Re: [Orgmode] iPhone ----> org-mode

[Carsten Dominik]

On Mar 26, 2009, at 7:21 PM, Greg Newman wrote:

> Carsten Dominik wrote:
>
> > I am still looking for a dedicated iPhone developer who will write   
> > and Org-mode app :-)
>
> I'm still looking for a reason to use my iphone developer license.

Really?

Well, here is my view on how to design such an app, maybe it
will inspire you.


Table of Contents
=================
1 Basic principles
   1.1 Simplicity
   1.2 Forget Synchronization
   1.3 Offline
2 Main features
   2.1 Capture
   2.2 Display of current tasks
   2.3 Flagging
3 Implementation proposal
   3.1 Main screen
   3.2 Data Desktop->iPod
   3.3 Data iPhone->Desktop
4 The experience on the Emacs side


1 Basic principles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.1 Simplicity
===============
  Don't even think about re-creating Org-mode for the
  iPhone/iPod.  If this is what you want, get a mobile
  device that runs Emacs.

  Too many companies have tried to duplicate their desktop
  experience on the iPhone, and most have, in my opinion
  failed.  If you look at the iPhone versions of Things,
  OmniFocus, Evernote, you name it, all of them are too
  complicated for the touch interface.  Simplicity is the
  absolute key to make things work on that platform.  When
  I am trying to enter a new note in Evernote, for example,
  it drives me crazy that I have to tap on the title
  filed, just to start entering a title, then tap done,
  then tap a date field, use some unpleasant interface to
  select a date, then tap done, all of this before I have
  even started to write my note.

  Apples Notes app does that right, tap "+" to create a
  note, and then type away, title automatically extracted
  from the first line, done.

1.2 Forget Synchronization
===========================
  I believe that something that does direct, 2-way
  synchronization between Org and a mobile app will be very
  hard to get right.  Instead, I propose a two data
  streams, one from the desktop to the app, one back.

1.3 Offline
============
  I believe it is essential that this app works offline as
  well.  You could be on a plane, or, more importantly, you
  could be an iPod Touch user (I am), unwilling to pay $30
  or more per month to keep your data service running.

  I am an offline user.  I downloaded most of Wikipedia
  onto the Touch, and being able to use the app offline I
  see as an essential feature.

2 Main features
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.1 Capture
============
  Create new Org entries like notes in as primitive a way
  as possible.

2.2 Display of current tasks
=============================
  List the most recent agenda view from the desktop,
  including the task list and whatever other views you have
  configured for this.  Just one simple list to rule them
  all, maybe with toolbar buttons to jump to the agenda
  section, the task list section, etc.  Simplicity!

2.3 Flagging
=============
  In the list of tasks, have at most two buttons for each
  task.  Actually I would be satisfied only the first
  one, but might like the second one.  Here are the buttons:

  1. Flag entry for later attention when I am back at my
     desktop
  2. Done, get it out of my sight without further
     interaction.  Precise action to be defined in Emacs.


3 Implementation proposal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3.1 Main screen
================
  Directly into the task list, with a top level button to
  create a new task/note, maybe in the tool bar at the
  bottom of the page.

3.2 Data Desktop->iPod
=======================
  Make Emacs automatically create a special agenda-like
  view, containing the agenda for the coming week, and
  current task.  We can configure this in Emacs, and I can
  push out this list in any desired format.  Each entry
  listed will be forced to have an ID, for unique
  identification.

  I don't know how to get this list onto the iPhone, maybe
  the easiest would be to mount the iPhone via WiFi and to
  push a single file onto it.  Apps like Datacase do this
  kind of a thing.

3.3 Data iPhone->Desktop
=========================
  The iPhone app should create a single file like an RSS
  feed.  This feed would contain two kinds of items
  1. New entries captured.  We could be really clever on
     the Desktop/Emacs side in parsing these new entries,
     extracting free form dates from things like +2Fri
     etc.  Now stupid date input forms on the iPhone, just
     free typing and clever interpretation.
  2. IDs of flagged entries.  The next time at your
     Desktop, Emacs will make an agenda view listing all
     the flagged entries, and then you can archive them,
     add notes, changes states, from you memory.  You will
     do this in the full environment provided by Emacs, not
     on a crippled interface.  In this way, the lack of
     synchronization will be a feature, not a bug.

4 The experience on the Emacs side
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 1. When you start Org-mode, we would check if the iPhone is
    mounted.  If yes, we would periodically (with a timer)
    create the latest best agenda view and push it onto the
    device, so that you have a fresh version when you
    disconnect.
 2. If the phone is mounted, Emacs would check if the
    "feed" file exists.  If yes, it would read it and
    remove it from the iPhone so that new entries will
    create a new feed file.  Emacs would add the new node
    to an inbox (like org-feed.el does now for RSS feeds).
    It would mark and archive (or whatever you configure
    for this) the entries flagged as "get out of my
    sight".  And it would store the list of IDs of entries
    that require "attention", and will offer agenda views
    based on this list.

This is it.  This would make me happy.  I would of course
be willing to handle the entire Emacs side of this.

Comments?