floating events.

Why is it that I install a new version and it immediately crashes? Don't you guys test this program before releasing it?

Because there are a really large number of settings, and you might have had that one set of settings that caused the problem and it was a combination of settings that was not tested. Why is that?

The number of combinations of settings in a typical Pimlical Calendar installation is much smaller than a googolplex, but it's still a pretty big number: (scroll to the end of this number to continue this article):

414, 935, 960, 343, 785, 408, 555, 686, 709, 308, 661, 217, 095, 111, 919, 493, 180, 991, 768, 946, 765, 769, 755, 856, 512, 353, 195, 008, 600, 076, 521, 780, 034, 200, 751, 846, 353, 836, 171, 184, 957, 508, 711, 140, 459, 077, 945, 534, 021, 610, 683, 396, 116, 210, 379, 041, 991, 775, 220, 626, 633, 901, 796, 828, 051, 647, 196, 974, 959, 688, 424, 577, 287, 660, 971, 030, 037, 261, 110, 953, 402, 411, 271, 188, 331, 577, 388, 153, 284, 389, 297, 376, 130, 211, 063, 129, 303, 744, 014, 853, 787, 254, 460, 796, 102, 904, 294, 910, 497, 938, 881, 207, 625, 116, 251, 329, 170, 046, 416, 689, 621, 175, 902, 035, 751, 754, 889, 806, 535, 778, 689, 152, 850, 937, 824, 699, 946, 746, 991, 908, 320, 935, 110, 683, 638, 242, 870, 635, 222, 685, 443, 392, 137, 751, 504, 885, 881, 040, 368, 188, 090, 992, 929, 124, 971, 419, 005, 089, 389, 944, 047, 153, 514, 731, 545, 315, 874, 415, 099, 601, 742, 678, 750, 874, 603, 679, 741, 170, 723, 687, 472, 771, 439, 889, 206, 836, 916, 185, 036, 081, 984, 597, 180, 937, 844, 535, 239, 585, 053, 776, 110, 865, 111, 623, 631, 459, 208, 861, 085, 574, 508, 745, 139, 453, 054, 362, 137, 118, 981, 508, 471, 920, 944, 263, 742, 032, 750, 299, 963, 337, 849, 440, 147, 756, 714, 146, 808, 242, 074, 999, 147, 148, 783, 596, 697, 206, 389, 546, 705, 899, 601, 785, 694, 802, 633, 887, 671, 128, 710, 680, 049, 508, 274, 007, 171, 248, 194, 763, 864, 013, 691, 935, 443, 541, 203, 127, 866, 014, 347, 925, 499, 591, 435, 301, 206, 531, 034, 066, 255, 032, 310, 207, 383, 515, 021, 951, 031, 486, 736, 123, 387, 393, 950, 965, 514, 621, 593, 490, 157, 899, 499, 440, 723, 110, 044, 269, 248, 381, 401, 414, 554, 878, 727, 380, 458, 560, 235, 615, 832, 043, 179, 459, 530, 558, 306, 933, 512, 468, 907, 212, 461, 514, 684, 853, 087, 240, 312, 679, 670, 891, 135, 489, 827, 334, 753, 757, 568, 993, 651, 763, 964, 247, 817, 334, 625, 108, 790, 157, 434, 373, 989, 204, 922, 670, 983, 170, 339, 321, 071, 763, 439, 833, 524, 445, 760, 404, 765, 654, 004, 144, 146, 994, 799, 843, 545, 545, 977, 993, 867, 028, 394, 285, 134, 131, 889, 131, 656, 953, 108, 485, 135, 250, 940, 061, 477, 740, 470, 073, 314, 065, 417, 944, 280, 044, 366, 919, 036, 854, 692, 708, 572, 717, 016, 480, 115, 120, 574, 524, 486, 079, 687, 737, 848, 036, 606, 530, 091, 098, 156, 390, 912, 941, 106, 337, 156, 215, 409, 038, 001, 350, 586, 716, 242, 623, 339, 