UserPreferences

MacOsxPimsAndIntegration

At the end of May, I mentioned [WWW]my upcoming transition to the Data Architecture role in the new [WWW]Data Services Department in [WWW]Information Services and Technology. Though I've been thinking a lot about data architecture, enterprise architecture, the problem space of the new Data Services Department, and organizational development, very little of that thinking has been reflected so far in this weblog. Stay tuned though! (No, I've not figured out how to migrate my weblog to reflect the new context for my work.)

For the moment, I switch to more mundane topics: that of integrating my new MacBook Pro into my workflow. I recently bought the new Intel based Apple notebook because I needed my own computer for my personal activities and because I wanted to run OS X, Win32 apps, and Linux on one machine. The MBP mostly the bill. (Some other time, I'll write about aspects of my computer and of its maker, Apple Computers, that have annoyed me.) Ideally, I'd like to access all of my files regardless of whether I'm using my Mac, in whichever operating system, or whether I use my Thinkpad. The chief reason I want to continue running Windows on the my MBP is to run EccoPro. For years, I've looked for a replacement for EccoPro that also runs on Win32. Though I hold out some hope that Chandler will be the long-term replacement, I would start using another personal information manager (PIM) if it either subsumes or complements the function that EccoPro already gives to me.

EccoPro is such a great program that it would take a lot of effort to pinpoint all its strengths, many of which are subtle. Any solution must be able to handle all the data structures in EccoPro (outlines, folders/columns) and the same fundamental data types (text, numbers, dates, enumerations, notepads). Instead of enumerating all the features I want, I've found it easier to say I want a program that does everything that EccoPro currently does and also it would:

For the moment, I've given up on finding any Win32 successor to EccoPro. I don't see any obvious places to go. I keep tabs on Microsoft OneNote, but the last time I looked, the data formats were not open enough and there was not enough scriptability. (I check [WWW]Chris Pratley's OneNote Blog every so often for updates.)

Lots of deep thinking around the Mac platform in terms of outlining. I've been amazed how many products there are in OS X, that there seems to be lot of experimentation on the platform. Could it be that there are just a higher concentration of smart/intellectual/creative people per capita using Macs than other computers? (That's what Steve Jobs would like you to believe.) Or at least a lot of writers? For instance, [WWW]ATPM 12.07 - Outliners: Outlining Interface Futures is an example of the thorough and deep analysis of the conceptual foundation of outlining that is found throughout the columns on ATPM. I can't wait to read more of the [WWW]ATPM - Archives - About This Particular Outliner archives.

Maybe the successor to EccoPro is to be found in products that run on the Mac OS X. I've focused on applications focused on a the spiral notebook/scrapbook metaphor or on the outliner metaphor, I realized that one of the beautiful aspects of EccoPro is that it combines classic PIM functionality (calendaring, contact info, to do lists) plus the very handy Palm synchronization, a feature not shared by the apps I've looked at so far. (Maybe the solution is to use the native OS X applications such as Address Book, iCal, Mail.App -- or to use Microsoft's Entourage, part of Office 2004, which I had purchased.) So what applications am I considering on the Mac?

Here's the current list:

The list hits some of the same apps as listed in [WWW]Mac Programs That Come With Thinking Caps On - New York Times

I don't know much about the quality of personal information managers available on Linux. My sense is that I would not expect to find anything that even comes to EccoPro. Still I plan to continue exploring Linux even as I dive into OS X. Ironically, just as I buy my Macbook Pro, some of the big name bloggers that I have decided to leave the Mac OS X platform or are giving serious thought to doing so. (e.g., Mark Pilgrim ([WWW]When the bough breaks [dive into mark]) and Tim Bray's ([WWW]ongoing · Time to Switch?) See also [WWW]LinuxDevCenter.com: Switching Back to Desktop Linux). Did I just arrive at the party just as all the cool kids are leaving? I do share the concerns of having my data locked up in proprietary formats although I am not so adverse to using closed source programs if they are useful enough. Ted Leung, in [WWW]Ted Leung on the air : Why I won't be switching off OS X (yet), reflects my own sentiments. I'm looking for platforms that enhances my productivity. Ideally, all the applications I use would be open source and have open data formats, including my operating system. Moreover, my work involves exploring a number of operating systems and their associated applications so that I can better understand the computing habits of other users.

Integration on OS X

In addition to the prospect of finding cutting edge PIMs on Mac OS X, I was lured into buying a MBP by the possibility that OS X has greater capacity for data integration than Win32. Last week, I started to look at AppleScript in search of the heart of that integration. What's so special about AppleScript and scriptability in the Apple world? As [WWW]Ted Leung explains:

There's two path I've taken to teaching myself scripting on OS X. The first is to learn AppleScript directly. To that end, I've been studying [WWW]AppleScript: A Comprehensive Guide to Scripting and Automation on Mac OS X, [WWW]AppleScript: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition, and the articles listed in [WWW]AppleScripting Mac OS X to get a handle on AppleScript. For some applications, I would rather automate systems by writing Python instead of AppleScript. I'm in luck, apparently: I discovered [WWW]appscript, which "makes MacPython a serious alternative to Apple's own AppleScript language for automating your Mac." A specific application I have in mind for AppleScript is for converting documents I've written in Microsoft Word 2004 into other custom formats.

For future exploration on the Mac OS X platform: