Best To-Do List Software?

JojoLinkyBob writes "Greetings, Council of Slashdot. I am curious what everyone here recommends as their favorite organizational software. Specifically, I am trying to find a simple freeware/open-source todo list manager. In the past, I've dabbled with TreePad, Shadow Plan, Mantis, and various virtual sticky- note apps ..all with mixed success. Currently, I'm back to my old-school ways of scribbling my todo's on the back of each Daily Dilbert Calendar page, which sadly means today is June 23 :)"

Comments

data managers

[Anonymous Coward]

there really is only one contender for me, and that's Richard Curnow's tdl, awesome for programmers and just day to day todo lists.

If you're looking for a structured way to store your random bits of data, there'
s treeline, a really simple but rea
lly effective little app.

I'm not really a bells & whistles type of guy, i like my apps streamlined and effective :)

Re:data managers

[thetoastman]

At the risk of starting yet another editor war:

emacs plus:

• calendar mode for diary info (optionally encrypted)
• todo-mode.el for emacs (should come with emacs)

If not, you can get todo-mode.el from any emacs source location.

A proposal has been made to add some simple fontification to the todo-mode.el. You can find the mail message here among other places.

I use it because it works with the calendar-mode, diary mode, and since it's emacs it runs everywhere emacs does.

I know, boring, boring, boring. However, when you have the kitchen sink of editors, you might as well turn on the water.

Re:data managers

[Boronx]

I use tdl. I've got it rigged so that my most urgent tasks appear in bright colors the moment I login. My eyes have trained themselves to completely bypass this list. I see it every morning, but I haven't read it in months.

A todo list is only as good as the one who uses it.

Palm Desktop worth a look

[KoriaDesevis]

I am trying to find a simple freeware/open-source todo list manager.

Even if you don't have a Palm Pilot, Palm Desktop under Windows isn't too bad. The price - FREE - is certainly right, too. It may not be the best out there, but it meets the basic requirements for a to-do list manager.

Re:Palm Desktop worth a look

[Anonymous Coward]

will somebody please tell me what the fuck is wrong with notepad?

free, creates cross-platform, bloat-free files, no bloat in the program itself.. why bother splashing out on some fancy-pants crap that youll find yourself not using within a week.

win+r, "notepad".. wow, that will take all of, what? 3 seconds, ctrl+s, plonk it on your desktop and your done.

and come to think of it, whats wrong with paper and pen too? dont worry about data-corruption, your comp crashing out on you or anything.. jesus.

yunno, sometimes things ARE faster and more efficient when you DONT use a computer.

"Come on, we need to go shopping before the shop closes!" - "Hold on, i need to boot up my computer, open my fancy $50 program and read my shopping list first"...

Re:Palm Desktop worth a look

[name773]

ah, that's right, there are no text editors whatsoever for any open source operating systems.
that's so bloody easy to forget, you'll have to forgive the ac above you

Re:Palm Desktop worth a look

[IanBevan]

Here's a better link that goes straight to the download page: Here

Re:Palm Desktop worth a look

[sharkdba]

Even if you don't have a Palm Pilot, Palm Desktop under Windows isn't too bad.

Agreed. I was actually thinking of mentioning it, when I saw your post. The GUI is simple, ToDo list can be assigned priorities, due dates, alerts, put in appropriate categories, etc, and sorted according to the need.

And if you have an actual palm, you have the added benefit of being able to carry the ToDo list when not in front of a computer. And backup of course: should your palm crash, you have everything backed up on your computer, and vice versa.

Re:Palm Desktop worth a look

[jackbird]

Here's how I make a text editor word as a to do manager. I use textpad on windows, but notepad or any text editor will do:

I have a file on my desktop called todo.txt

that file has a thing to do on each line.

each line begins with a character denoting the status of the item:

- thing to do
+ thing already done
~ thing in progress
X thing I decided/was told not to do
? thing I need more information to do

Priority goes to the first item with a -in front of it. Hard deadlines are annotated within items themselves.

When a task needs subitems, use tabs to indent.

I also have a clock on top of my monitor, a calendar on my wall, and a paper address book.

When one task gets so complicated it starts cluttering up the list, I start another text file. Since my text editor has a tabbed interface, it's pretty easy to keep a master list and several project-specific lists open at once.

It seems to work pretty well.

What's wrong with Old School?