024, 341, 666, 287, 165, 212, 285, 902, 745, 688, 335, 048, 979, 268, 693, 697, 928, 783, 768, 948, 414, 365, 738, 664, 369, 550, 754, 739, 648, 822, 562, 221, 833, 800, 146, 007, 611, 968, 592, 176, 032, 348, 084, 674, 552, 163, 304, 117, 380, 043, 311, 442, 259, 262, 436, 905, 587, 829, 149, 079, 738, 857, 587, 845, 857, 398, 286, 953, 903, 023, 838, 372, 658, 824, 276, 543, 064, 375, 177, 578, 972, 150, 450, 713, 618, 017, 300, 516, 284, 244, 762, 942, 274, 857, 556, 278, 287, 634, 987, 671, 952, 813, 689, 135, 839, 188, 244, 992, 847, 415, 916, 831, 303, 340, 321, 999, 467, 520, 829, 148, 857, 643, 458, 638, 323, 135, 452, 050, 759, 559, 120, 620, 672, 732, 969, 513, 861, 229, 946, 586, 075, 273, 178, 844, 524, 498, 653, 481, 641, 692, 388, 448, 890, 614, 958, 509, 343, 734, 428, 898, 148, 844, 273, 218, 171, 312, 725, 338, 915, 345, 065, 811, 438, 233, 812, 058, 753, 798, 086, 050, 808, 897, 617, 538, 828, 962, 529, 336, 337, 504, 545, 491, 686, 002, 672, 295, 912, 255, 288, 545, 844, 826, 866, 553, 243, 130, 113, 537, 548, 124, 095, 612, 376, 860, 780, 077, 007, 079, 395, 418, 489, 071, 494, 673, 778, 544, 075, 283, 078, 729, 881, 039, 129, 451, 219, 298, 647, 937, 034, 512, 574, 364, 455, 814, 597, 571, 408, 227, 059, 863, 251, 653, 529, 065, 845, 711, 235, 852, 702, 119, 334, 529, 811, 055, 683, 988, 098, 840, 949, 803, 461, 850, 780, 252, 730, 387, 367, 840, 421, 694, 272, 379, 804, 643, 042, 500, 450, 308, 066, 370, 327, 600, 163, 419, 214, 428, 057, 088, 024, 308, 505, 678, 921, 086, 469, 774, 551, 395, 391, 198, 386, 361, 671, 903, 002, 781, 463, 801, 369, 324, 823, 327, 715, 951, 805, 961, 930, 695, 042, 378, 360, 826, 205, 708, 872, 092, 979, 297, 974, 294, 045, 768, 773, 383, 198, 774, 446, 855, 442, 948, 003, 217, 410, 566, 894, 237, 105, 450, 288, 704, 196, 119, 150, 727, 390, 000, 316, 420, 144, 742, 133, 232, 938, 716, 180, 295, 556, 140, 046, 028, 674, 004, 228, 853, 898, 546, 503, 280, 284, 285, 151, 222, 960, 287, 957, 418, 016, 218, 232, 360, 983, 209, 714, 410, 470, 125, 330, 673, 148, 961, 532, 367, 887, 349, 845, 539, 496, 043, 970, 503, 523, 477, 662, 113, 959, 145, 192, 704, 221, 222, 314, 269, 986, 920, 874, 635, 209, 806, 862, 243, 548, 133, 761, 943, 951, 319, 428, 681, 134, 865, 315, 622, 281, 732, 149, 764, 817, 053, 818, 461, 553, 265, 961, 875, 302, 964, 786, 011, 608, 722, 636, 404, 439, 222, 576, 019, 264, 946, 109, 168, 851, 510, 131, 439, 455, 743, 983, 031, 925, 571, 541, 621, 514, 424, 691, 223, 705, 191, 490, 978, 618, 494, 361, 509, 631, 099, 336, 395, 945, 617, 965, 933, 968, 519, 586, 053, 386, 311, 763, 241, 470, 668, 422, 571, 923, 947, 425, 317, 264, 795, 597, 499, 932, 832, 472, 798, 078, 964, 707, 530, 540, 141, 940, 902, 006, 097, 126, 747, 531, 863, 655, 254, 032, 127, 577, 578, 539, 306, 975, 300, 565, 952, 082, 074, 574, 994, 718, 981, 444, 537, 722, 482, 078, 884, 433, 351, 185, 456, 015, 688, 537, 081, 828, 928, 952, 