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Chandler (PIM)
Encyclopedia
Chandler is a personal information management
software suite described by its developers as a "Note-to-Self Organizer" designed for personal and small-group task management and calendar
ing. It is free software
, previously released under the GNU General Public License
, and now released under the Apache License
. It is inspired by a PIM from the 1980s called Lotus Agenda
, notable because of its "free-form" approach to information management. Lead developer of Agenda, Mitch Kapor
, was also involved in the vision and management of Chandler.
Chandler consists of a cross-platform desktop application (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux), the Chandler Hub Sharing Service, Chandler Server, Chandler Quick Entry for iPhone, Chandler Quick Entry for Android and Chandler iGoogle widget. Version 1.0 of the software was released on August 8, 2008.
Chandler is being developed by the Open Source Applications Foundation
(OSAF). The main programming language is Python
, and it runs under Windows, Linux, and Macintosh. It is named after the mystery novelist Raymond Chandler
.
Chandler is also the subject of the non-fiction book Dreaming in Code
: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software by Scott Rosenberg
.
management method. Early responses praised its open nature and
its unified approach to management of different information types. Despite this, the lack of a stable version and the small developers base diminished public interest in the project. In January 2008 Mitch Kapor announced that he was leaving the board and would only finance Chandler until the end of 2008. After that, OSAF released a 1.0 version. Jake Edge from LWN.net
called this move a "last gasp attempt to build a community of users and developers to continue Chandler development down the road", speculating that the lack of developers was caused by the close control of the project by OSAF, and this end of its funding could attract attention again.
As of 15 Aug 2011, there were no releases since almost two years and the project seems to be orphaned.
Personal information management
Personal information management refers to the practice and the study of the activities people perform in order to acquire, organize, maintain, retrieve and use information items such as documents , web pages and email messages for everyday use to complete tasks and fulfill a person’s various...
software suite described by its developers as a "Note-to-Self Organizer" designed for personal and small-group task management and calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
ing. It is free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
, previously released under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
, and now released under the Apache License
Apache License
The Apache License is a copyfree free software license authored by the Apache Software Foundation . The Apache License requires preservation of the copyright notice and disclaimer....
. It is inspired by a PIM from the 1980s called Lotus Agenda
Lotus Agenda
Agenda is a DOS-based personal information manager, designed by Mitch Kapor, Ed Belove and Jerry Kaplan, and marketed by Lotus Software.Lotus Agenda is a "free-form" information manager: the information need not be structured at all before it is entered into the database...
, notable because of its "free-form" approach to information management. Lead developer of Agenda, Mitch Kapor
Mitch Kapor
Mitchell David Kapor is the founder of Lotus Development Corporation and the designer of Lotus 1-2-3. He is also a co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and was the first chair of the Mozilla Foundation...
, was also involved in the vision and management of Chandler.
Chandler consists of a cross-platform desktop application (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux), the Chandler Hub Sharing Service, Chandler Server, Chandler Quick Entry for iPhone, Chandler Quick Entry for Android and Chandler iGoogle widget. Version 1.0 of the software was released on August 8, 2008.
Chandler is being developed by the Open Source Applications Foundation
Open Source Applications Foundation
The Open Source Applications Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 by Mitch Kapor whose purpose is to effect widespread adoption of free software/open-source software.-OSAF Mission:The mission of the OSAF is stated this way:...
(OSAF). The main programming language is Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
, and it runs under Windows, Linux, and Macintosh. It is named after the mystery novelist Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
.
Chandler is also the subject of the non-fiction book Dreaming in Code
Dreaming in Code
Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software is a Random House literary nonfiction book by Salon.com editor and journalist Scott Rosenberg...
: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software by Scott Rosenberg
Scott Rosenberg (journalist)
- External links :**...
.
Chandler design goals
Chandler aims to create a workflow for personal information management different from that in other PIMs. Its approach is mainly based in creating a unified representation for the storage of tasks and information so that they can be classified in a homogeneous way, refining that information through an iterative workflow, and allowing easy collaboration on the defined items. Other goals include:- Build on open source software that supports open standards, choosing projects that are reliable, well documented, and widely used
- Use the Python language at the top level to orchestrate low level, higher performance code
- Design a platform that supports an extensible modular architecture
- For the desktop client, choose a cross-platform user interface toolkit that provides native user experience
- Use a persistent object databaseObject databaseAn object database is a database management system in which information is represented in the form of objects as used in object-oriented programming...
- Build in security from the ground up
- Build an architecture that supports sharing, communication, and collaboration
Reception
The first public releases of Chandler generated expectations to provide a flexible and general information management tool, because of its heritage of concepts from Agenda and usage of principles from the Getting Things DoneGetting Things Done
Getting Things Done is an organizational method created by productivity consultant David Allen, described in a book of the same name....
management method. Early responses praised its open nature and
its unified approach to management of different information types. Despite this, the lack of a stable version and the small developers base diminished public interest in the project. In January 2008 Mitch Kapor announced that he was leaving the board and would only finance Chandler until the end of 2008. After that, OSAF released a 1.0 version. Jake Edge from LWN.net
LWN.net
LWN.net is a computing webzine with an emphasis on free software and software for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. It consists of a weekly issue, separate stories which are published most days, and threaded discussion attached to every story. Most news published daily are short...
called this move a "last gasp attempt to build a community of users and developers to continue Chandler development down the road", speculating that the lack of developers was caused by the close control of the project by OSAF, and this end of its funding could attract attention again.
As of 15 Aug 2011, there were no releases since almost two years and the project seems to be orphaned.