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps we could be of more help to you if you would explain why the 'Old School' approach of using scratch paper is unacceptable to you. What features do you require in a to-do list that pencil and paper cannot provide?

Re:What's wrong with Old School?

[RockClimbingFool]

the pencil and paper will not remind you when its time to be somewhere or do something. or tell you your busy when you try to set up another meeting.

Re:What's wrong with Old School?

[carlos_benj]

Those are aspects of calendaring, not necessarily todo lists.

Re:What's wrong with Old School?

[Anonymous Coward]

the pencil and paper will not remind you when its time to be somewhere or do something. or tell you your busy when you try to set up another meeting.

What you are describing is a Planner or Calendar, not a to-do list. IMHO, a to-do list is simply a list of stuff that needs to get done without precise temporal constraints. If this guy really wants the features you list, then he didn't ask a very clear Ask Slashdot question. In any event, I think you'll have to agree with me that his question is pretty piss-poor because he gives NO explanation what features he needs. Maybe he doesn't need any of the features you just listed. We'll never know because he didn't bother to list his requirements.

Re:What's wrong with Old School?

[tekunokurato]

the pen and paper does not archive itself and is not back searchable.

Re:What's wrong with Old School?

[gl4ss]

for one, you can't read that paper list remotely.

unless you got some slav.. coworkers, fiancee or somebody to call and tell to RTFTDL.

Re:What's wrong with Old School?

[jafomatic]

There's no 'egrep' in my drawerful of notes and receipts. That's what's wrong with pen & paper.

With even a simple textfile solution, I can generate changelogs and (primitive) reports with a a single command.

Re:What's wrong with Old School?

[richardbowers]

For short-term lists I tend to agree - I keep the day's to-do list on a daytimer.

For lists over the course of a few days, I personally prefer a much more high-tech approach. I keep tasks in a comma-separated text file, which I can import into any app I need to, report off of with perl, and generally depend on.

Re:What's wrong with Old School?

[Khan Fused]

Why do I want my notes and reminders in digital format instead of post-its stuck everywhere? Simple.

My. Handwriting. Sucks. Dead. Babies. Through. A. Straw.
_______________

Don't name names!

[Marc Desrochers]

Now that MS has a To-Do list patent, shouldn't we keep quiet about this and not give them people to sue?

Low-tech

[Joe the Lesser]

And by low tech I mean Notepad.exe.

=)

Re:Low-tech

[Skater]

Edlin!

Notepad...sheesh! You people have it easy!

--RJ

Re:Low-tech

[nucal]

Using text files is actually not all that bad of an option. A nice alternative to the truly awful Notepad is Metapad which is free and can seemlessly replace Notepad. Among other things it has active hyperlinks, auto indenting and can do a lot of simple reformatting (like caps to lowercase, etc.).

Re:Low-tech

[BW_Nuprin]

I scribble my todo lists in Paint. That way I can draw cartoon characters with it. Its more, I dunno, cheery :)

Todo:
Program vertex shader
Fix bug in network code
Fix 8 bugs reported by bug testers, 2 of which affect game
*picture of smiling bunny*
Put bullet in head

Re:Low-tech

[Seumas]

In fact, this is true. The best way to keep notes and lists is with a giant document with a plain old no-frills text editor. No worries about compatibility or flexibility, easy to search and many people agree that it's faster and less trouble than going with a complex application.

I eventually wanted something that I could add files to, set up categories with and be very dynamic and upgradable and modifiable. So I installed a wiki. Personally, I chose TWiki (twiki.org) because it's done with perl and has a lot of pre-written plugins. I love it.

Re:Low-tech

[headisdead]

Definitely worth checking out Danny O'Brien's (NTK) "Life Hacks: Tech Secrets of Overprolific Alpha Geeks" speech (given for O'Reilly and at NOTCON '04), in which he argues on the basis of research that the most prolific programmers/hackers/geeks organise themselves via... text-based todo lists!

Check out
A summary or shorter summary

Apple's iCal software

[The I Shing]

I have experimented with free PHP to-do list software, but haven't found it easy enough to continue with.

What I use for my own to-do list is Apple's iCal, which has the ability, thanks to my $99-a-year Mac.com account, to put my list on the web and every Mac I use.

I must say, there is nothing quite so satisfying as checking the tiny "done" box next to an item on my to-do list. Sometimes I'm tempted to put trivial items on it like "take off shoes" or "read Slashdot" just so I'll have the opportunity to check off a done item.

