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January 12, 2007
Digital life...
On the advent of Apple, Inc. removing the “computer” from their name, I was thinking about how I’ve been progressively removing the “computer” (or, at least, computer-based software) from my life. Let me explain…
Over the past six months or so, I have been in the process of finding ways to store my “life” online — more specifically, on my own web server. This has taken a bit of research (I think I’ve tried out every CMS, PIM, DAM, Wiki, aggregator, webmail, organizer, you-name-it known to man), but I’ve honed my searches down to a few very useful apps. (I am deeply indebted to all of the wonderful developers who post their work at Sourceforge.net.)
My recent search also falls in line with my desires to find a good PDA again. I’m just tired of being somewhere and feeling like I forgot something important or that I wish I could easily search for someone’s contact information.
So, here are just a couple of things that have taken me away from the need for applications that are stored on a computer:
Group-Office: Group-Office is simply amazing. There are a lot of web-based PIMs out there, but this one does it all. I have access to my calendar, tasks, email, bookmarks, notes, projects, files, photo galleries, and personal webpages, all searchable and easily maintained. Everything is exportable — and printable — and can be synced with any number of computer programs or mobile devices (Professional version only). It’s simple, it’s extensible, and it uses Ajax for quick “module” and information loading. The best thing is, all I need to access all of this information is a web browser!
Dokuwiki: Dokuwiki is a flat-file based Wiki application made for writing documentation. A while back, when I announced that I wanted to write a book, I began an intensive search for the Wiki that would be right for me. I wanted to use a Wiki for many reasons: as an experiement for a new — social — method of writing a book, as a way to keep all of my information accessible no matter where I was, as a way to easily and automatically format things like Tables of Contents, etc. Dokuwiki was it. It’s easy to install and easy to use. It automatically performs formatting tasks that other Wikis require manual input to do, it’s quick, and it just plain works! 
Gregarius: Gregarius is a web-based news feed aggregator (for blog subscriptions and other sites that provide XML feeds). It’s a lot like Bloglines, except I run it from my own server. Gregarius also uses Ajax for speed and usability — and there’s rarely ever a page load. The administration screens are very intuitive and it was a breeze to install.
Flock: Ok, so Flock is actually a computer program. It’s a web browser based on Mozilla (Firefox) that has all sorts of cool “social-networking“ features (e.g., integration with Flickr, Technorati, Del.icio.us, MySpace, etc.). Yes, it lives on a computer and, yes, each computer relies on its own configuration. But, as far as web browsers are concerned, this is the one that I want to use to access all of my online information. At this point, I can pretty much admit that I’ve made the switch from Firefox to Flock. (Oh, and did I mention that it’s even quicker than Firefox?)
My life still isn’t quite complete concerning these matters. I am waiting for just that perfect PDA. But, for now, these are some of the things that keep me mobile and unhindered by a box that’s plugged into the wall.
Posted at 2:03 pm
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