183, 001, 396, 543, 769, 472, 864, 187, 766, 657, 628, 153, 897, 373, 401, 594, 105, 436, 814, 354, 373, 461, 342, 446, 920, 670, 700, 827, 824, 236, 455, 574, 508, 825, 566, 701, 572, 427, 528, 103, 171, 416, 406, 314, 106, 813, 843, 309, 240, 272, 813, 189, 608, 848, 130, 406, 652, 261, 695, 528, 256, 371, 838, 624, 649, 442, 956, 888, 593, 938, 467, 267, 236, 941, 994, 755, 713, 205, 460, 182, 634, 257, 310, 291, 153, 535, 327, 288, 081, 827, 730, 215, 967, 870, 884, 372, 934, 121, 170, 845, 115, 806, 299, 676, 972, 666, 016, 636, 352, 769, 599, 690, 215, 021, 221, 049, 542, 595, 672, 785, 931, 855, 162, 684, 471, 003, 744, 346, 204, 220, 035, 353, 912, 037, 383, 930, 954, 206, 950, 214, 862, 073, 906, 531, 909, 108, 213, 443, 342, 514, 978, 962, 842, 361, 985, 716, 747, 738, 481, 260, 974, 430, 550, 362, 508, 663, 547, 207, 309, 712, 980, 846, 971, 965, 377, 227, 798, 931, 602, 005, 607, 250, 580, 075, 124, 074, 944, 481, 633, 922, 143, 981, 184, 927, 482, 819, 786, 551, 784, 785, 477, 491, 987, 141, 384, 850, 422, 903, 839, 540, 905, 708, 420, 381, 372, 771, 356, 677, 035, 650, 410, 817, 805, 206, 950, 321, 362, 335, 216, 927, 405, 310, 153, 409, 217, 618, 340, 788, 177, 356, 746, 467, 490, 716, 166, 006, 532, 304, 389, 026, 397, 860, 655, 090, 053, 098, 724, 354, 456, 893, 156, 013, 299, 424, 071, 122, 950, 154, 537, 715, 210, 519, 424, 455, 127, 953, 649, 712, 148, 722, 221, 937, 292, 891, 598, 330, 017, 423, 979, 775, 925, 305, 013, 188, 378, 834, 948, 842, 322, 225, 073, 188, 163, 994, 389, 356, 278, 171, 028, 754, 325, 887, 945, 588, 577, 427, 803, 907, 171, 663, 812, 579, 037, 981, 491, 484, 455, 268, 858, 716, 299, 310, 145, 107, 332, 155, 547, 732, 645, 760, 359, 161, 842, 987, 083, 232, 375, 688, 379, 171, 350, 730, 060, 267, 382, 922, 946, 870, 810, 307, 519, 460, 203, 764, 381, 386, 771, 073, 337, 793, 125, 822, 573, 564, 355, 345, 771, 628, 040, 304, 809, 257, 859, 097, 472, 334, 139, 329, 040, 722, 398, 600, 054, 482, 692, 961, 103, 936, 401, 275, 395, 398, 993, 974, 200, 219, 252, 689, 286, 225, 649, 592, 791, 363, 695, 469, 832, 473, 144, 940, 942, 974, 942, 132, 087, 169, 636, 628, 129, 638, 461, 913, 781, 146, 092, 107, 010, 330, 121, 199, 342, 649, 416, 664, 491, 303, 108, 984, 935, 353, 664, 018, 312, 826, 831, 125, 065, 783, 864, 259, 065, 371, 970, 109, 072, 764, 293, 305, 347, 512, 973, 367, 169, 294, 150, 478, 709, 492, 417, 781, 215, 349, 794, 994, 497, 323, 584, 451, 302, 100, 297, 203, 599, 935, 765, 077, 305, 636, 969, 505, 399, 908, 912, 520, 048, 101, 200, 905, 696, 331, 443, 681, 791, 942, 479, 635, 633, 891, 024, 862, 507, 733, 672, 493, 998, 017, 234, 516, 270, 488, 501, 494, 383, 437, 358, 264, 400, 534, 814, 749, 574, 213, 288, 736, 484, 795, 895, 538, 438, 363, 782, 756, 014, 333, 777, 988, 161, 268, 544, 624, 064, 941, 344, 161, 191, 089, 526, 533, 267, 616, 276, 602, 211, 308, 792, 116, 659, 243, 794, 965, 348, 380, 302, 360, 642, 