Re:Apple's iCal software

[zhiwenchong]

Spymac is slow, difficult to configure, unreliable and generally ugly. Sure, they give you a 1 GB spymac.com email account, WebDAV space, webspace, iCal hosting etc. but the whole setup lacks finesse and elegance. I wouldn't recommend Spymac anyone except the desperate.

Did I mention it was sloooww?

For free iCal hosting, try icalx.com instead. There exists another free iCal hosting service but I forget the name.

Re:Apple's iCal software

[TheRaven64]

I also use iCal, but put my public calendars on the 'net using OS X's WebDAV ability to connect to a WebDAV server on my FreeBSD box. I can the subscribe to them from iCal or Mozilla calendar.

Re:Apple's iCal software

[pjt33]

The first thing you should put on your lists is "Make list". That way you get something to check off as done almost immediately.

Re:Apple's iCal software

[giveuptheghost]

The other is iCalShare, recommended by a free/open-source PIM app with a rather familiar name, Mozilla Calendar. I use Moz Cal and recommend it, except that to-do list item recurrences do not actually recur--hope they fix that one soon.

iCal!

[sockonafish]

iCal is the best scheduling/to-do software I've ever used. Its not some grand application like Outlook, and thats good, cause iCal's only focus is scheduling and appointments. It's also beautiful, friendly, and easily syncs with any phone that is supported by iSync.

Hardware based approach

[jrrl]

If I don't do something I am supposed to, my wife whacks me on the back of the head. Works great!

-John.

Post-it papers on my monitor!

[SpaceTux]

Perfect for passwords too!

Re:Post-it papers on my monitor!

[Bobzibub]

Put them under your keyboard you crazy fool!

Re:Post-it papers on my monitor!

[Anonymous Coward]

*sigh*
I set up my dad's office today with a wifi network, and he wrote down the WEP key on a stickey note on his monitor. I stared and said "wow.. I've read about you in a lot of security books"

Re:Post-it papers on my monitor!

[foidulus]

Even better than post it notes, get a CRT monitor and burn your to-do list on it, may not be the most efficient way, but everytime you look at your computer, your todo list is stqaring you down.

Re:Post-it papers on my monitor!

[calica]

*sigh*

All that means is your dad cares more about the security of his house than his wifi network. I mean, if they can see the sticky they're either: A-a friend or family. or B-a burglar. If the former, he probably doesn't mind them using his cable modem. If the later, he won't have a computer soon.

Some people really need to put "computer security" into perspective.

Re:Post-it papers on my monitor!

[mat.h]

As long as the occasional war driver can't see your WEP key through the window, I can't see what's wrong with saving it at an easily remembered, not net-accessible location, ie. on a post-it note.

To me, having a key that can be guessed by a dictionary attack while stopping at a traffic light seems worse.

Found your problem

[ALecs]

Currently, I'm back to my old-school ways of scribbling my todo's on the back of each Daily Dilbert Calendar page, which sadly means today is June 23

Switch to The Far Side - their desk calendars are much bigger and can accommodate many more notes. *grin*

stickies

[chachob]

stickies --freeware, small, many features.

Bugzilla

[Aliencow]

Might be a bit overkill but I love it.

Omni Outliner!

[viper21]

I really dig Omni Outliner from The Omni Group. It is, of course, for OS X--My platform of choice.

They also have some teriffic charting software, OmniGraffle, that I use to do flowcharts for all of my coding. You guys all do flowcharts, right? :)

-S

MS Project

[Anonymous Coward]

We use MS Project to manage our to do lists.

Sincerely,
Duke Nukem Forever - Dev Team

Palm Pilot.

[Eric_Cartman_South_P]

Just get a cheap palm ($149 USD gets you a color screen now-a-days!) and use the todo list in it. Hotsync to backup or use the Palm Desktop also, with a UI somewhat similar to the palm. Super simple and super powerfull at the same time.

It's really not a technical problem.

[winkydink]

I've been a student of time management practices for some time, always looking for that perfect app, that will make me super efficcient. I've read many books on the topic. There is no silver bullet. Becoming an effective time manager is more akin to making a lifestyle change.

It really boils down to self-discipline, much more than some specific methodology. I'm a fan of Covey's methodologies, but unless you really, really, really commit to it (or some other one more to your liking), you're no better off with a slick app than you are with to-do lists on the back of a Dilbert calendar page.

