Updated: 12/9/2002; 10:18:35 AM.
Stand Up Eight
Links and musings from an expatriate humanist in the land of Technology...
        

Monday, November 04, 2002

I'm experiencing an unanticipated overload. I've been using multiple tools to manage my communication and planning for some time now. I use Outlook XP on Windows 2000 for my work calendaring. I use Mail on OS X for email. I've used LifeBalance for general goal setting and project management, and Franklin Covey's Planning Software (integrated with Outlook) for work-oriented project management. My Palm syncs with Outlook/Franklin. LifeBalance now has a desktop client for both Windows and Macintosh. We're considering the use of Microsoft Project Server because of its integration with Outlook. We're also moving to Campus Pipeline's portal platform, Luminus, which is supposed to use Sun's iPlanet calendaring and messenging system.

Sheesh! No wonder I'm feeling overwhelmed. My own propensity for self-torture through exploration of new applications has been augmented by shifts, both small and large, in my environment. And I'm supposed to be an "advanced" user! Now I have to choose a path and I find myself resenting the proprietary commitments that each choice locks me into. As "synchronization" becomes more and more valuable, the ability of one product to talk to another product is essential. Otherwise, any productivity gains that are had from the use of one solution are lost as you are required to re-create the data in another. While this sort of "cut-and-paste" workflow is manageable (and I use the term loosely) for a short period of time, long-term sustainability is just not realistic.

I find myself leaning toward open source solutions, not because of any particular philosophical bias but because of the tendency of such solutions to rely upon data formats that easily translate among multiple platforms/applications/etc. I am very excited about Diego Doval's spaces application, and the "Chandler" application being developed by Lotus co-founder Mitch Kapor's Open Source Applications Foundation (OSAF). Both of these are positioning themselves as Personal Information Manager replacements. I am very interested in the promised capabilities for importing multiple types of communication (e.g. email alongside RSS). Then again, I'm not sure how many more applications I can install before something pops...


1:15:04 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2002 Dale Pike.
 
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blogchalk: Dale/Male/31-35. Lives in United States/Charlotte/University City and speaks English. Spends 80% of daytime online. Uses a Faster (1M+) connection.