Filed under: Software, Productivity
iGTD2 showing promise
You may recall iGTD, which we covered last year. Up until some Leopard difficulties forced me to start flailing between not-quite-ready GTD applications, I was a loyal user. And yes, those Leopard difficulties could have been solved, but the author had his hands full with reincarnating iGTD -- as iGTD2. iGTD2 is in alpha right now, and not what I'd consider to be trustworthy for daily use, but it provides a peek into the thoughts behind the revamp.
Whereas the original iGTD started out fairly simple and grew increasingly complex in response to user requests, iGTD2 is starting out quite robust and tries to get a grasp on what people really want out of their task managers. But, like the original, flexibility is built into the system. This time around, the authors developed a set of "principles" to guide development and make a simpler task of creating a new UI. Some of the principles are quite simple: a need for tabs, a hatred of inspector palettes, and the need for more mouse-friendliness. Some of the ideas, though, are a little more rebellious against the standards of GTD and delve into new ways of approaching task organization and, well, getting things done. Tags, focuses, nesting tasks and other UI developments allow for flexibility beyond what you'd expect from a GTD app.
This kind of flexibility might be annoyingly overwhelming for new users. If you're looking for a simple UI and straightforward task manager, this probably won't be it. But if you've ever craved the ability to archive links and notes and then attach whole groups of them to projects and tasks, iGTD2 is moving in the right direction. As of this writing, the iGTD2 alpha is on its 9th build, with major changes happening almost every day. This one is worth keeping an eye on, especially as a donationware offering that will likely rival the power of some of the commercial applications in the field. The alpha is available for download and there's a forum for user input. If you're curious, check it out!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Harald said 9:31AM on 1-15-2008
Brett,
thanks for this post. I tried iGTD a while ago but found the interface design horrific, especially when it came to icons. I liked however its simple and streamlined approach.
At the moment I am trying once again to implement strict GTD principles and so I am searching for a trustworthy software package, that suits my workflow.
With OmniFocus out of beta and Things looming on the horizon I would like to encourage you to conduct a thorough analysis and side-by-side comparison of these apps, that would be great.
Harald
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Brett Terpstra said 9:57AM on 1-15-2008
You're right, I've never given iGTD high marks for beauty or fluid interface design. I like the keyboard-centric interface and the new tab system has potential, but the flexibility, even in the original, has always been a draw for me.
I'm very much looking forward to a head-to-head on the new breed of GTD apps, comparing for both usability and the ability to adhere to GTD principles. I'd like Things to come out with a decent import option and better OS level integration so I can make apple-to-apple comparisons.
Maybe, in the process of charting out features, I'll finally be able to make a decision myself and settle down with a single app for a while. I'm getting tired of hacking out import options :).
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Arlo said 10:17AM on 1-15-2008
While iGTD 2 may be coming along just fine, many of us who are using iGTD 1 have been left out in the cold.
I donated $50 to the project. I came to rely on it, and so I wanted to ensure that development would continue. Then Leopard came out, and despite a few bug fixes to the application, many important iGTD features remain broken. Start dates cannot be added to tasks, and iCal syncing often fails, many times leading to data loss. The iGTD forum shows that many people are having these problems, not just me, but the developer seems to prefer that we suffer through these problems and wait for his next release, which will be a commercial one, not donationware.
I'm not one of those FSJ-named "freetards" who whines whenever he has to pay for anything. I GLADLY pay for software that makes my life easier, even when I don't have to pay for it. Therefore, I have no problem with the iGTD developer wanting to go commercial. He should.
I will also concede that I'm not a developer, so and I could be completely wrong when I think that the problems plaguing iGTD 1 are fixable.
However, given the brisk development and frequent updates to iGTD 1 last year and now this perceived negligence to users of the current version under Leopard, especially those like myself that supported the project -- I feel betrayed. I wish I could get my money back.
And yet, nothing else works like iGTD right now, and so I'm stuck with it. Perhaps when Things gains iCal syncing, I will switch, even if only on principle.
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Brett Terpstra said 10:31AM on 1-15-2008
I'm an iGTD donor myself, and still promptly jumped ship after the Leopard problems failed to be resolved. I understand where you're coming from. When OmniFocus was still rough and Things hadn't been released yet, I went as far as making my own system with mind mapping software and some applescript.
For the record, Bartek has confirmed that iGTD2 is donationware. There is a pro version in the works, but iGTD2 remains a separate entity.
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Arlo said 3:43PM on 1-15-2008
Thanks for the correction, RE: iGTD2 donationware.
Alex said 11:54AM on 1-17-2008
For the last half year i have been actively looking for GTD software for my mac. I have used iGTD 1 for a while and was pretty content with it. Then i tried Omnifocus and iGTD2 and recently Things from culture code. Things seems to best fit my needs though. Simple and intuitive.
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