Re:It's really not a technical problem.

[Lodragandraoidh]

The key with any tool - take CRM tools for example - is to actually take the time to use them on a consistent basis. One of the biggest barriers to consistent use I have seen is the variation of standards and interfaces of the tools that I like.

I think the future will see more XML and RSS based tools that allow you to integrate all of your systems (calendars, todo lists, issue tracking lists, blogs, etc etc) into one interface without regard for proprietary formats. Those companies that do put their eggs on the proprietary format basket will either be run around by smart filters, or wither on the vine as people see the lack of interoperability and go elsewhere.

That is the space where information management will reach a new plateau, imho.

Re:It's really not a technical problem.

[NineNine]

Data format is not the issue. CSV has been around for at least 20 years, and that never got standardized. XML is like CSV, except with a shitload of overhead.

It's patented!

[Adhemar]

Specifically, I am trying to find a simple freeware/open-source todo list manager.

You do know that the TODO-list is patented, don't you?

All your base to do are belong to MS.

freemind

[freq]

i happen to be a big fan of freemind.

a little more complex than a traditional to-do list, but you can interconnect tasks and lay out projects in a freewheeling yet ridiculously detailed manner.

Omni

[aarku]

OmniOutliner and OmniGraffle work pretty sweetly for me.

Mozilla Sunbird

[Aliencow]

Still a bit buggy, but with calendar, shared calendar support, publishing through webdav, it has the potential of being as good as iCal !

Re:Mozilla Sunbird

[Steinfiend]

How about a link?
Mozilla Sunbird

Re:It's called a "wife"

[winkydink]

Almost all versions are closed source and very expensive.

Booby PHP App

[SlongNY]

Its great.. and you can view it anywhere with web access...

http://www.nauta.be/booby/

oby provides Web-based management for bookmarks/favorites, contacts, todos, notes, and news, allowing the user to import and export to common standards (Netscape/Opera bookmarks, Opera contacts/vCards, etc.).

The application is fully themeable (by using phpSavant) and has support for multiple users and languages.

Booby is written in PHP and is database independant (sort of) by using the database abstraction layer 'ADOdb'.

http://www.bestpractical.com/rt/

[Craig Shergold]

This software has completely changed my life. I use it as a TODO list, I use to to manage developers, I use it to manage myself, and I'm now using it to manage the process of renovating my house (will eventually require my contractor to use it). I will never go back to the days of using a TODO list that's bound to a particular phone, handheld, laptop, or desktop.

the best to-do list manager is analog

[Greg@RageNet]

I find the best to do list manager is a yellow legal pad. You never have to worry about the batteries running down on it; it won't lose your data due to a system crash; accessable even when you don't have internet access; it features an intuitive user interface (dubbed a 'pen'); it's ease-of-use is well documented; and best of all it is compatable with open standards such as english, french, and japanese.

One caveat, it's not freeware; it could be as expensive as a dollar, but you'll recoup that quickly with the electricity savings.

-- Greg

Re:the best to-do list manager is analog

[crmartin]

3x5 cards. You get all the advantages abouve, plus they're random-access.

Re:the best to-do list manager is analog

[WuphonsReach]

I've done the yellow legal pad, I've done Franklin-Covey / Day-Timer, I've done PalmOS.

What works best largely depends on what your job function is like.

Franklin planners and Day-Timers excel where you have things to be done on a specific date, or need to keep track of your time / appointments. The pain of carrying over tasks from day-to-day is supposed to make you want to either classify them as "never do" or "do it so I don't have to copy it to another day again". The system does well if your job is largely 1-2 hour tasks that can be done on a particular day (e.g. expense account on the 1st, putting together end-of-month report Y). College students and corporate employees are good candidates for date-oriented task-lists. I definitely wish I had known how to use a day-planner back in college.

A yellow legal pad, OTOH, is great if your job is primarily task-oriented (e.g. fix computer Y, go see user Z, write module X) and you don't have any date-driven tasks. Every few days, you copy the undone tasks to the next clean page and toss the old pages in a file.

An electronic PDA is a hybrid between a day-planner and a legal pad of paper. Gives you the advantages of both methods, with very few drawbacks. The key to a PDA is that either you integrate it into as many aspects of your life as possible, or it's a waste of cash. (That means tracking expenses on it, getting software that will upload the results into your financial software, tracking your car expenses, exercise log, diet log, passwords, etc. and anything else that you need to keep track of.)