949, 819, 855, 410, 143, 115, 666, 017, 395, 185, 394, 260, 086, 731, 985, 645, 866, 846, 354, 427, 301, 800, 222, 926, 075, 897, 671, 921, 983, 675, 295, 283, 651, 587, 155, 218, 876, 983, 179, 990, 058, 531, 215, 186, 910, 377, 766, 768, 836, 542, 912, 474, 198, 260, 994, 345, 356, 715, 294, 128, 238, 376, 121, 155, 556, 862, 104, 545, 838, 103, 551, 544, 049, 537, 184, 707, 263, 632, 185, 327, 754, 865, 018, 110, 026, 213, 312, 284, 298, 609, 261, 121, 595, 730, 660, 239, 320, 774, 767, 428, 009, 094, 626, 743, 221, 388, 052, 906, 430, 677, 112, 769, 640, 137, 359, 062, 510, 510, 506, 235, 682, 413, 176, 515, 330, 307, 753, 589, 751, 345, 651, 474, 241, 674, 015, 174, 707, 208, 391, 018, 699, 899, 932, 793, 649, 108, 926, 879, 247, 397, 058, 141, 528, 555, 439, 659, 542, 226, 039, 190, 592, 658, 256, 373, 446, 764, 063, 595, 258, 389, 669, 815, 119, 839, 598, 866, 036, 837, 530, 420, 179, 903, 281, 859, 455, 694, 125, 505, 190, 663, 028, 548, 695, 333, 776, 829, 846, 000, 318, 080, 938, 221, 300, 381, 022, 143, 870, 574, 611, 813, 042, 519, 619, 164, 059, 704, 560, 351, 831, 217, 081, 516, 586, 473, 565, 565, 405, 329, 284, 117, 486, 289, 570, 828, 567, 923, 000, 535, 258, 463, 770, 612, 805, 914, 520, 355, 463, 899, 321, 278, 759, 063, 496, 278, 379, 758, 713, 525, 886, 182, 132, 522, 635, 770, 383, 962, 027, 373, 853, 249, 083, 536, 804, 979, 900, 857, 015, 224, 833, 034, 395, 251, 973, 446, 533, 429, 946, 525, 652, 360, 967, 428, 345, 505, 237, 397, 339, 023, 742, 618, 088, 717, 992, 837, 222, 853, 662, 934, 392, 408, 957, 629, 131, 544, 421, 065, 736, 092, 054, 818, 421, 393, 658, 938, 677, 155, 428, 424, 772, 751, 001, 667, 343, 577, 430, 936, 389, 484, 445, 647, 643, 771, 840, 738, 743, 794, 710, 078, 671, 510, 704, 495, 546, 576, 262, 815, 661, 375, 507, 307, 637, 680, 806, 000, 318, 442, 962, 339, 778, 082, 333, 113, 597, 875, 771, 369, 830, 128, 175, 716, 256, 716, 832, 872, 815, 119, 373, 366, 857, 894, 371, 090, 977, 485, 812, 228, 681, 268, 241, 223, 172, 726, 811, 849, 752, 078, 634, 531, 074, 953, 317, 082, 601, 531, 594, 402, 536, 453, 655, 244, 535, 879, 520, 347, 452, 134, 292, 489, 166, 445, 048, 043, 553, 522, 819, 777, 219, 819, 718, 690, 548, 841, 768, 963, 987, 827, 047, 820, 661, 269, 214, 725, 486, 182, 478, 596, 264, 342, 791, 902, 745, 034, 529, 947, 693, 679, 972, 172, 851, 654, 655, 917, 994, 717, 890, 678, 856, 872, 785, 744, 700, 842, 897, 237, 782, 347, 630, 807, 409, 195, 129, 662, 383, 464, 278, 396, 538, 650, 173, 246, 658, 501, 921, 440, 916, 946, 303, 712, 655, 811, 977, 007, 746, 825, 620, 351, 983, 187, 829, 135, 910, 139, 978, 173, 036, 351, 737, 647, 067, 143, 839, 928, 102, 912, 244, 608, 483, 205, 189, 832, 483, 488, 551, 310, 255, 397, 215, 831, 849, 316, 536, 707, 322, 731, 729, 954, 317, 507, 754, 756, 347, 481, 273, 209, 566, 554, 318, 518, 795, 869, 781, 724, 917, 217, 008, 657, 680, 989, 083, 278, 308, 382, 404, 377, 379, 