Comments on: A Quick Look at OmniFocus Versus Things http://blog.mirthlab.com/2008/08/26/a-quick-look-at-omnifocus-versus-things/ fortune favors the bold Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:01:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Mark Quezada http://blog.mirthlab.com/2008/08/26/a-quick-look-at-omnifocus-versus-things/comment-page-1/#comment-1165 Mark Quezada Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:23:31 +0000 http://blog.mirthlab.com/?p=65#comment-1165 @Anand: I agree. After using Things Touch for some time now, I've been bitten a few times by this issue. I'll do a bunch of adding or editing of tasks before I leave the house and totally forget to sync my phone. Pretty annoying. I hope that there's a better solution to this in the future. @Anand: I agree. After using Things Touch for some time now, I’ve been bitten a few times by this issue. I’ll do a bunch of adding or editing of tasks before I leave the house and totally forget to sync my phone. Pretty annoying. I hope that there’s a better solution to this in the future.

]]> By: Anand http://blog.mirthlab.com/2008/08/26/a-quick-look-at-omnifocus-versus-things/comment-page-1/#comment-1124 Anand Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:56:39 +0000 http://blog.mirthlab.com/?p=65#comment-1124 One feature Things needs to have for me is true online sync'ing between the desktop and iPhone versions. The fact that I have to sync over WiFi manually is quite annoying. Otherwise, very tough to pick between the two. One feature Things needs to have for me is true online sync’ing between the desktop and iPhone versions. The fact that I have to sync over WiFi manually is quite annoying. Otherwise, very tough to pick between the two.

]]> By: Stanley http://blog.mirthlab.com/2008/08/26/a-quick-look-at-omnifocus-versus-things/comment-page-1/#comment-692 Stanley Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:42:10 +0000 http://blog.mirthlab.com/?p=65#comment-692 My goodness Mark, that was an outstanding reply. I love the way you ended as well. Pure class. Sorry for digressing but I just had to say it. By the way, I just spent the $10 for things for iphone. Thanks again. :) My goodness Mark, that was an outstanding reply. I love the way you ended as well. Pure class.

Sorry for digressing but I just had to say it. By the way, I just spent the $10 for things for iphone. Thanks again. :)

]]> By: Mark Quezada http://blog.mirthlab.com/2008/08/26/a-quick-look-at-omnifocus-versus-things/comment-page-1/#comment-452 Mark Quezada Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:31:31 +0000 http://blog.mirthlab.com/?p=65#comment-452 @js: Just because OmniFocus for iPhone will find business around you doesn't mean that location awareness is useful in practice. As you can see in the post, my point is that it takes time for the app to pinpoint your location, and if you're really "Getting Things Done" wouldn't it be quicker and more efficient just to hit the "grocery store" context when you're there? I can't see this being useful unless I was just wandering around with OmniFocus open on my iPhone. Currently, background processes aren't allowed on the iPhone so it's not like it can alert you if you're close to something you need to pick up or get done if your phone is just sitting in your pocket. OmniFocus <strong>must</strong> be open and running for it to be location aware. Really, how is that useful? Also, regarding Things for iPhone and tagging: Yes, this is a current limitation of the iPhone version but it was <a href="http://culturedcode.com/things/blog/2008/08/things-touch-11-syncs-syncs-syncs.html" rel="nofollow">addressed in Cultured Code's blog post about the release</a>. The gist of it is that Tagging and Areas are on their way. Once implemented it would make Things for iPhone on par, feature-wise, with the desktop version. Regardless, I find your comment that without tagging Things isn't a true GTD app a bit obtuse. Yes, Tags and Areas will help make Things for iPhone even more useful, but without them, the app is still very useful. If all you're looking for is something that perfectly fits into the GTD doctrine, then maybe Things isn't for you. OmniFocus prides itself in being an app designed from the ground-up to be rooted and grounded in the GTD system. This is not the goal of Things. The whole reason that the GTD system was designed was not to be <em>the end</em> but rather a <em>means to an end</em>. So, what are you spending your time doing? "Getting Things Done" or just plain getting things done? @js: Just because OmniFocus for iPhone will find business around you doesn’t mean that location awareness is useful in practice. As you can see in the post, my point is that it takes time for the app to pinpoint your location, and if you’re really “Getting Things Done” wouldn’t it be quicker and more efficient just to hit the “grocery store” context when you’re there? I can’t see this being useful unless I was just wandering around with OmniFocus open on my iPhone. Currently, background processes aren’t allowed on the iPhone so it’s not like it can alert you if you’re close to something you need to pick up or get done if your phone is just sitting in your pocket. OmniFocus must be open and running for it to be location aware. Really, how is that useful?