Action Outline and Ecco Pro

[Drubber]

ActionOutline (http://www.actionoutline.com/) is nice for Windows users. It's got a hierarchical view and you can add arbitrary rich text for each node. You can also add hyperlinks and flag things in various ways.

The best, in my experience, was Ecco. After NetManage bought it and destroyed it, it died. Luckily, they still (ostensibly) offer it via FTP, but I haven't been able to access that link for a long time. Plus, it's the last build, so it's a very stale Win16 app now. Still usable, though, if long in the tooth.

Wiki

[mcbevin]

I simply use a private wiki. The advantage being I can access it from work or at home or when travelling. Flexible enough to store a to-do list or store some bookmarks or whatever information you want to store. Lots of easy-to-install wiki software out there. I had previously quickly coded a simple PHP todo list but using existing wiki software is simpler and more powerful. Its not like a todo list requires some specialised software.

Re:Wiki

[truffle]

Excellent recommendation, a great wiki for this purpose is
TWiki. Makes for a great Web accessible todo list.

The interface may not be as fast as dedicated todo list software, but it has the benefits of being good for taking notes, colaborative document editing, file upload, definable users lists for reading and editing documents.

Sex

[Silvers]

SafeSex!

Yay Nullsoft.

http://www.nullsoft.com/free/safesex/

I use ToDoList

[telstar]

ToDoList ... currently on version 3.6.4 is a great To-Do list manager. Incidentally, the site it's offered through (TheCodeProject.com) is a great resource for Windows developers as well.

the cutting edge of TODO list technology

[mboedick]

My TODO list is ~/TODO. I edit it with vim. Sometimes I grep it. When I get things done I dd that line.

I can access it anywhere with ssh.

Re:the cutting edge of TODO list technology

[archen]

Ah, that's way too much work. Mine is "~/todo", so I don't need to hit shift twice ;)

alias todo='vim + ~/todo'

So there =P You also might want to look at the "+/{pat}" command line option for vim. Then you could search for the '[ ]' which would autoskip to the first task you don't have done.

Re:the cutting edge of TODO list technology

[sbranden]

This works really well for me. I have cat ~/todo in my bash_profile so I am reminded every morning.

Re:the cutting edge of TODO list technology

[Doofus]

If you dd the line, how do you keep track of everything you've accomplished?

Anal as it may be, I use text-based to-do lists too, but I also keep a contemporaneous work log in a {not-to-be-named} spreadsheet program.

To-Do lists are great for things you plan to do, but they don't handle all of the things customers/coworkers/supervisors ask you to get done, often immediately, and often with no notice. And you don't want to lose track of all of that material - sometimes your review can depend on what's in a contemporaneous work log like this.

It's a simple spreadsheet, with 5 columns. Time start, time end, customer, project, notes. Time start and time end run from about 0700 to 2400 hours, in 15 minute increments. Customer is usually a department, and notes is freeform, often abbreviated, but includes pertinent information like who I spoke with, did something get delivered/emailed/deployed, etc.

Anal, obsessive-compulsive, whatever. It's saved my bacon a couple of times. A to-do list that you erase, saving no record of your work (except the work, in most cases)? No thanks.

Re:the cutting edge of TODO list technology

[mystik]

at work, I vim trick, but w/ a file named 'stack'.

As more stuff needs to be done, the file grows downards. As I finish stuff, i delete the lines, till i'm back to my original task at hand.

works great for me ;)

Re:It's called a "wife"

[deadlinegrunt]

And not to mention the vendor lock-in.

Some of the EULA's you have conform to as well, I mean sheesh...

Re:Why not create it yourself?

[BoRictor]

That reeks of work. So why don't *YOU* do it and I'll just d/l it off you when it's done. Oh and if you can code this in around an hour.. heck I'll even give you 2, I will gladly donate some money for your efforts! thanksbye!

HNB - hierarchical notebook

[JuliusRV]

I'm currently using HNB as my calendar and TODO-List. HNB is a text-mode app:

HNB Screenshots

Palm-OS Syncable Solution

[Angry Black Man]

I use this, Agendus a powerful to-do list solution for a palm if you've got one.

I know you wanted a PC solution but let's face it - they all mostly suck. I need something super-portable and syncable if it's going to be my to do list for the entire day. That's why I prefer the PalmOS software.

