Here’s an interesting little story. You ever wanted to find a piece of computer software which would make things easier to do? Perhaps you go searching here, here, or there. But you can find a program which may do 60% of what you want but there is that mysterious bit left which it seems to just not do it. Perhaps it does reach that feature but its method leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve found this with a variety of tools in the past like Email clients, Web browsers, Personal Information Managers. Now I have thunderbird and firefox that fills the bill. I’m left with wanting some exotic PIM application which somehow will do a variety of things for me. It will give me a interface which is no-nonsence. That leaves Outlook out for me. It won’t try to emulate Outlook. that leaves Evolution out. Jpilot on linux comes real close on that OS. Its a no-nonsence type of program which just does a thing and does it well. What about on Windows though? Well, any of those search sites is rife with PIM software. Do they all just reach some lower percent of real use?
I found that none of them allowed me sync to my Treo 650, have a consistent interface, build contacts and appointments and todo lists with no real stupidity involved. I don’t know what people use on MacOS for this but I think I found the thing on Windows that works. Believe it or not, its almost 10 years old and not developed any more. Its called Ecco. How could a thing that old be of value? How could you use it instead of X, Y, or Z? When it does what I ask with no stupid fixes or additioins or conduits or anything. But, it may be tricky to get it working at some level so the site I linked to above provides a wealth of information and there is a Yahoo Group as well here that tells you hints tricks, tips.
Now I’ve found this tool that simply works, that is networkable, that provides an outlining, calendaring, todo, contact interface and with a sense of power under the hood. If you have searched too for a thing like this, give it a little try. You have to register for the site and it costs like $10.00 on paypal. I think its worth it.
My goal with a PIM application is to use it. It has to be usable. In other words, when I start it, it presents my data with no hidden views. Perhaps its cool to get an application working on XP or Vista Ultimate which was written before either of those. But, in the end, Outlook or Evolution or any of them sit on the sidelines when Ecco Pro visits.
