project-overview.org

Most important concept: OrgMode web interface Second import concept: get the hacker base (software development?)

About this file

Why (Purpose)

• Current systems are not accessible everywhere
• Org-mode is a great conceptual system
  • Simple system
  • Flexible enough to accomodate lots of complexity
  • Headings (** style) are a nice organizational structure
  • Very steep learning curve
  • Keyboard shortcuts should be optional
• Want to get benefits of org-mode without the need to learn org-mode
• Let individuals run their own cloud if desired
• Find a way to determine what stuff is
  • Then find a way to turn that into income

What (Outcome) - It should (be)…

• Open source
• Modular
• Flexible
  • Allow quick addition of plugins for different inbox sources
• Intuitive
• Accessible without an internet connection
• Cross platform
  • Server
  • Clients
• Optimized for GTD use
  • Able to handle content that is not GTD structured
• Valuable from day 0
• Provide all currently actionable items
• Hide currently non-actionable items
• Scalable to enterprise level needs
• Able to merge offline changes into database
  • Include some form of version control
• Unify as many inboxes as possible
• Provide tutorials for how to maximize value
  • Not require tutorials to be useable
• An interface with others, even if they’re not using this application

Angular components

Outline twisty states

Conditions	MPTT condition	# of states	Visual cue
Children and details	lft - rght > 1	3	100% opacity
No children, details	lft - rght == 1	2	50% opacity

Development priorities

Things I need for my own use

• Week long agendas
• Built-in calendar
  • Time-specific vs day-specific
• Penetration testing
• IMAP/POP import plugin
• GMail import plugin
• Google calendar import plugin
• Google voice import plugin

Things that others will need

• Google tasks import plugin (Emily)

New messaging protocol

• My inbox is not messages but a disorganized todo list
• New protocol should be independent of OrgWolf application
• Messages should include TODO information
  • Current e-mail format (SMTP?) with extra pieces?
    • Find out what the current format of SMTP messages is
  • New format entirely?
• The sender should not have to worry whether the recipient has this capability
  • Fail to standard e-mail
• Messaging could use non-email forms for some recipients
  • eg. a friend only uses SMS so send a text instead
  • Once set, this should be transparent to the sender
• The recipient should have total control over the status, deadline, etc.
  • The sender can ask for:
    • Status (NEXT, DFRD, HARD)
    • Deadline
    • Scheduled date (for deferred)
  • Regardless of status is shows up as “in” for approval
  • Recipient can then change parameters as necessary
    • Should this be communicated back to the sender?
• The standard defines some basic TODO states
  • Can individual implementations add their own?
  • Would this lead to fragmentation problems?
• Add sent messages to [waiting for] list
• Allow for encryption and signing (GPG?)
  • Required by individual implementation?
• Sender can ask for return receipt?
  • Sender can ask to be kept informed of all decisions/changes?
• Group messages (similar to Facebook messenger)
• Encryption

Mobile apps/Usage portals

Web application (django)

• Update mechanism
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Setup wizard for server app
• Quick add tasks
  • How to implement without javascript?

Mobile clients

• Barcode scanner?
  • I need to buy one of these [snap]
• What transfer protocol to use
  • XML/JSON/etc
  • SSH/SSL/etc
  • Encryption
• Sync dismissals across devices
• Dictate to inbox or todo list
  • Try and transcribe voice dictations
• Keep local copy for offline use
  • How should we manage conlicting changes?
• Capture voicemail in inbox
• Make it easy to capture ad-hoc ideas
• Alarms with varying intensity)
  • Notification
  • Wake-up alarm
  • System checks morning alarm against daily calendar
• Document scanning
  • Send image to inbox
  • Can be cropped/stored later
  • System can try and predict cropping while item sits in inbox
• Take notes after a call
  • New NEXT items
  • New DFRD items
• RESTfull

