Web-Based Task Management in Your Own Space

By Apr. 26, 2007, 12:00pm PT 15 Comments

There are lots and lots of good reasons to use pen & paper to keep track of lists and tasks. Not for me. I had surgery on my dominant wrist in 1989, and as a result my handwriting looks like scribbles after just a few minutes. Typing doesn’t bother me at all.

Those of us who rely on electronic task management face some challenges: If we use a desktop application, our data is only accessible when we’re at that computer or device. To solve that dilemma, we have web-based applications. Now we can get at our tasks from any browser on any computer. But now you have no control over the server hosting the application, you worry about security and you’re limited to the narrow functionality and scalability the developers put in the application.

So what do you do when you want the ease and cross-platform compatibility of a web-based task manager with the control and security of a desktop task manager? One possible solution is to download and install a database-driven task management application on your own, to the server of your choosing. It’s easier than you may think.

For these applications, you’ll need access to a server with a “LAMP” software bundle. Commonly this means the Linux operating system, Apache web server, MySQL database and PHP programming language. If you want to install your task manager locally and you’ve never set up a web server before, there is a lot of documentation on the web describing how to download, install and configure an existing Mac OS X or Windows machine. You may want to start here.

If poking around in the command line makes you nervous, you’ll want to stick with a server that someone else has already done the heavy lifting to get ready for you. Even the most inexpensive shared hosts will do. Just check the system requirements for the application with your host, and you should be all set. Then, all you need to get started with these applications is some working knowledge of how to set up a MySQL database with your host, a text editor and a way to transfer files to your hosted site via FTP. The software usually provides step-by-step installation instructions that you can follow like a recipe. Be sure to use an application that has a known track record like the ones mentioned below. Shared hosts don’t look kindly on PHP scripts run amok.

You don’t have quite the amount of control with a shared host that you would have with your own dedicated server, but if you lose access to the site you probably have more reliable tech support than if a standard “Web 2.0″ application goes offline. You can also easily backup your database, edit the source files to use your own logos or colors, keep your data secure and more.

OneOrZero is member-supported open source group task management software. You can download older versions of the package for free. Membership costs $35/year for access. $95/year gets you some technical support. The package seems targeted towards folks who deal with customer support issues, help desk and software development. The interface is also a bit dry and overwhelming.

TaskFreak is another free, opensource package, much more user-friendly than OneOrZero. It uses color and rollovers to make tasks easier to read and prioritize. TaskFreak is extensible through plug-ins. Example plug-ins include the ability to use email to notify users of tasks, attach files or Excel spreadsheets. This allows you to create just the task manager you want and need.

Tasks is a commercial offering from KingDesign. It started out as developer Alex King’s personal task manager and has since blossomed into a full-featured, multi-user task management application. Built-in to the application you’ll find features like the ability to add tasks via email, receive notifications via email, file attachments, RSS feeds, iCalendar feeds, search, tagging, and more. It also works well in a mobile browser, so you can review and update your tasks easily at any time. This is ideal if your phone has an HTML browser and an unlimited data plan.

Tasks comes in a choice of 3 flavors: Tasks Pro is the multi-user version, with pricing starting at $125 for 5 users. Tasks has most of the features of Task Pro, but it’s for a single user and costs $29.95. Tasks Jr. is the original, free version of the software. You can compare the features here. King also offers Use Tasks, a hosted plan starting at $3.95 per month for the single-user version. It’s the same software you’d download. King simply provides the hosting through a partner and keeps the application up-to-date.

These applications don’t have the drag & drop eye candy of other online task managers, but they are ultimately more flexible. Once you have the application installed and your data in a MySQL database, you don’t have to worry about losing anything if the startup goes under. If you find yourself boxed into a rounded corner with a web-based task management application, you might want to give one of these a try.

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