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-   -   Looking for Linux-Windows cross-platform PIM (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-software-2/looking-for-linux-windows-cross-platform-pim-507658/)

eldiener 12-05-2006 11:21 AM

Looking for Linux-Windows cross-platform PIM
 
I do development on Windows and have been moving more to Linux to do development there. Under Windows for many years I have used Starfish's Sidekick 98 as a PIM, giving me a calendar, address book, and notes options. I can export the address book and notes portions to CSV file formats from Sidekick 98.

I am now looking to get off Sidekick 98 in order to use a cross-platform Linux-Windows PIM application where I can share my calendar, address, and noted information on a common directory of a FAT32 drive.

I have searched for such a cross-platform PIM but the few I have found seem inadequate, and a few others appear to have stopped development in the past.

My needs are a program that runs under Linux and Windows, is able to share data, allows for me to import my data from Sidekick 98 through CSV files ( I realize some massaging of the data may be necessary ) and has an interface which, like Sidekick 98, allows visual folders of data for addresses and notes.

Among those I have tried are:

1) Aethera: which has no functionality to import notes, and little to import addresses, as well as no way to share data which I could see.

2) SqlDesktop: looked good but was broken as far as the tutorial and help goes right off the bat. Appears to have no way to share data.

Among others I have looked at are:

1) Evolution: it's Windows port seems a long time ago and far away and not necessarily in sync with Evolution on Linux.

2) Pi-Sync: Development of this appears to have stopped a long time ago.

3) Chandler: Not ready for prime time yet.

Is there really no easy to use cross-platform Linux-Windows PIM which offers calendar, address book, and notes shared data, with adequate import features and ease of use ? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

farslayer 12-06-2006 02:29 PM

You could take a look at qtopia desktop. I run it on Windows and Linux to sync with my Sharp Zaurus.

I've never tried sharing the data between OS's on the desktop app, but I imagine it could be done.
Qtopia Desktop Download

Manual

eldiener 12-06-2006 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farslayer
You could take a look at qtopia desktop. I run it on Windows and Linux to sync with my Sharp Zaurus.

I've never tried sharing the data between OS's on the desktop app, but I imagine it could be done.
Qtopia Desktop Download

Manual

Thanks for the qtopia desktop link, but unfortunately on Linux the downloads are only in RPM format and for older versions of Linux distros, none of which I run. This gives me the distinct feeling that it is no longer being developed.

It looks like all projects for an easy to use cross-platform Linux-Windows PIM have either given up or are not yet ready for distribution, like Chandler. That's too bad for me, since I would really like to have one that runs on both sides and can share data.

I have been looking at FreeMind, which is not a PIM but which might serve my needs nonetheless, since no cross-platform PIMs are adequate.

Ynot Irucrem 12-06-2006 10:38 PM

You could try Mozilla Sunbird and make the Linux configuration files symlinks to the Windows ones.

enine 12-07-2006 08:34 AM

I'm looking myself. Sunbird doesn't support sub todo's or multiple categories, evolution I haven't figured out how to get running as it keeps wanting more and more stuff. I prefer korganizer but the windows version (anthera or something) is very outdated.
Wife still uses MS outlook and I got her a new laptop this weekend and installed Outlook XP and it was messed up by Tuesday, it can't see her addresses. I uninstalled and reinstalled it and imported all the data from her .pst and it still does the same thing. I had forgotten how buggy that program was. I've gotten her running Firefox and open office now, would switch to thunderbird for mail if we can get a working calendar and address book. Thunderbird's address book is missing a lot of fields and the calendar (sunbird) is missing features. I filed a few feature bug requests with mozilla so maybe it some items will get added and I we could use it.
if your a developer maybe you could get involved in the Mozilla stuff? The PIM question has been asked in Openoffice forums and Sunbird/Mozillia is going to be adopted. Years ago I made a small service tracking database in MS access so I've been tempted to try and make something in OOBase and see if I can read in vcards and ical and make a calendar/task system there. Maybe get a start so the developers can see what we want and then code it native. I've hacked around with kde source a little, added more metadata fields to the jpg properties for example, so I'm thinking of trying to get involved in the sunbird development.
I really want to design a PIM system from the ground up, everything I've used/tried has always been modeled after paper planners, i.e. having a separate calendar and todo list and journal, etc. Some will show todo's on the calendar view but its not quite what I want. I don't like separating the data types, to me thats like putting all your spreadsheets in a folder called excel and all your msword documents in a folder called word (I've seen windows users do this, even had a manager do this so I would send my weekly reports alternating between word and excel just to make it difficult for him to keep up with). I want some sort of pim that will show me everything in one view and not make me look in a calendar view then a task view then a journal view, etc.
I used to use MS outlook and one of the features it has in 2000 was a file view mode as well. They dropped it in 2002/xp and that was one of the (many) reasons I quit using MSoutlook because I used and liked it. It was like a file manager in outlook so you could easily link documents to meetings, todo's etc or assign them categories. I'm doing similar with Korganizer by using their attachment tab and placing a link to the document there but would like more. I link to a folder with pictures as well, so if I put a calendar entry on sat from noon to 4 saying 'trip to zoo' I link to the folder with pictures from that trip but would like something a little more automated, kind of like the journaling of msoffice apps in outlook but have it journal pictures and make a preview.
Sunbird has a nice feature where the calendar rotates so it makes sort of a project management view (gnatt chart), with the ability to change the date range it could be a good.

eldiener 12-07-2006 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ynot Irucrem
You could try Mozilla Sunbird and make the Linux configuration files symlinks to the Windows ones.

I do not see that Sunbird supports notes or addresses, but only a calendar.

enine 12-07-2006 10:51 AM

yep, sunbird is calendar only. The address function is fulfilled by thunderbird's addressbook for that solution, but I don't think they have anything for notes.
I haven't used notes since was using MSoutlook because I always would make a note then forget about it so I started making notes in todo's and setting a reminder date on them so lack of notes isn't as a big issue for me as lack of categories or multiple addresses per contact.


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