Android app

• Google Cloud Message
• Capture widget

iOS app

• Apple Push Notification

Blackberry app

Windows Phone

Palm Pilot

Desktop client

• One click add to shopping lists
• Polished installers
  • “click and go”
• System tray pop-up
  • NEXT list?
  • Daily agenda?
• Data available offline
  • eg. on an airplane
• Guake style overlay dialog

chrome/FF/Opera extensions

• Pin things for later reading (similar to Pocket)

Embedded clients

• Smart notepad
• Wall-mounted touchscreen
• In-vehicle device
  • Voice dictation?
  • How do we connect to server?
  • Simply tell mobile client you’re in the car?

Communication formats

• JSON
• XML
• Plain text
• HTML

Communication protocols

• SSH
• SSL

Modes and Mindsets

• A person needs different tools depending on how she’s thinking
• These may correspond to different Django templates
  • Hide the un-used items or just ghost them
• How does she switch modes?
• Reminders to visit modes (like Org Mode)

Org Mode

• Create the structures for the rest of this
• Equivalent to writing a .emacs file

Background Mode

• I’m focused on something else but make sure nothing blows up
• eg. Emily is teaching

Open/creative Mode

• Creative thinking
• Minimal distraction

Process Mode

• Sort through inbox
• Decide what “stuff” is

Do Mode

• Work through items on a to-do list

Weekly-Review Mode

• Tied in to weekly review workflow?

Django Models

• Internationalization
• django caching
• Org-mode markup
  • bold
  • italic
  • underlined
  • code
  • verbatim
  • strikethrough
• Remind about TV shows
• Video to watch
• Material could be part of more than 1 project
• Version control
• Project categories?
  • eg. workout calendar
  • or is this just a project
• Attachments

GTD

• how to handle errands, as tool or as location?
• contexts as a sequence of if…then statements
  • eg. if my students are not in the room then I can do these things
  • could be handled with tags?
• [ ] validate this model

[15/15] class Node:

• [X] get_children()
• [X] scope = ManyToMany(Scope)
• [X] parent
  • a project is a Node with parent=root
  • material could be part of more than 1 project
• what-is-it criteria
• [X] todo_state = ForeignKey(TodoState)
• scheduling criteria
• [X] deadline
• [X] closed_date
• [X] scheduled
• [X] repeating (both value and unit)
  • [X] repeat_strict (repeat from when completed or when scheduled)
• selection criteria
• [X] tag_string
• [X] mental_energy (high/low)
• [X] priority (A/B/C)
• [X] time_needed (high/low)
• tools, locations, and people are all tags
• [X] add_context_item()
• [X] rm_context_item()
• [X] get_context_items()

[4/4] class Tag:

• [X] display
• [X] value
• [X] owner
  • No owner means it’s a built-in tag
• [X] public

[0/0] class Tool(Tag):

[3/3] class Location(Tag):

• [X] GPS_info
• [X] tools_available
• [X] tools_unavailable

[4/4] class Contact(Tag):

• [X] f_name
• [X] l_name
• (display)
  • Automagically determine from f_name + l_name
• (tag_string)
• (owner)
• [X] auth.user
• [X] messaging.contact

[4/4] class TodoState:

• make distinction between someday and maybe?
• [X] actionable = BooleanField(default=True)
• [X] done
• [X] abbreviation = CharField()
• [X] display_text = CharField()

[3/3] class Scope:

• [X] owner
• [X] display
• [X] public

[7/7] class Context:

• [X] tools_available
• [X] tools_unavailable
• [X] locations_available
• [X] locations_unavailable
• [X] people_available
• [X] people_unavailable
• [X] get_actions_list

[3/3] class Project:

• [X] title
• [X] owner
• [X] other_users
• (description will be first child node)

[/] class Priority

• priority_value (0-100, 0 is highest)
• owner

Users

• dones = ManyToMany(GTD.TodoState)
• todos = ManyToMany(GTD.TodoState)

Workflows

Weekly review workflow

Django Views

Todo lists

Agenda views

Django Templates

Gate One SSH in browser?