744, 553, 425, 256, 887, 128, 988, 555, 131, 809, 670, 124, 978, 594, 542, 906, 096, 273, 705, 906, 599, 707, 841, 727, 384, 207, 216, 055, 767, 890, 605, 651, 676, 945, 654, 901, 203, 881, 657, 758, 619, 392, 309, 243, 629, 833, 895, 498, 572, 798, 745, 233, 980, 904, 998, 584, 674, 848, 503, 995, 091, 093, 988, 342, 104, 246, 931, 136, 178, 759, 786, 118, 030, 961, 087, 743, 627, 649, 904, 146, 551, 675, 455, 076, 136, 657, 259, 149, 933, 761, 143, 402, 437, 629, 102, 903, 841, 358, 885, 313, 125, 911, 325, 448, 492, 258, 960, 071, 848, 511, 693, 901, 939, 854, 346, 494, 154, 837, 823, 383, 025, 313, 687, 759, 900, 054, 437, 223, 329, 014, 625, 681, 840, 959, 988, 305, 225, 215, 853, 285, 998, 339, 903, 365, 954, 189, 326, 966, 801, 632, 658, 993, 582, 346, 632, 470, 803, 240, 204, 297, 913, 574, 257, 554, 985, 493, 728, 961, 920, 916, 507, 946, 719, 971, 214, 398, 325, 815, 539, 458, 351, 256, 480, 108, 898, 868, 870, 568, 827, 112, 226, 287, 340, 357, 724, 184, 248, 032, 311, 730, 273, 384, 422, 206, 040, 156, 092, 420, 795, 694, 932, 049, 438, 094, 024, 655, 625, 303, 033, 288, 241, 653, 020, 380, 060, 412, 884, 443, 848, 841, 891, 293, 939, 859, 717, 656, 702, 115, 016, 113, 401, 211, 693, 555, 358, 649, 848, 029, 415, 632, 382, 794, 475, 763, 150, 426, 857, 342, 698, 631, 165, 628, 009, 321, 645, 781, 654, 104, 118, 990, 783, 962, 107, 586, 051, 450, 915, 265, 284, 224, 336, 472, 308, 804, 690, 884, 264, 125, 251, 265, 847, 291, 340, 591, 951, 717, 542, 911, 526, 220, 022, 297, 569, 869, 279, 591, 246, 209, 643, 630, 570, 521, 330, 992, 164, 222, 584, 376, 518, 891, 936, 303, 298, 512, 232, 829, 508, 061, 262, 005, 735, 655, 542, 131, 835, 558, 382, 893, 181, 387, 959, 409, 623, 037, 927, 772, 303, 444, 234, 323, 415, 616, 035, 585, 905, 023, 244, 752, 745, 026, 308, 698, 314, 141, 253, 963, 717, 544, 136, 118, 972, 691, 586, 507, 167, 223, 080, 834, 352, 955, 784, 010, 872, 360, 273, 470, 011, 187, 861, 462, 331, 854, 394, 310, 570, 584, 837, 704, 748, 060, 350, 045, 568, 850, 206, 027, 302, 222, 563, 976, 307, 389, 399, 850, 249, 781, 551, 826, 799, 169, 941, 641, 455, 403, 299, 098, 131, 905, 066, 543, 581, 566, 576, 915, 290, 689, 081, 862, 041, 384, 440, 914, 563, 552, 912, 420, 649, 017, 174, 364, 304, 734, 551, 913, 759, 229, 149, 532, 829, 881, 518, 087, 400, 767, 334, 869, 976, 953, 228, 714, 507, 915, 844, 487, 039, 804, 057, 376, 735, 557, 778, 735, 939, 378, 915, 771, 479, 560, 233, 407, 084, 563, 923, 141, 701, 183, 925, 552, 346, 181, 197, 759, 156, 733, 859, 559, 192, 652, 706, 240, 637, 342, 777, 602, 158, 465, 110, 353, 680, 579, 633, 207, 148, 969, 426, 633, 585, 703, 753, 058, 296, 766, 082, 242, 084, 654, 645, 585, 566, 678, 892, 226, 276, 199, 902, 639, 617, 926, 374, 578, 516, 525, 409, 187, 566, 085, 438, 596, 612, 219, 442, 487, 204, 249, 600, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 00, or approximately 4 * 10^9130 combinations.

