iCalendar, Project Management, Agenda, CVS and Perl?

parasew asks: "I am searching for Web-based Project Management Software, which should be (mod-)perl based, so I can enhance it or put it into an existing environment using MovableType, which is in a sort of alpha-state. I found a site about Call Center, Bug Tracking and Project Management Tools for Linux and also this short listing, but sadly they are just a bunch of projects which only come close to the kind of tool I am searching for. Gantt and Chronos, seem to be a very nice Web-Calendar packages written in Perl. I was just wondering why no one is using iCalendar (does anyone know of Perl-based Software using iCalendar), as most of the Agenda Software uses iCalendar, and even Mozilla Calendar is capable of subscribing to remote-Calendars. This looks very interesting to me. In general, I wanted to ask you Monks for the best way to do this. Should I create a new app from scratch or reusing existing stuff?"

"Here are the features I am looking for:

• The use of Calendars (multiple users) and iCalendar Support
• File-Pool for projects (CVS-based or similar)
• Progress-bar for showing the current state of a project
• A public calendar where users can publish events from their private calendars

I found a simple Calendar script from PerlMonks, and another easy one here. Of course, there are really lots of Calendar scripts out there, but I am asking you for hints. Which ones do you know of that comes close to my needs? There are several existing Modules for iCalendar on CPAN, and i thought about reusing stuff to maybe create a dirty hack of Chronos, Bricolage and add the CVS and iCalendar support on my own.

Please also see my topics on PerlMonks and MovableType

Thanks for any help, hints or suggestions."

Comments

From freshmeat...

[reluctantengineer]

How about ACE? http://freshmeat.net/projects/a.c.e./?topic_id=21% 2C27%2C860%2C87%2C243

Re:From freshmeat...

[GooseKirk]

ACE looks beautiful - clean and functional and fast. But $700/year seems a wee steep for what it is... do you run this? Is it worth it?

Use Project and Exchange Server

[gristlebud]

There don't seem to any on-topic posts for this yet, so I'll add my $0.02.

Microsoft Project Server 2002 and Exchange will do everything you require, and is availbale right now to get you working without a lot of scripting or project-specific configuration.

The use of Calendars (multiple users) and iCalendar Support Exchange is iCalendar compatible, has web access and does a great job of group scheduling.

File-Pool for projects (CVS-based or similar) Public Folders on the Exchange Server will work, as long as the requirements aren't too massive. They're also web-accessible.

Progress-bar for showing the current state of a project Microsoft Project Server will do this, is web-accessible, and integrates with exchange.

A public calendar where users can publish events from their private calendars Again, Exchange excels in this capacity.

I know solutions from Microsoft aren't too popular here on /., but the project manager's focus must be on maintaing a successful project. The choise of software platforms is irrevalent as long as it does what is required.

Re:Use Project and Exchange Server

[Quixotic Raindrop]

Except that the solution you propose is a several-thousand dollar solution, which actually doesn't do what is required.

CVS is for version tracking of files. Public Folders on the Exchange server will not work for this. Source Safe would, but now you're talking even more money. And, to my knowledge, Source Safe doesn't integrate with Exchange at all.

Let's try this using a solution that is 1) free of lock-in to closed, proprietary code (since the author is pretty clearly asking for a solution that he or she can modifiy to fit their specific needs), 2) actually solves all of the posted problems, and 3) cost-free. Your "solution" isn't any of those things.

And, actually, the choice of software platforms is always relevant, since it is eminently possible to do all of the things listed on several platforms. Because of that, there is no reason to pay through the nose for software that you can't make changes to, can't inspect, and can't keep unless you rent it ad infinitum.

Re:Use Project and Exchange Server

[Anonymous Coward]

Except that the solution you propose is a several-thousand dollar solution, which actually doesn't do what is required

So is reprogramming something as well as providing support for a project like this. And on top, you won't be able to reject stupid changes under the umbrella of "go cry to microsoft..."

Use a portal

[Black Perl]

First of all, I think MoveableType is the wrong platform to build this on. It is a great weblog, but what you describe (and probably actually want) is a project portal, and MoveableType is not a great fit.

