What if I don't like iCal?
 

Is there anything like a calendar built into OmniFocus, or do have to use iCal for that sort of thing?

In the current version, iCal's the only option. But it's time to start specifying what's needed for a useful task and time management calendar.

ICal is adquate (barely) for [I]displaying[/I] events and commitments, but ICAL SUCKS FOR INPUT. Some obvious examples are:

1. It takes [B]too many clicks[/B] for me find a time to schedule a meeting two weeks before the Conference I'm planning for 4 months from now, even though that's about half of the my scheduling tasks right now. I need to be able to save a particaular view and jump to it with one keystroke, hopefully like Perspectives in OF.

2. [B]Forward-looking views[/B] I don't need to see my calendar from 2 weeks ago very often, but I continually need to look at my calendar for the next three weeks. Half the time there is no view that will let me see that in one place. [B]Next 5-day, next 4-week, next week and next month views[/B] would actually help me manage my time and attention.

3. [B]Events can be containers for Tasks and Tasks become Events become Tasks....[/B] I get a call postponing til next week the meeting I had in 45 minutes with a business partner.In the call, two of the agenda items get delegated to people of his that I don't know, two more get "I'll have to trust you to handle that", a new project is dropped in my lap, and everything else is delayed til we meet. After the call ends with a "I'll be out of touch until next week," I realize that one of the deferred items has a due date before our meeting next week. I want drag and drop to make those changes and being able to double click on a meeting to open OF's agenda. Etc.

What we really need is OmniCalendar...hey guys? ay? ay? wink wink, nudge nudge...

No no, no one would want THAT.

[Please don't distract the Omnifolks with other viable product ideas until OF hits the streets...]

;)

I don't know. If the idea is to help us keep our lives organized, then at some point we are going to need a way to manage our appointments.

I'm not sure how start and end dates work, I don't yet have access to the program, but it would be rather nice if we had a way to create tasks with [B]start and end times[/B] and then quickly see what they look like on any given day.