The Chandler Project is pleased to announce the 1.1.0 release of Chandler Server (Cosmo)!

Chandler Server is a server and Ajax web UI for managing and sharing calendars, events, and tasks. It implements open data standards including CalDAV, WebDAV, Atom, and Atompub.

This release contains two significant features and four bug fixes. Any user can now delete their own account and data by using the settings dialog. Interoperability with some CalDAV implementations including iCal 3 should be improved by support for the CTAG draft standard.

The Chandler Hub has been updated and is now running the 1.1.0 version as well.

Chandler Server 1.1.0 is available for download as a ready-to-run bundle at:

http://chandlerproject.org/serverdownload

and the source code is available from subversion at:

http://svn.osafoundation.org/server/cosmo/tags/rel_1.1.0

Send us feedback at the open mailing list (no subscription required):

chandler-users@osafoundation.org

We look forward to hearing from you!

The issues fixed in this release include:

• [Bug 12283] Users should be able to delete their own Hub accounts
• [Bug 12279] Add support for CTag, Apple’s extension of ETag to a Calendar Collection
• [Bug 11851] Sort triage status by TriageStatusChangedDate
• [Bug 12334] Fix recovery pages
• [Bug 12349] In IE7, in DV, long notes obscure DV header section
• [Bug 12357] Account browser help link broken

Back in January, we underwent a significant reorganization. Our founder Mitch Kapor stepped down from the project and provided enough funding to support paid staff for about a year. In August, we released 1.0 and since then we have seen a notable increase in our user base and continued growth in the user community.

As we head into the 4th quarter, we are now turning our attention to what needs to be done to ensure that Chandler remains a healthy, open source project that continues to serve the needs of its users as we transition from a paid staff to a volunteer-driven organization.

So, we felt it was time to back-up and take stock of what we’ve accomplished with the recent 1.0 release, and talk about our options, both in the short-term (next 3-6 months) as well as with respect to long-term goals.

The question before us is: Given our goals, what is the best use of remaining paid developer time?

Our mission remains developing high quality software to help individuals and small workgroups manage tasks and calendars.

We think this means delivering a solution that supports:

• A hosted service to support sharing and personal backup and syncing.
• A desktop application that is stable and performant with an extensible schema.
• The ability to get data in and out of Chandler (Desktop and Server / Service) in a variety of “standard” ways.
• The ability to work with other apps, where APIs and standards exist.

We also remain committed to remaining an open source project by:

• Continuing to grow and solidify the user community, including establishing processes to ensure that users have a voice in development efforts.
• Build a development community around a code base that is well-documented, fully testable, easy to maintain and and modular enough to allow for loose collaboration among developers.

Post 1.0 Priorities: Going forward, we’ve identified the following areas as key to the continued health of the project:

1. Hub Service
2. Support 1.0 users on both Chandler Hub and Chandler Desktop (We continue monthly releases of the desktop and are about to release Chandler Server 1.1.)
3. Community (more posts on this soon!)
4. Desktop Re-architecture Project

Desktop Re-architecture Project

As with any re-architecture effort, ours is a risky one, complicated by unknowns.

• Bug fixes and new feature work will slow down considerably. In the short-term we’ve decided to focus on strengthening Chandler’s “mobile device” support with extensions to Chandler Hub such as a new quick entry iPhone app and the ability to broadcast and receive email notifications. (However, we remain committed to fixing serious blocker bugs as well as helping volunteers interested in fixing bugs and building new features.)
• The timeframe for a fully re-architected, usable Chandler Desktop is still unknown.

Still, one thing that has been clear to us for some time is that the the performance and stability issues we face on the desktop can’t be fixed by continued work on the current code base.

Therefore, the choice we face is one of timing: Either we continue feature work on the current code base and defer the re-architecture to some later date (probably as a volunteer project), or bite the bullet and use remaining paid staff resources to work on re-architecture now.

In the end, we decided to re-architect now for a number of reasons, including:

1. Re-architecture projects are unlikely to be implemented by volunteer developers.
2. A re-architected desktop will be much friendlier to new developers and put Chandler in a stronger position for attracting volunteers, both for fixing bugs and building out new features.

That being said, our first milestone is to get something developers can start hacking on in the next 3 months, even if there isn’t enough UI for end-users to try it out.

The significance of 1.0: If we knew all along that we needed to re-architect the desktop, why did we decide put our energies into shipping a 1.0?

Shipping 1.0 has helped us clarify what the re-architecture needs to support. Both from a technical standpoint as well as from a design and user interface perspective.

Preview and 1.0 allowed us to put theory into practice. Through user feedback, we validated the problem space we had identified and workflows we had developed. We also identified what didn’t work and what wasn’t necessary. All of which will be essential in maintaining a sharp focus as we proceed with the re-architecture project.

Last but not least, 1.0 has been instrumental in helping us build a user base and enthusiasm for the project, two things we will need to sustain the project through the re-architecture effort..

