Re: iPhone ----> org-mode

[Carsten Dominik <carsten.dominik@gmail.com>]

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?