That's a very LARGE number...it's difficult to explain just how large that is, but I suppose we could try.....

First, we take a cube the size of a Plank volume (1.6 * 10^-35 meters per side - a proton is a hundred, billion, billion times bigger) and count how many of those there are in the known universe (about 8.5 * 10^185) and assume that inside each cube is a Pimlical Tester. We then take all those Plank volumes in the universe and crush them down so they again themselves fit inside a Plank Volume cube and then fill the universe again with all those crushed cubes. Each tester completes a suite of tests in a Plank Time (5*10^-45 seconds) and has been working diligently since the beginning of time (i.e the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago). We also have a very large number of parallel universes in which the tests are also being performed - in fact, for every tester above, we have a parallel universe filled with that same number of testers. Finally, each tester performs a suite of tests at the same time - in fact, they can perform as many tests simultaneously as there are testers in the universe and all other parallel universes.

So how far would they get? The answer is dismal - they would still be testing an incomprehensibly small number of the possible combinations. In fact the ratio of the tested outcomes versus the number of possible outcomes is still such a small fraction that we can't even comprehend how small it is - writing a  fraction like 1/10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000....(we'll skip all the remaining lines of zero's) doesn't relate to anything we know anyway, and I think you are getting the idea.

So that's why it's a bit difficult to avoid having a user see a problem that escaped testing :)

It's a big number, but there are vastly bigger numbers than this that crop up in mathematics. Think a googolplex is big? It's incomprehensibly small compared to numbers like the Poincare Recurrence time (the amount of time it would take for the universe to return to a state essentially identical to what it is now based purely on random quantum fluctuations) which is somewhere around 10^10^10^10^10^1.1 years. And even that is incomprehensibly small compared to Graham's number (
an upper bound on the solution to a certain problem in Ramsey theory) which is so big a new notation system had to be developed just to express how big this number is! And even Graham's number is completely dwarfed by Rayo's Number ("the smallest positive integer bigger than any finite positive integer named by an expression in the language of first order set theory with a googol symbols or less"). In fact the Rayo function is theoretically uncomputable.

In Back to the Future Dr. Emit Brown's says "she’s one in a million, one in a billion, one in a googolplex." A googolplex is a 1 with a googol zeros after it (and a googol is 10^100 or 1 followed by 100 zero's).

To give you an idea: How many times over would the first googolplex digits in the number Pi (3.14159.....) occur in that exact same sequence in Graham's number? Nope, the number of times still requires Graham's notation to describe that (it's definitely a lot bigger than the Poincare Recurrence time  :)

http://htwins.net/scale2/ has a nice graphic on scales from the Plank length to the size of the known universe, but this only covers the miniscule range of 10^-35 to 10^27 meters...

 

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Last Updated 2014-02-27 14:55:13