It costs a bit of money but you know, who pays for these things anyway? Well it should be you.

Alternatives

[TheCodeFoundry]

A couple of task apps that I've used in the past are Postive-G's Task Tracker or Dev Planner.

What I've resorted to now is using Microsoft's OneNote and creating sections for the products I'm working on, with pages for TODO lists, Wish Lists, R&D, code snippets, etc. Easy to use and probably one of the best applications Microsoft has released in years.

PINE - Postpone message

[GillBates0]

PINE works great for me. I write myself a todo list and "Postpone" it (Ctrl-O). This way PINE asks me if I want to continue my Postponed message, or write a new one. That acts as a gentle reminder everytime I send a new message - which is often enough.

Here're a couple of screen shots:
PINE 4.58 MESSAGE INDEX Folder: INBOX Message 2,444 of 2,444 ANS
.
.
Continue postponed composition (answering "No" won't erase it)?
Y [Yes]
^C Cancel N No

N 127 Jun 18 xxx xxxx (4422) To Do list

ToDoList - additional positives

[Jorj X. McKie]

It's freeware, source is available, and the lists are stored in XML format.

You missed the most important steps!!

[Haydn Fenton]

Profit

what's awful about notepad?

[Rai]

A nice alternative to the truly awful Notepad

I know notepad is very basic, but what's awful about it? I can say that's the one MS program I've used that has never crashed and I use it a lot.

Re:what's awful about notepad?

[nucal]

As I recall, the Win95 version of Notepad used non standard control codes and I got tired of either not being able to use ctrl-s to save files or ctrl-c/ctrl-v for cut and paste (I don't remember which and I guess this has been fixed with W2K or XP). At any rate, I switched to Metapad which still had tight code and a couple of nice features that made it easier for me to use it to edit html and text files - and I've stuck with it.

Hey, if you like Notepad, more power to you ... you won't be alone!

Re:what's awful about notepad?

[Jimmy_B]

It's the only text editor I've ever used which doesn't read Unix-style linefeeds. That alone is enough to make it unusable. It doesn't have multi-level undo, which makes it easy to toast your data. It's notorious for screwing up file extensions when you're saving. Some versions of it are unable to open large files. It is completely devoid of the many useful and necessary features which other text editors.

devtodo

[Janek Kozicki]

apt-get install devtodo

it proved to be so good that even my wife abadoned small sheets of paper and started using it.

JPilot

[Devlin-du-GEnie]

JPilot is an open-source, freeware organizer. You get a calendar, to do list with categories and priorities, address book, dialer, and memo pad. It is designed to sync with Palm devices. However, it can export to other calendar and address book formats (iCalendar, vCard, LDIF).

If you just want a free-as-in-beer organizer, the Palm Desktop is free for personal use on Mac or Windows.

ToDoList from Abstract Spoon

[jazzwind]

I use a freeware app called ToDoList from Abstract Spoon Software. It is hosted on The Code Project. You can download it (with source code) here.

Lightweight and simple, it does what I want and not much more. Has a nice feature that lets you automatically export to an HTML file, so you can easily publish it for others to read.

Wiki - seconded

[coljac]

I also use a private wiki. I have a ToDo topic which is my to do list, and as a bonus I keep any other information I need there. It's perfect. I even have a couple of cron jobs set up to copy my bookmarks over and so on, so it's a great information "home base" that I can get to from anywhere, even my smartphone. I use VQWiki.

What sort of to-do list?

[Xerp]

It really depends on the sorts of tasks you are handling. If you are, for example, a builder then you will have a critical path and (hopefully ;-) strict deadlines. For something like this a calendar based task scheduler is fine. Things like KOrganizer or Plans could be used.

If there is a great number of tasks with no critical path, for example a call center, then you will want something a little more complicated. You'll need to be able to log a task quickly, give it an urgency, tie it back to a particular caller, be able to assign it, maybe even have a searchable knowledge base. For this area things like OTRS are great.

Then you could be a developer, where critical paths vary daily and tasks need to be assigned to specific modules and versions. The obvious choice here is bugzilla

Desktop or web-based is also a consideration. You may require access from multiple locations; maybe you are an off-site engineer; so that needs to be taken into consideration too.

shameless plug

[ColonBlow]

TaskMaster is free. um...for thirty days.
*shrugs* you'll be out of this 'organized' phase of yours by then anyway.

