[RuleRulez]

Ok - I have tested almost all GTD tools: online and offline extensively. By far, Omnifocus is the best implementation of the spirit of GTD, imho. It supports me in focusing on what I have to do today in the specific context.

But now, the tool is a standalone desktop application. How does this fit with the aim to have always and everywhere my context driven GTD list with me.

The tools that I use: iMac at home, MacBook on the move and at work, and an iPhone.

The MacBook is my workbench and would be the place to run the OmniFocus application, especially to work in Projects mode, but also in Context.
However in this way I can not port the data to a always-on-webserver, being my iMac. (Although I do not like to have my iMac always on only for this purpose, but fine). Secondly, almost all other tools I use can be accessed in a complete (.Mac) sync on my MacBook and iMac, like Mail, Calendar, Gmail, Bookmarks, etc. So, I like to access OmniFocus also on the iMac.

Mmmh. The solution for now is that OmniFocus is running now on my iMac as application and as webserver. I this way I can always access it via the iPhone (great GUI, but a little bit more functionality is appreciated, like setting a new start date. in this way I can move the item out of my focus).
To access the application on my MacBook I am using VNC. A bit silly and clumsy, but it works.
I have tried to sync OmniFocus via .Mac. It works, but not when the app is always on, like I have (the tool gives focus and needs to be always before my eyes).

Although the app is the best GTD implementation, the architecture being a standalone application doesn't fit with the purpose it has to serve: always, everywhere. An online application would be a better architecture, although I would miss some of the efficient functionalities of the current app.

May I suggest another direction for the architecture to solve this: keep the desktop app, but store the data online (yes, on a public server, not my iMac). Like .Mac and Google Gears it syncs instantly locally the data for speed and offline use. The online data also ports to an iPhone (and other online devices) optimized website.

Just my two cents...

[pvonk]

Sometimes I think simplifying is the answer. I sync OF with iCal and then I sync iCal with my Palm. Others seem to prefer printing from OF to paper in various formats (see other threads on this). Bringing in a server that pushes or is pulled from other electronic devices seems to be a whole step higher in complexity (not for us, but for the software writer).

Example: Lightroom (photo database/editing app) can't keep it's database on a server since it's based of mySQL or some such thing that can't handle multiple user accesses. If Adobe is reluctant to introduce such capabilities into this widely distributed software, I wonder about Omni's stamina!

[joelande]

Originally Posted by RuleRulez

May I suggest another direction for the architecture to solve this: keep the desktop app, but store the data online (yes, on a public server, not my iMac).

I agree 100%, and posted a similar post a few days ago.

[Mindflayer]

If I could export to HTML (or something else) easily, I could just push to my web server.

I guess I could push the RoR data over and do it that way, but that's a bit more messy, IMO.

[Tinchohs]

If I am not mistaken, you will be able to synch with iCal, and through it, with any device that it's supported, among them (soon I understand) the iPhone. This wa, you could have your data in the notebook and synched to you iPhone. That, at least to my needs, delivers anywhere anytime functionality that I need from my GTD implementation... It's true, you would not have it at home in the iMac - at least i the first version -, but you would have it in the phone all the time...