Re: [tlug] how to keep track of one's work... another 'BestPractices' question

["Micheal E Cooper" <network-admin@example.com>]

Input from Larry Stanbery:

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You could use a wiki...  [like] PmWiki.

I've found that there's a plug-in for doing a calendar there, and have
tried it a bit for doing logs.  I have to keep project logs for my
development folder, so I played with it a bit -- unfortuntately, I didn't
have a system I could keep that running on regularly, so I had to stop,
but we might have a permanent linux server now, and I might be able to
restart that process.

My 2 bits.

Oh, btw, I had exchanged some emails some time ago with Sacha about PIMs
and such -- she's got some ideas and experience in that arena.  You might
also consider a PDA, and sync that to a system.  If it's linux based, it
would be pretty easy to set up Apache and a small wiki on it, then sync
that (via rsync) to another server there.

(Oh, I purposefully sent this to you only -- though feel free to
reduce for the list.)

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Posting this to the list for the benefit of archive searchers and other
members.

The PDA is, of course, on my mind, though I hadn't thought of installing
Apache and a wiki on the PDA and then using rsynch. That is wild. I go to
Yamada Denki whenever I can to drool over the Zaurus CL-3000 and walk away
knowing that I cannot afford an 80,000 yen PDA. (If anyone knows where I
can get one for under 50,000, please tell.)

The wiki is great, and I still use it for relatively-static information,
but for timestamped entries it seems unsuited. Another concern is the fact
that, if I wanted to move all the built-up material in a wiki over to text
or some other format, I would have to clean out the wiki codes. The last
reservations are (1) that I cannot just pop the wiki into my usb key
memory, and (2) that finding exactly what I want quickly is just not
practical. Or maybe I just don't know how.

Through reading Sacha's website, I came across another site where people
were discussing the one-big-text-file approach, and from there, I came
across the Archie project, which is now on my list of things to try out,
along with Sacha's Emacs planner-mode. They both facilitate the
one-big-text-file approach.

Sacha's site: http://www.plannerlove.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php
One Big Text File discussion:
http://www.43folders.com/2005/08/17/life-inside-one-big-text-file/
The Giles Turnbull post that started it:
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/7567
The link to Archy cited in a post to the Turnbull discussion:
http://rchi.raskincenter.org/aboutrchi/index.php

For over two years, I have been working out of a directory of text files,
separated by topics and function (todo, contacts, one journal per day,
etc.), and I am happy with it, especially the ability to rescue the files
with a small USB memory key. However, there are limitations, which is why
I have asked TLUG for the best-practices of experienced users.