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I am hating iCal more and more every day. I don't ask for much in a calendar application, but the interface and design of iCal is just too much of a bother. I hate that they got rid of the info pane where I could easily view data on my events. I hate that I have to click to enter an edit mode (after double clicking to bring up the info bubble). I hate that I don't have hot keys for changing the calendar/tag. I hate iCal's time input limitations (2400 input isn't supported and sometimes AM/PM can be a really hassle).

Omnipeeps, I KNOW you can throw together an application that serves all my needs and desires overnight. I'm not asking for much, honestly. Just something that just works the way I expect it to. nothing more, nothing less.
 
I'll second this. I have been looking for a decent calendaring app for a long time. I've tried iCal but I agree with Nutrimentia about its huge limitations. Right now I use Entourage because of the Exchange server at work, but Entourage is far from perfect too.

Besides ease of use, I would like to see some networking/syncing ability. I would like to be able to view/edit my calendars at both my work and home computers (or at least online when not at work). And some sycing with Exchange (even if it is through Entourage like iCal does) would be icing on the cake. I don't use any of the Exchange features, but sometimes colleagues look at my free/busy times (usually when I drift away from using Entourage for a while!).
 
Personally, I find iCal sufficient for my needs. It may not be perfect, but it's good enough. And I like that it cleanly syncs with MobileMe and my iPhone too.

I don't mean to be a contrarian, but I would rather see the Omni Group invest all development resources in their current apps rather than trying to compete directly with Apple in desktop calendaring. That would be an uphill battle with little opportunity for real gain. Engineering resources are finite (e.g. OmniWeb, OmniDazzle, OmniDiskSweeper, etc.), please focus on keeping your current apps "best in class."

-Dennis
 
I would love to see OmniCal too ... and OmniAddressBook wouldn't be bad, either.

But I can live with AddressBook — I do not like iCal.*

I run my family's calendars in Google Calendar. I have 5 calendars I maintain (one per person, plus one for all of us), and subscribe to a couple of local calendars. I'm not going to change this as my base. I also want a stand-alone app to work with my calendars, preferably one that can hold the data while I'm off-line.

1. Synching iCal with Google Calendars is awful. While I was trying this, I installed Calgoo to synch, which worked, but was clunky in the extreme.

2. iCal has lousy customization/GUI. I need to color code my calendars to see who is doing what. Background color bars are ideal; iCal colors the text itself -- and it's very hard to tell red from purple at 8 points. I can't change the font or size, either.


I'm currently running Sunbird, it meets my needs well but has been abandoned. I'll keep using it for the foreseeable future, but I bet any OmniCal, even a buggy alpha, would run rings around Sunbird.

[Otoh, I really like that I can set up an alarm in iCal that triggers Applescripts. I actually use one to open my morning routine apps, including Sunbird. How nutty is that?]



Like Dennis though, I don't want the OmniFolk pulling resources away from other projects to create OmniCal. But if they are ready to do something new ...


--Liz
* I am using OS X 10.4.11 ... I don't now if iCal is any better in Leopard.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LizPf View Post
1. Synching iCal with Google Calendars is awful. While I was trying this, I installed Calgoo to synch, which worked, but was clunky in the extreme.
Liz, have you tried BusySync for syncing iCal with Google Calendars? I've never tried it myself, but I've heard nothing but positive remarks from others.

-Dennis
 
Thanks Dennis.

However, the lack of 2-way Google calendar synching is only half the problem — the other half if the ugly and unchangeable user interface. To me, both issues have equal weight.

I'm sometimes amazed that there are so few full-function alternatives to the built-in programs on the Mac. OmniWeb (and other browsers) is the lone example ... though others try, there really is no full-function competition to Mail, Address Book, iCal or iTunes. [Well, there's Micro$oft, but ... no thank you.]

--Liz
 
If you want to get away from Mail, you could try GyazMail. It only sends plain text mails, but then I prefer that anyway, but it has other tricks up its sleeve, like being able to access the server itself, and to set up server filters to remove spam and other messages from known sources at the server without them being downloaded first ...
Of course, it doesn't integrate to the same extent with iPhoto and other Apple apps that are hooked into Mail.
 
I wouldn't mind :)

Imagine a Calendar app, seamlessly interchanging even complicated projects with omnifocus...

a dream come true!
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by patric.flueck View Post
Imagine a Calendar app, seamlessly interchanging even complicated projects with omnifocus...

a dream come true!
And OmniPlan projects, too ;) That'd really be amazing. Maybe it's an idea to be able to have OmniFocus and OmniPlan export some kind of calendar file, that can sync to Google Calendar (through ical, perhaps). That way other people can subscribe to projects as well, and you could have your own projects in your personal calendar.
 
I dont like ical. What on earth have they done to the menubar making it 'leather'. I can't imagine who made that decision in Apple.

However Busycal is great and this market sewn up.Busycal is the 'omnical' you are looking for
 
 


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