Goals of the Re-architecture

• Address performance and stability issues.
• Make it easier for developers to fix bugs and add new features.
• Separate the storage, domain model, interaction and presentation layers of the app in order to parallelize development. (So for example, developers can work on building the interface for a new feature without having to wait for the domain model to be defined.)
• Comprehensive test coverage.
• Extensible schema.
  – Allow developers to add functionality around an expanded range of data types supported by the app. (e.g. Documents, Media, Contacts and Directories, etc)
  – Allow developers and users alike to define custom attributes.

Non-goal: Create a generic developer toolkit.

What we think we can accomplish in the next 3-5 months:
There are a number of paths we can pursue. At a minumum, we know we need to implement fully-tested interaction, domain and storage layers for Chandler. After that, there are a number of different ways to stage added functionality. A few configurations we’ve discussed include:

1) Sharing a simple task list through Chandler Hub. This would involve:

• Ability to import data from current desktop. (aka Port EIM.)
• Baseline sharing support.
• List view.

2) Basic Calendar

• Week view
• Detail view
• Recurrence

3) Initially bypass core Desktop 1.0 features and instead implement add-on apps (e.g. bookmarks manager, personal jogging tracker, reading list). Small, discrete apps that require less upfront investment in infrastructure work and allow us to get usable UI on the re-architecture branch faster.

For a more detailed discussion of our re-architecture plans, see Grant’s write-up on the Chandler-Dev list. Ultimately, our goal is build community interest around the re-architecture work. So please stay tuned for more discussions on the dev list and jump in with questions and feedback.

The first in a line of approximately monthly bugfix releases after Chandler 1.0 is ready for public consumption. Chandler Desktop 1.0.1 addresses the following bugs:

The new release can be downloaded here, or via the ”Check for Updates” menu (available in 0.7.6 or later).

Avner recently wrote in to the Users’ List about how he can create new items from his cell phone by sending text messages to Chandler via email and Chandler IMAP folders.

See instructions on how to set up Chandler IMAP folders.

How are you making using of Chandler’s IMAP folders?

…I just figured out a pretty good way to add things to Chandler on the move. I can send texts to e-mail addresses, so I set up a filter to put
emails from my cell phone in the proper IMAP folder. It works pretty
well for me…

-Avner Shanan-

We are pleased to announce the release of Chandler 1.0, a “Note-to-Self Organizer” designed for personal and small-group task management and calendaring.

Chandler consists of a desktop application and Chandler Hub, a free sharing service and web application. You can also download and run your own Chandler Server.

Chandler is open source and standards-based.

What’s different about Chandler?

Chandler aims to provide a more integrated approach to managing information with:

• A Quick Entry Bar to enter everything from ideas to reminders and
  appointments.

• NOW-LATER-DONE Triage List to collect, process and track everything from deadlines and meetings to drafts and ideas.
• Tickler Alarms to auto-re-focus deferred (LATER) items to NOW
• An integrated, full-featured calendar designed for tracking meetings and events and tasks and deadlines.
• Back-up and Sharing: Manage personal and shared lists and calendars side-by-side. Back-up to the Chandler Hub sharing service, sync with other calendar apps and services, and sync your data across multiple computers and access it from the web.
• Lightweight integration with Email.

You can download Chandler Desktop, sign up for a free Chandler Hub account and get a tour of the product. Check out the source. And get involved in the project as we set our sights on growing our community. And send your feedback and questions to: chandler-users@osafoundation.org or chat with us on IRC!

We look forward to hearing from you!
The Chandler Team

What’s changed since Preview?

Chandler Desktop

• simpler interface
• streamlined upgrade experience
• streamlined set up for backup and sharing
• ability to re-order collections in the left-hand sidebar
• detachable detail view

Plus, 11th hour volunteer contributions for:

• clickable links in the notes field
• custom recurrence rules

Chandler Hub/Server

• streamlined sign-up experience
• better experience for subscribing with other apps and services (Apple iCal, Google)
• ability to invite others to share
• calendar overlays
• streamlined detail view
• new iGoogle Quick Entry widget that can also work on Linux desktop
• ability to sync all Chandler data (not just events) with Apple iCal, Lightning…
• upgraded web interface to Dojo 1.0.2
• back-end support for importing .ics calendar files
• back-end support for notifications
• back-end support for managing collections through the feed service.

Significant Bug Fixes

Chandler Desktop

• recurring events keep popping to NOW, marked as Unread
• sort LATER section chronologically

Chandler Hub/Server

• patched read-write sharing security issue
• make Triage Status sort consistent with Desktop
• occurrences more than a month in the future don’t show up in the Triage List

Complete lists of feature work and bug fixes for Desktop and Server.

New and improved documentation:

• New website: http://chandlerproject.org
• New Product Tour with a new demos
• Gallery of User Stories
• New Get Started Guide
• Updated documentation for Chandler Server

We’ve decided to roll a Chandler Desktop 1.0 release candidate 2, mainly to address the following:

Windows users who upgraded to version 1.0-rc1 may have run into the following error message when launching Chandler:

“Another Chandler is already running off the same data repository.”

