Re: Rethinking Personal Information Management - Advice and Ideas needed

[Camaleón <noelamac@gmail.com>]

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:27:32 +0100, Alan Chandler wrote:

(...)

> I would like better integration between my mobile phone and my desktop
> environment in terms of calendar and contacts. In other words, I would
> like to be easily able to see from my desktop what appointments I have
> set up, and when I need contact information it should be accessible.
> This can be a web interface if appropriate.
>
> However I am quite confused about what is out there and whether I need
> any of it.

I see here two different approaches:

1/ Install a calendar and contacts server application that you install on 
your home based server computer (which is always on, always connected to 
Internet)

or

2/ Use an external service to do that task (i.e., Gmail account+Google 
Calendar, Funambol, etc...)

Option 1) has many advantages (privacy, backup, use of standarized tools) 
but you need to be always online and it will take long to be properly 
configured and setup. 

Option 2) is easier to get but more also limited (you depend on a company 
and their set of tools).

> I run Gnome on my desktop, but have never really got into Evolution. Why
> does it have something called a data server? Can you sync phones with
> it?

Yes, Evolution is one of the PIM applications with the most advanced 
syncing options and available connectors but ideally you should not be 
forced to use a specific application, I mean, calendar and contacts data 
should be available from any standard compliant client :-)

> There seems a whole raft of groupware server packages out there
> providing (I think) a web interface to e-mail calendars and contacts. Is
> this the way to go?

I would avoid using web-based applications, they tend to be more insecure 
-browser dependant- and their UI can be hard to manage from the screen of 
your mobile device. But I say this because I'm the kind of person that 
still prefers using a dedicated MUA to read her e-mails via IMAP and/or 
POP3, so this is more a matter of your own preferences :-)

> My iPhone is difficult to sync to other than a windows based copy of
> iTunes.  I am not wedded to this phone and could consider an android
> alternative if that could achieve my objectives.

Ah, I almost forget it... ditch your iPhone or give it as present to your 
worst enemy >:-)

Greetings,

-- 
Camaleón