Suggestions for calendar software

June 22, 2010 8:40 AM

Give me your suggestions for off-line calendar software for Windows XP.

I'm looking for a lightweight, robust calendar solution under Windows XP, with the following requirements:

(1) Mostly interested in event planning - no need for tasks/reminders.
(2) Must have good synchronization across different computers.
(3) On-line solutions are not acceptable.
(4) Must have a GUI, ruling out things like emacs org mode.
(5) Free is a plus, but I'm willing to pay for something that fits my requirements.

Is anyone using something like this they would care to recommend?

posted by Dr Dracator to computers & internet (5 answers total)

You say online isn't acceptable. But why? Are you not going to have reliable connections to the internet? Do you not want to trust in an internet calendar? Do you not want to make people sign up for a service?

I use the Lightning plugin for Thunderbird (from Mozilla), but it also comes in a stand alone program called Sunbird. You have the option of running a Google calendar through that and I'm assuming you could use some sort of Dropbox like syncing software to sync profiles/etc. across computers. Or this portion of the FAQ might help.
posted by theichibun at 9:15 AM on June 22, 2010

You say online isn't acceptable. But why? Are you not going to have reliable connections to the internet? Do you not want to trust in an internet calendar?

These two mostly, plus personal preference: I don't see why I have to give my work-related data to some unknown entity half-way across the world to accomplish something that can mostly be done on a piece of paper. Going on-line doesn't really give me anything I need but makes me have to worry about security.

I'm assuming you could use some sort of Dropbox like syncing software to sync profiles/etc. across computers

I already have a pretty nifty synching scheme based on removable media, so the ability to synch by copying files would be great.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:28 AM on June 22, 2010

If I'm reading that correctly then it seems like Portable versions of Thunderbird or Sunbird would work nicely. They're designed to live on a USB stick and be taken to multiple computers.
posted by theichibun at 10:01 AM on June 22, 2010

The good old tried and true Time & Chaos. It's been around forever, but updated now and very slick. Unfortunately, it's not freeware but it's one of the few pieces of software I've felt good about paying for.
posted by Gerard Sorme at 12:00 PM on June 22, 2010

Palm Desktop ? You don't need the PDA to run it on your PC
posted by rfs at 9:13 PM on June 22, 2010