Thanks to reports from users, we’ve now fixed the problem in version 1.0-rc2.

If you download and run the new rc2 version, Chandler should launch and load your data without any problems. However, if you do run into any issues, please let us know at chandler-users@osafoundation.org!

In addition, we have addressed the following three bugs reported by users:

• 12256 Overzealous url detection
• 12262 Outlook doesn’t like empty body for multipart/alternative
• 12276 Changing date and day of custom weekly event results in item’s disappearance

To download the new release, either use the “Check for Updates” feature (via the File >> Check for Updates >> Now menu item), or visit the download page

Thanks to all for your patience in helping us test!

The Chandler Team

I’m one of those people who uses their email inbox as
a task list. I keep emails around forever if I think there’s
something I need to do associated with that email. I file messages I
think I might refer to one day out of my inbox. Unfortunately, this
approach sometimes means I have a lot of email threads all clamoring
for my attention. It can be overwhelming.

One of Chandler’s appeals for me is the ability to manage lots of
different ideas, but only focus on a few at a time. The way focus
works in Chandler is that items are “triaged” to NOW, LATER, or DONE.

DONE is just like filing an email. NOW is like leaving the
email in my inbox. The big enhancement, for me, is LATER.

With the LATER section, you can mark a message as important to pay
attention to, but not right now. This risks becoming a gargantuan pit
of “someday, maybe” items, though, so you can also assign an alarm,
and that item will pop back to NOW in the future.

Now I can choose just a few things to keep in my NOW section, and
collapse the LATER and DONE sections so they don’t distract me.

One big problem with the LATER section, until recently, was that it
was sorted pretty arbitrarily. I have dozens of LATER items.
Birthdays, events months from now, reminders to do something next
month, and more. What I (and most users, from what we’ve heard on our
mailing lists) want is for the LATER section to sort according to
when an item will become NOW again.

I’m happy to announce that in our latest release (1.0rc1), the LATER
section sorts appropriately! For all you non-Chandler users reading
this, that may not seem like a big deal. But it has a surprisingly
big impact on my use of Chandler.

When LATER sorted arbitrarily, I spent a lot of my time going and looking at my calendar to
remind myself if I had upcoming events. Really, I don’t have enough
events to want a calendar view very often. Mostly, I just want to
know what’s coming soon. Now the LATER section gives me that.

I used to not bother assigning alarms to events. I’m not sure why, it
just felt like too much effort for not enough payoff. Being able to
see a prioritized-by-date list of LATER items pushes the
effort-to-payoff ratio to a point where I’m always assigning alarms to
anything I don’t want to think about right now. As a result, my NOW
section is much more manageable and I’m calmer about what I need to be
thinking about.

We have released an early version of Chandler 1.0. 1.0-rc1 has been tested internally but we are relying on the general user community to help us test with real data and real daily usage.

There have been a number of significant, new features since the 0.7.7 release including:

• bug 7612 Clickable URLs in the Notes field
• bug 8087 Support for more recurrence rules (e.g. 3rd Wednesday of every month, MTTh weekly, etc)
• bug 12234 Performance improvement: Replace weekly “purge” with “export/reload”. (Many users reported experiencing noticeable performance boosts when upgrading, which is when you typically export and reload your data.)
• bug 11774 The LATER section in the Triage List view now sorts correctly! Displaying events and reminders “in chronological order”. Items without event or custom alarms dates appear at the bottom of the LATER section.
• bug 12246 Alarms are overriding the event date in the Triage List date column.

Here is the complete list of 1.0-rc1 features and bug fixes.

So please help us by upgrading to version 1.0-rc1 and as usual, send reports of any issues you find to the chandler-users list or bugzilla. To upgrade, you can either
Check for updates in Chandler, or visit the downloads page.

We have been having a rather interesting conversation over at TechSoup, an online forum where non-profits can discuss and learn about available technology solutions.

The thread, originally begun with the title: “Chandler maturing as an Outlook alternative” has grown into a more general discussion of sustainability and open source projects and in particular, our own plans for building a volunteer development community.

Much of the conversation has revolved around how we maintain a user-centered focus as a project as we work to attract volunteer developers. (A challenge all consumer-facing open source projects face.)

Don C in particular has had some useful words of advice based on his experience on The Sahana Project.

I’ve just put together a candidate build for Chandler Desktop 0.7.7. Besides some cleanup of the startup/shutdown UI, this is primarily a bugfix release: You can find the full list of 19 bugs addressed here.

This will almost certainly be the last in the 0.7.x series: We’ll be spending the next few weeks to a month fixing bugs, and preparing to release version 1.0.

Updated to add: The build is available for testing here. Also, choosing “Check for Test Updates” from the “Tools” menu should take you to this page.

Updated to add: 0.7.7 was released on June 22, 2008: Get the official release on the chandlerproject home page.