Comments on: Using Mozilla Sunbird To Schedule Infrequent Home Maintenance Tasks – And Other Irregular Tasks

By: Rob in Madrid

Rob in Madrid — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:10:20 +0000

I used to use outlook but as I don’t use it for email I never open it so it doesn’t help. Instead I use my mail.com calendare, bit of pain using web based calendares but I can set reminders for my self, and since I check email several times a day I never miss an appointment

By: rogun

rogun — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:51:17 +0000

@Andrew

Both KDE and Gnome have PIM software that’s similar to Outlook. Gnome has Ximian Evolution, which I mention above, and KDE has Kontact. Both will sync with a Palm device and both are very good alternatives (I much prefer either to Outlook, because, among other reasons, they’re both more secure.)

By: rogun

rogun — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:41:18 +0000

I’ve been using Sunbird to do this since the first release of Sunbird. I’ve tried many different calendars throughout this time and the reason that I’ve stuck with Sunbird is because a) it’s free and open-source software (FOSS) and b) because it’s better at syncing with other software then the alternatives. Sunbird still has a way to go before I’d consider it to be excellent, but it’s very good now.

However, for single tasks that I plan to complete soon, I use Ximian Evolution, which can be installed on Windows with a little work (although I use it in linux.) The reason for using Evolution is because it integrates into the Gnome desktop and works with the calendar applet, so that, unlike with Sunbird, I don’t have to have it open all the time to receive reminders and I’m able to easily see daily events by clicking on the calendar applet.

I’m also able to retrieve my ical-compliant Sunbird calendars within Evolution (view only), so that I’m able to use the calendar applet with my Sunbird calendars too (including reminders!) The reason I don’t use Evolution exclusively, however, is because it doesn’t sync with other calendar software as well as Sunbird. I keep my calendars synced with several different devices and web servers, so this is important to me or I’d probably use Evolution exclusively.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:36:43 +0000

Now – if Sunbird and Tbird would just merge completely ( i know there is a plugin, but PIA if you ask me) Just get both Projects into 1, and then add decent palm sync capabilities, I would be happy.

2 things are stopping me from switching to completely Linux/Open Source.
1. A Microsoft Outlook like client, everything rolled into 1 with palm sync.
2. Dreamweaver (adobe take note please)

Oh well – thanks for this anyway.

By: Laura W.

Laura W. — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 01:11:16 +0000

I like Airset, which offers group calendars on the web that are also accessable by cell phone.

By: Michael Langford

Michael Langford — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:38:49 +0000

I use google calendar for my normal calendar and use yahoo calendar for events that are long off and periodic. I have yahoo setup to send me an email when the time is here. For instance: I give my dog a heartworm rub every 4 weeks, and i get an email in my email box 2 days before I must do it. Same for birthdays, etc.

–Michael

By: Marcus Murphy

Marcus Murphy — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 20:22:26 +0000

http://www.rainlendar.net/cms/index.php

Free calendar. For ~$20 you can get the pro version which interfaces with Outlook and Google Calendar and you can have a shared Network Calendar. It has ability for multiple calendars and takes up very little space on your desktop, so you always have a calendar at hand with your events and tasks list underneath if so desired.

I like the program because it is so customizable in every way.

Great post though on how to manage getting things done! =)

By: pam

pam — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:32:17 +0000

Sad. I would rather call my SO/friend/family than look at a calendar. I love the convenience of computers, but the personal touch seems to be fading more and more. Of course, maybe you have a much more complex schedule than me.

By: Adam Donkus

Adam Donkus — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:20:43 +0000

Downloaded and willing to give it a try..will do a post with a trackback to you to let you know about the results.

By: wayne

wayne — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:31:49 +0000

I don’t trust google, too big brother for me. I like the look of this, think I’ll give it a try. I’ll keep it on my USB drive (which I can access from anywhere). I’ll keep it right next to my custom built todo list.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:46:14 +0000

I like this program and quickly recognized that I could use it for classroom planning as well, since I usually plan at home and work. I wonder if I can link it to my work computer somehow, so I can access it for planning in both locations. Anyone know?

By: Marta

Marta — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:28:32 +0000

I don’t know where I’d be without my Google calendar. The best thing about it is you can share it with others – it’s nice to see when my coworkers have meetings or are out for the day. I only share my social events with my boyfriend and it’s nice to see when we’re both free instead of calling each other to make arrangements.
I use Gubb.net for my to-do lists, which are really easy to manage and print out for later. I guess you can also email them or SMS them to yourself as well but I haven’t tried them yet.

By: John

John — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:47:15 +0000

I use the Windows Live Calendar for this. But I think that Google or Yahoo would be just as good, and they are online, so you never have to download software, and you can access the calendar from anywhere. Live Calendar also will send you email reminders (as I’m sure the other ones will too…)

By: Bill K

Bill K — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:22:55 +0000

I’m with you Justin and Sandeep. I’ve gone your route San and starting using most Google products to simply my life at one spot. I’ve got to say that I really don’t have a use for Thunderbird anymore, thanks to Gmail, and Calendar is great. I even love iGoogle for my homepage now.

BTW, there is a Widget for iGoogle and for Google Calendar from Trent’s favorite, RememberTheMilk.com. I use that for my task lists in conjunction with the Google sites.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:54:40 +0000

I use yahoo mail. It has a calendar and you can send yourself an email, or you can send a text message. I get unlimited text messages, so I get the text message the day before my task needs to be done.

By: Sandeep

Sandeep — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:21:56 +0000

Nice idea to apply for GTD !. I use Google Calendar for similar purpose. I guess simplifying everything under Google is better.

By: Sankar

Sankar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:59:04 +0000

This looks like an interesting software. I need to give it a try.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:40:35 +0000

Another less-involved option which I use is just a gadget on Google’s personalized home page called “Days Since”. I write the name of the task and put in parentheses how many days I am supposed to go without doing it and then just hit reset everytime.

It’s free too, but accessible everywhere. And frankly, I can’t justify using Sunbird in my org systems right now.

By: junger

junger — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:22:07 +0000

My biggest problem with scheduling and calendar programs is that I never look at them to see what I need to do!

It might not be a great organizational scheme, but sometimes Post-Its work best!

By: David

David — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 22:42:01 +0000

If you are a Thunderbird user, you can use Mozilla Lightning instead:
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/lightning/

It is basically the same code as Sunbird, rolled up into Thunderbird as an extension (less extra apps running around is a bonus)

Also, if you want to use Sunbird/Lightning AND Google Calendar, check out the Provider for Google Calendar extension:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/4631

It will allow you to access your Google Calendar from your desktop client (i.e. Sunbird or Lightning) and modify them at will.