Dude!

[Saint Aardvark]

It's like you read my mind. Come cower before the greatness that is...JobJar!

From the description:

Jobjar is a Small but Useful (tm) utility to manage a list of non-critical jobs to do...you know, like a job jar. You can add a job to the jar, you can remove a job, or you can just print out a job for you to do. In the grand tradition of Unix, the list is called ~/.jobjar and is a simple text file. None of your binary Windows nonsense here...no, sir! And in the grand tradition of GNU software, it's released under the GPL. What more could you possibly want?

JobJar: Because if you need more than Perl, plain text and a command line, you are a heathen and must die.

Lists and Calendars..

[cioxx]

On OSX, I use iCal. Don't think anything else comes close. With the built-in WebDav functionality, it can be combined with .Mac, or OSS PHPiCalendar which makes a great to-do/calendar package for those who like to access their information from elsewhere. Works with Mozilla Calendar and KOrganizer too.

On Windows, there is a shareware app called Biromsoft To-Do List. Pretty simple and straightforward.
I recommend it for those who are looking for a listmaker without all the bells and whistles that might otherwise come with aformentioned calendar apps.

Can't do that. It's patented.

[IGnatius T Foobar]

Sorry folks, you're not allowed to do TODO lists. That has been patented by Microsoft.

Perhaps you should consider circumventing the patent by making a list of "Stuff I gotta remember not to forget" ?

Oh Yeah!

[Bingo Foo]

...I was going to get around to compiling a list of them one of these days...

You are so busted.

[loteck]

because, as we all know, Microsoft patented the to-do list, as previously discussed. Bill will be calling soon, no doubt. Hope your last name isn't Rowsoft ;)

Re:You are so busted.

[bhtooefr]

I thought that was just the support for creating a TODO remark that added an item into a todo list along with a line number to go with it.

Ecco URL

[buckminster]

Ecco is still the best. You are correct that it hasn't been updated since 1997, but it's definitely a Win32 application. I've heard rumours that it runs under WINE as well.

Netmanage essentially abandoned this product although you can still download for free from their ftp site:
ftp://ftp.netmanage.com/support/pub/utilities/EC40 1/

Users manual should be included as well.

This is way more than just a simple outline program. Think unlimited relational outlines connected by user definable columns. All fully integrated with the calendar and address book.

As I contemplate switching to various other platforms this is still the one application I cannot live without. No other outliner/pim comes close to ECCO.

Re:I wish I could help you...

[name773]

then hope your shrink has a piece of paper and a pencil :)

best *stand alone* todo list?

[jafomatic]

Might be this one right here. I think Sun hired this guy to integrate it into something of theirs (java desktop maybe?). It looks pretty sturdy.

Emacs Diary!

[Greyfox]

I put all my reminders in Emacs diary now. I usually have Emacs open (I read mail with vm) and it's pretty good about telling time and stuff. It'd be interesting to hack out a separate todo list generator that can export data to a palm pilot type device. Hmm... (Adding "investigate palm conduits in emacs" to todo list...)

RequestTracker

[rainmanjag]

I'm a big fan of the web-based software RequestTracker, affectionately known as RT.

Homepage

It is similar to Bugzilla, except it's not software bug oriented so much as "Stuff To Do" oriented. It has a simple email gateway, it keeps track of absolutely everything, it allows you to add custom fields quite easily, it changes priorities of your events over time, and it allows you to keep track of how much time you've spent on various projects. Around my office, it's pretty key.

-jag

Re:RequestTracker

[Eil]

It is similar to Bugzilla, except it's not software bug oriented

We use bugzilla where I work as a kind of task tracker and don't find it at all "bug oriented". With a small amount of planning and the right configuration, Bugzilla works great as a general issue or task tracker. You could seriously do a global search on the source code and replace every instance of "bug" with "task", nobody would be the wiser. It was a little strange at first to be asked how you were doing on a particular "bug" when the "bug" was something like setting up a new wireless gateway.

Before I came onboard, they tried to use RequestTracker but found it unusable due to the high load it placed on the system when only a couple users were logged in. They said they didn't have the inclination to debug it, so they decided to try Bugzilla next and have been using it since. (Sometimes we use it to file actual software bugs too. ;) )

We also looked at Mantis, but were horrified at how limited it was. But a bug-tracking system like Bugzilla is almost certainly overkill for a one-man todo list, which is what the submitter sounded like he wanted. For this, I tend to throw all those little tasks into a text file and then paste them into my personal wiki at the end of the day, where they never get seen again. (This is what has allowed me to post to Slashdot so frequently.)