Also, regarding Things for iPhone and tagging: Yes, this is a current limitation of the iPhone version but it was addressed in Cultured Code’s blog post about the release. The gist of it is that Tagging and Areas are on their way. Once implemented it would make Things for iPhone on par, feature-wise, with the desktop version.

Regardless, I find your comment that without tagging Things isn’t a true GTD app a bit obtuse. Yes, Tags and Areas will help make Things for iPhone even more useful, but without them, the app is still very useful. If all you’re looking for is something that perfectly fits into the GTD doctrine, then maybe Things isn’t for you. OmniFocus prides itself in being an app designed from the ground-up to be rooted and grounded in the GTD system. This is not the goal of Things. The whole reason that the GTD system was designed was not to be the end but rather a means to an end. So, what are you spending your time doing? “Getting Things Done” or just plain getting things done?

]]> By: js http://blog.mirthlab.com/2008/08/26/a-quick-look-at-omnifocus-versus-things/comment-page-1/#comment-451 js Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:56:36 +0000 http://blog.mirthlab.com/?p=65#comment-451 Two things: I can't agree with the comments that Location Awareness is useless. Omnifocus does have business search, so it can (for example) find Grocery Stores near you that you don't know about. You don't have to enter every store (which indeed would be useless if it were true). Secondly, I believe that Things for iPhone is totally unusable as a GTD app for one simple reason. It doesn't support tags. Without tags (which Things Desktop uses), you can't implement context. And without context, you can't implement GTD. I did buy Omnifocus for Mac and iPhone and I'm not 100% happy with it. It is complex and sometimes you are chasing it up (where did that task go? I knew it was there before)... However, until Things for iPhone gets Tags, there IS only 1 GTD app for Mac and iPhone. Let's hope that changes... Two things:
I can’t agree with the comments that Location Awareness is useless. Omnifocus does have business search, so it can (for example) find Grocery Stores near you that you don’t know about. You don’t have to enter every store (which indeed would be useless if it were true).

Secondly, I believe that Things for iPhone is totally unusable as a GTD app for one simple reason. It doesn’t support tags. Without tags (which Things Desktop uses), you can’t implement context. And without context, you can’t implement GTD.

I did buy Omnifocus for Mac and iPhone and I’m not 100% happy with it. It is complex and sometimes you are chasing it up (where did that task go? I knew it was there before)…

However, until Things for iPhone gets Tags, there IS only 1 GTD app for Mac and iPhone.

Let’s hope that changes…

]]> By: Mark Quezada http://blog.mirthlab.com/2008/08/26/a-quick-look-at-omnifocus-versus-things/comment-page-1/#comment-315 Mark Quezada Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:50:39 +0000 http://blog.mirthlab.com/?p=65#comment-315 @smallbizmac: Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. We'll see how this plays out in the coming months. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I should buy OmniFocus for iPhone, but I'm definitely leaning towards "no." @smallbizmac: Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of. We’ll see how this plays out in the coming months. I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I should buy OmniFocus for iPhone, but I’m definitely leaning towards “no.”

]]> By: smallbizmac http://blog.mirthlab.com/2008/08/26/a-quick-look-at-omnifocus-versus-things/comment-page-1/#comment-301 smallbizmac Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:27:30 +0000 http://blog.mirthlab.com/?p=65#comment-301 Location awareness is really a neat idea, but it is fairly useless in practice, unless you want to spend days entering in anything that you might be near. Using the grocery store example, what if you use several? Perhaps one is on the way home from work and one is closer to home. You have to have all potential grocery stores locations pinned. It is much easier to be able to recognize when you are at a grocery store than have OF tell you that you are. Location awareness is really a neat idea, but it is fairly useless in practice, unless you want to spend days entering in anything that you might be near. Using the grocery store example, what if you use several? Perhaps one is on the way home from work and one is closer to home. You have to have all potential grocery stores locations pinned. It is much easier to be able to recognize when you are at a grocery store than have OF tell you that you are.

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