Most Gnome users probably use Evolution, the default PIM, to manage their tasks and ToDo lists. However, if you are like me, who is not a user of Evolution and are looking for a native standalone ToDo list app for your Linux machine, here are 5 of the best ToDo list apps that I have tried, used, loved and recommend.
Tasque
Even though it is a simple ToDo list manager, Tasque is extremely useful and versatile that everyone will love to use it.
When you first use Tasque, you might be surprised to find that there is no menu bar or any other miscellaneous features. In fact, there is almost nothing in the whole application window except for a dropdown box (to access the categories) and an input field for you to enter your tasks. That’s it, nothing more.
One of the best thing about Tasque is its ability to synchronize with Evolution and Remember the Milk. It is also supported by the Avant Window Navigator (AWN) dock so that you can access your ToDo list directly and quickly from the dock.
In Debian-based distro, you can install Tasque via the ‘tasque‘ package in the repositories.
GToDo
GToDo stands for To Do list for Gnome. It is one of the oldest ToDo list apps for Linux, but this does not mean that it is obsolete and useless. It may not come with a beautiful GUI, but it sure has plenty of useful features that makes it one of the most popular ToDo list apps for Linux users.
Some of the features that I like about this app includes the ability to create multiple lists, set alarm notifications when tasks are due, auto-purge completed tasks, export tasks to HTML format, sort tasks according to priority, due date or status and highlight or hide tasks until the due time is reached.
The GToDo package is found in the repository. For Gnome users, you can also install the GToDo panel applet and place the icon on your panel for quick access and easy retrieval.
Makagiga
Makagiga is more of a powerful mini PIM rather than a ToDo list. Other than the task management feature, it also serves as a RSS reader, notepad, image and links collection, bookmarks, a built-in search engine and a terminal console. If that is not enough, you can install plugins to extend its functionality.
For its ToDo list feature, it comes with different color codes for each entry so that you can easily distinguish which tasks are more important. In addition, there is a Complete column where you can assign the percentage of work done for that particular task. This is useful if you are tracking the progress of a project.
Makagiga is java based and requires Java SE 6 to work. It is available for the Linux and Windows platforms. You can find the installer package (deb, rpm and exe) on the download page.
ThinkingRock
ThinkingRock is a very powerful GTD style task manager that could be an overkill for the average users. It’s not just a ToDo list, but rather a full fledged project management application.
The developer probably knew that their complicated modules could be very difficult for the average users to get used to, that’s why they included a flow chart on the Home page. This has been very useful as it gives you a step-by-step guide to organize your thoughts and put it into actions.
There are four main steps to this application: Setup, Collect, Process and Organise/Review.
The Setup mode allows you to setup your account, including creating context, criteria and the topics. The Collect mode is where you record down all your thoughts as you brainstorm.
The Process mode is to give you a clear instruction on how to process your thoughts and filter out those that are not important/workable.
The last step is to organise your tasks and split them into smaller actionable tasks or delegated out for others to do.
ThinkingRock works on all platforms. Ubuntu users can install ThinkingRock by adding the package source (deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/salutis/ubuntu intrepid main) to the repository.
iKog
For those who love the command line more than anything else, you are in luck here. iKog is a powerful command line based ToDo list that is based loosely on the GTD methodology.
There is no installation required to run iKog. It is in fact a small python script that weighs only 20KB. If you have Python 2.4 running in your system, getting iKog to run is simply running the script with the command
python ikog.py
There is a whole lot of functions found in iKog. You can add simple tasks (command: “+ your task name”) or give your task a due date (command: “+ your task name :d2009-04-20“). To view your task list, simply type in the command list. For more information on the usage of iKog, refer to the documentation on its site.
In the event that you wish to print your task list, iKog also allows you to export your list to HTML format so that you can easily print it from your browser.
Most people will dread using the terminal, but somehow, after using it for a while, I have found myself addicted to it for its simple, fast and clean interface.
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