Javascript outline

Archived and children status

		default		show_all
	if heading has…	calls open()	opacity	calls open()	opacity
this.populated = true	text	Yes	100	Yes	100
	has_children	No	30	Yes	100
	has_unarchived_children	Yes	100	Yes	100
	none	No	0	No	0
this.populated = false	text	Yes	100	Yes	100
	has_children	Yes	60	Yes	100
	none	No	0	No	0

Combined Lab projects

• Markdown
• Merge projects (and related contents)
• Attachments
• Different people can change status on same project?
• Multiple people assigned to a project

Plugins

• OAuth

Source of “in”

• E-mail
  • GMail
  • Yahoo mail
  • Any IMAP/POP inbox
  • How to handle labels/folders
• Facebook
  • Especially invitations
• Calendars
  • Lotus Notes
  • Google calendar
• Google tasks
• Text messaging
  • Google voice
  • Generic text messaging
• Voicemail
  • Google voice
• Fax
• Twitter
• News aggregators
  • Google reader
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
• Browser bookmarks
• LinkedIn

Outlets for “out”

• E-mail
  • IMAP/POP folders
  • Directly send mail with SMTP
• Voice calls connected directly
  • Google voice
• People
  • Google contacts
• Calendars
  • Lotus Notes
• Google tasks
  • Allow use as list manager?
• Text messaging
  • Google voice
  • Generic text messaging
• Content to consume
  • Cable providers
  • Netflix
• Fax
• Postal address lookup
• LinkedIn

Org-mode input/output

• Per-user directories to hold org-mode files
• Modify (‘write-file) lisp command to save to OrgWolf API
  • Use .emacs file?
• Read/write using named pipes
• iNotify for reading changed org-mode files
• Custom .emacs files for SSH access

Reference Material

• Key is to make sure there’s action in it!!
• Version control
• Purging
• Allow processing of images and notes off-line
• Scan and send immediately to “in”
• Cut/crop/modify scanned images later
• How to handle storage requirements?
  • Freenet style distributed storage?
• How to handle support material
• Desktop clients for reference material
  • Similar to SparkleShare
  • MacOS
  • Windows
  • GNU/Linux
• How to handle specific life-span material
  • Current info folder
  • Expiration dates

Addition User Info (User.profile)

• Tutorial status
• done States
• Todo States
• Strict or loose GTD enforcement
• Track birthdays
  • Facebook?
  • As todo items?
• User’s birthday

Domain Structure

• Wordpress style
  • orgwolf.com –> Company and consulting
  • orgwolf.net –> Actual app interface
  • orgwolf.org –> FOSS download and bug tracking
• Wolfmail.net?
• orgmail.com?

Current products/competitors

• David Allen meta app
• Nozbe
• doit.im
• wunderlist
• fetchnotes (#todo get groceries)
• Trello
• Omnifocus
• workflowwy

GPG

• Allow multiple forms of key signing
  • NFC?
• Messaging protocol uses the web of trust for transmission
• Built in web of trust
• Unlock private key upon login
• Re-lock with cookie for later use

Commercial integration

• This piece should be proprietary
• eg. “buy new mouse” shows sponsored links
• Sell users information?
• GTD consulting services
• Premium accounts
• Sell support
  • Enterprise customers
  • “We install on your hardware”
• sell specialized capture devices
  • eg. electronic notepad

Interface

• Automatically play music based on what I’m doing?
• Minimalistic
• Google style
• Wordpress column style
• Bootstrap for CSS
• Other CSS libraries?
• Javascript
  • JQuery
• Different modes hide unwanted areas
• Different modes refresh with only wanted areas
• 3-way twisty for project view
  • Collapsed
  • Show summary
  • show details

Miscellaneous ideas

Use natural selection to create new regular expressions