*NIX: at

[gellenburg]

If you have access to a *NIX machine, or use one for your daily work, then what I do may work for you.

I simply use the at scheduler to schedule an email to remind me on specific days. I have a rule set up to automatically flag the messages and to ensure they won't end up in my Junk Mail folder.

Something simple like:
at "6/21/2004 19:00" mail -s "TODO: TAKE OUT THE TRASH" [userid]

Of all the apps on my Mac, the one I'm in the most is Mail.

Free. Simple. Searchable (using my mail program). Not perfect, but it works.

non-/. ed treeline cache

[paintballluvr]

google cache: Treeline

There wasn't a cache of rc0 site that I could find.

knowit

[carlos_benj]

I've been playing with knowit and it's pretty simple.

Consider Full-Fledged PIMs like Zoot

[Akilesh Rajan]

There are some very interesting pieces of software out there that combine task management with personal information databases -- places to store bits of information collected from documents, web pages, and so on. Some go far beyond the information organizing capabilities of Outlook and other standard personal information managers (PIMs).

One such piece of software is a cult-hit, Zoot. See reviews here and here. Find out more at the Yahoo Group for it, which also happens to have excellent lists of other excellent but often underappreciated PIM software.

Also consider web-based task managers like Yahoo Calendar. The advantage is that they are easily accessible from anywhere and there's no need for backups. Yahoo task management also syncs with a lot of other stuff, I think.

In process of building my own

[mooman]

I wanted to have something similar, but one of my prioirities was global accessibility. I tried notebooks, daytimers, postits, etc, but invariably it would always be at home when I was at work, or vice versa, or left behind when I travel.

So my first step was an online note tool called NoteToSelf that I use to keep all those interesting articles, recommendations for movies, homework assignments, job descriptions, consumer ratings, etc. I wrote it in PHP and love it. It's pretty primative as I haven't put any extra work into it since I got it functional. But it's great for me and I use it throughout the day.

My next step is the to-do list. As an interim, I just use a note in NoteToSelf to keep the tasks, but really want something with priorities and reminders. So I've looked at various ones, and I think I'm going to integrate Horde's Kronolith for calendaring and Nag for task lists. They're all PHP and MySQL so I can integrate or tweak as much as I feel like.. With those 3 things I think I have most of my "PIM" needs met and accessible from any internet-connected device around. I've been mulling over a PDA, but only to act as an offline copy of those 3 apps, and not for their own native PDA apps.

It costs $2.00

[Mustang Matt]

Go buy a broken palm pilot off ebay. License requirements fullfilled.

OmniOutliner, hnb, vi

[strudeau]

I love OmniOutliner for OS X. I also used hnb (Hierarchical Notebook) which is a commandline outliner, for awhile. Otherwise vi/emacs/notepad.exe/whatever is great.

Good simple ones for PalmOS & Linux

[rwa2]

As an anonymous coward has mentioned, Progect is a good one for palm. This is very close to pen-and-paper simplicity (as are most of the best PalmOS software). It's the only thing that threatens my use of paper todo lists. Yet it sports:

• flexible hierarchical organization. In fact, I end up using it as a general purpose outlining tool as well (are there even any good ones under Linux, outside of a word processor?)
• manual sorting (I really hate trying to sort by meaningless arbitrary "priority" numbers like in just about every other PIM sw)
• several simple forms of progress & completion reporting

HandyShopper is another good one for tracking non-hierarchical things that have costs and quantities associated with them. It does nice things like let you tally up totals, as well as maybe schedule recurring need-to-do/buy items. It's bizarre that it doesn't really have a desktop equivalent yet :/

For the Linux desktop, you might want to take a look at MrProject, a nice Project clone that's part of GnomeOffice. I've only played with it a little bit under Mandrake, but it looks fairly competent when you want to add hierarchical schedule and resource loading data to your task list. Sadly, there's little else that I've seen that comes anywhere close, and I've been searching for one fairly recently for a project management class I took last semester. Oddly enough, I don't even like MS Project for doing this kind of thing, it just doesn't give me enough flexibility in rearranging things, scheduling parallel activities, automatically sequencing constrained resources, etc.