I recommend Metadot which is a nice portal that has several built-in components (including a calendar and a versioned project file repository). Metadot is very easy for users to use and it's easy to develop for--its plugins are called Gizmos and it has a Gizmo API so that you can create your own Gizmos or integrate other systems in.

It's a true portal, in that end-users can create their own "My Portal" page by choosing and arranging these Gizmos. Check out the demo.

I know this is a bit OT...

[kevx45]

but have you considered using PHP? I have used a web based Project management system known as phpprojekt. You can find it on hotscripts.

I also wanted to know if anyone knew what language iCalendar was written in. I was planning on writing a set of modules specifically designed for my website for macintosh users so that they could sync their calendars on the site with their iCal and other software (such as the instant messenger, etc.) It least that is the plan once I get an iBook (the new 900MHz. As soon as I can afford one!)

Kev

Re:I know this is a bit OT...

[Black Perl]

I also wanted to know if anyone knew what language iCalendar was written in.

Looks like American English to me. Why don't you look at the iCalendar specification yourself and see if you agree. I believe all RFC's are written in English.

Will TUTOS meet your needs?

[AngusSF]

TUTOS is a tool to manage the the organizational needs of small groups, teams, departments ...
To do this it provides some web-based tools:

• a calendar for users and groups
• Groups / Teams
• address manager for people, companies and departments
• bug tracking system
• product/project repository
  • with task management
  • with document management
  • with installation management
  • support of different roles (manager, developer, customer etc.)
  • support of relations to other projects (base product, subproject etc.)
• mailboxes (imap/pop)
• timetracking on projects, installations and bugs
• Invoices
• Watchlists. Stay informed on changes on projects/bugs etc via email.
• support for teams that are distributed over different timezones
• color themes / layout
• fine grained permission handling
• change history

Re:Will TUTOS meet your needs?

[Anonymous Coward]

I, too, have looked at TUTOS. I certainly has lots of excellant features, but unfortunately, UI design is not one of them. Geeks and some developers might be able to pick up on the interface and get around, but I have major concerns over end-users being ablt to use it with little or no training.....(unless you have mostly power-users). For running most projects, you have varying types of resources - developers, tech support, managers, marketing, doc specialistsm etc. Finding something to work for all is VERY difficult, especially with OSS.

Re:Will TUTOS meet your needs?

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed, the UI is way too poorly thought out and is very poor in matters of flow.

Other Alternatives...

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been evaluating similiar solutions myself and found that TUTOS and dotproject (both from souceforge) were too incomplete to really meet my needs.

So instead I've been evaluating Content Management Frameworks or Content Management Systems which can easily be adapeted for this use. So Far I've looked at:

Mambo Open Source Which I have found to look and feel great, easy to use, modify, but too lightweight to really meet a project portals needs without significant modification.

Zope
and the CMS based on Zope called Plone
Which I found can fit the bill, but the learning curve is extremely high and may have too much complexity for easy extension development or modification.

Currently I am looking at
Typo3 which seems to fit the bill for both sophistication yet ease of use and extension. However, it doesn't have an extension yet (that I'm aware of) for CVS or a similiar version control system (Would be interested to know if there is one?)

Great resources to check for Open source project management/CMS solutions:
Open and Free Project Management tools
Open Source CMS - Try before you by! with lots of online demo sites available.

Good luck! Follow up with what you decide to use please!

2 points

[chad_r]

1) Apple's iCal is a product, while iCalendar (RFC 2445) is a format for import/export of calendar data. iCal may or may not use iCalendar as it's interchange format (I have no idea). I knew it wouldn't be long before someone mixed those up.

2) The majority of those perl modules you referred to are part of the Reefknot project, which is still officially alpha quality, and most of which hasn't been touched since 2001. It's still better than writing your own iCalendar support code from scratch, but be aware of the code status if you decide to use the Net::ICal bundle.

iCalendar support

[Black Perl]

I recently found a perl calendar app that supports iCal. Take a look at Calcium, by Brown Bear Software.