Slashdot Mirror
Looking for a Stand-Alone Calendar App?
Chadduss asks: "I don't know about all of you but I've been looking for a good calendar application for quite sometime. I have used the Mozilla calendar extension for Thunderbird but I had problems with it several times. Enter Mozilla Sunbird. That's right, another bird! It's still only version 0.1.1 but I for one hope to see it come out on top."
I, for one, would very much like a standards compliant stand-alone calendar app. Being able to run my own online calendar is very nice as well, since I have between several computers throughout the day.
Right now it requires SOME moz product (thunderbird, firefox, or mozilla suite) to be installed to work. Bit of a crutch, but something that over time will disappear. Can't wait!
Any old farts like me who are still using dialup care. :-)
Mozilla, do it for the old farts!
* And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
outlook is a horrible design. leave it to microsoft to come up with the cludge of an interface of outlook. simply put users shouldn't have to go to their email app to edit their contacts. they shouldn't have to go to their calendar app to check their email, etc. breaking each component up into individual pieces and allowing each piece to integrate properly through designated interfaces is the way to go. it makes the mozilla suite not only more modular, but easier to use. just take one look at the powerful combo in os x: iCal, Mail.app, and AddressBook work VERY well together and they are totally separate apps. it's not a pipe dream, and they've proved it can be done and that it works well.
- tristan
Excellent suggestion! I downloaded both Rainlendar and Sunbird, and decided to quickly run through both. Without listing reasons or any of that garbage that no one cares for, Rainlendar wins on a matter of efficieny and ease of use. Sunbird isn't complicated, but can it merge with one's desktop as with Rainlendar? No? Bah. Again, excellent suggestion, Txiasaeia.
- - - - - - -
"All hail the glory of the Hypnotoad."
I think that the mozilla developers should combine these two apps. People are looking for an outlook replacement, and both of these apps would provide this if developed together...
Also, how about applying the firefox design methodology to the overall Mozilla Suite. Make sure that the overall Suite is relatively light and graphically impressive, but keep all of the components together. I use them all anyway...
Still another idea, package Firefox, Thunderbird, nvu, and sunbird together in an online installer which downloads any of the components you select.
I'm sure some of this has been already mentioned, but hey, who wants to check Google?
In linux libertas
I use iCal (with iSync to my iPod, PDA and Mobile) happily.
A
No offense to the guys doing wonderful work on the Mozilla project, but there are already lots of calendar apps out there.
What people ask for in the corporate world is a full Outlook replacement. This does not exist in the F/OSS world.
Yes, I know about Ximian Connector, but that's not free or Open Source, and when you start telling customers "well, everything is free unless you want to use all of Outlook's functionality, then you have to pay..." they look at you like you're trying to con them.
Same goes with Codeweaver's Crossover Office.
It's worse when you're trying to sell Sun's Java Desktop System (which is actually quite nice, BTW) and you tell them "yeah, you have to pay for this, then you have to pay for that..." and they start asking "how much else do I have to buy to replace Windows? This is starting to sound like it's not worth it."
In the world of people fed up with MS, and having to drasticaly cut their budget, in fear for their jobs if they make a minor mistake, telling them they have to pay $60/head for people just to get Outlook funtionality doesn't go over very well.
If they dropped the price to around $10-$25... it would probably fly of the proverbial shelves.
Heck, JDS (the whole O/S) is only $50-$100/head and that's with a full year support!
Oh, and ditto to the Exchange replacements... people ARE asking for it.
- Preferences: Solaris 10 (servers), Ubuntu (desktops), Solaris 11 (personal servers) -
I'd rather save 500k and skip the skins.
That's your opinion. You've never worked for a large company, have you? :-) There is a reason Outlook is called "groupware." It works best in large workplaces, where iCal, Mail, and AddressBook just don't do the trick. Outlook isn't really an everyday e-mail application.
Outlook doesn't really show its power until you connect it to an Exchange server. Everything on the Exchange server can be shared -- Email, Contacts, and Calendars. You may think this sucks, but once you see it in action you can appreciate it. Imagine you work in a company of 1000+ people (not even that many to prove my point, but...). Now, you or your secretary needs to schedule a meeting for 50 people. But at what time?! How do you know what is the best time for everyone?
1. Select your 50 people to invite from the global contacts list (which contains your entire company of 1000+, you can look anyone up)
2. Look at Outlook's availability chart. There is probably a better name for this, but when you schedule a meeting, it shows you a grid of people's names along the left, and times along the top. Each box is color coded as to what that person has in his/her schedule! (I.e., free, tentatively busy, busy). Just look for the colume with the most free times and you've now just picked an optimal meeting time. It doesn't say what you're doing (privacy), but shows if you're available or not. However, you can also share your calendar with, say, your department or your secretary if she edits your calendar for you. I hope this makes sense -- the only other tools that really do this out there are Lotus Notes (horrid interface) and Novell Groupwise (used it a few times; requires NetWare which is expensive). Nice part about Groupwise is that it's secure.