Task List

ByMike Moffit

I am not sure if Task List was the best name for this application. I think something like Homework Manager would have been more appropriate, but either way this is a nice application for all Mac-using students.

The application is free and open source which is really nice. I did notice a couple bugs and things that could be fixed but I’m pleased with the product overall.

As a student I could really find myself using this program a lot. You can add in all your homework assignments, projects and tests. You can even create other categories if you wanted too.

Each task you create can be assigned a categories, the date when it’s due, the priority level, the grade you got on it and you can add some extra comments to it.

Task List works in unison with iCal and it can automatically put the tasks, goals and events you create right into iCal for you. It also works with your iPod if you have one. You can put notes into the Task List application and then export them to your iPod.

Task Manager also comes with built-in backup functions. You can choose where to back it up to. You can also synchronize the database with your .Mac account which allows you to access your tasks and everything in Task List from any computer you sync with your .Mac.

I really wish I had something like this 3 years ago (or when I started school)! It’s a really nice application and the fact that it’s open source and free really appeals to me.

Some new features in version 5 include:
– Task List can now handle substeps for assignments
– A visual priority meter has been added to tasks
– Basic backup and restore functionality is included
– Tasks can now be archived
– A quick reference window has been added
– The Dock icon displays the number of current assignments
– Task List Lite, a menubar item, is now included
– A .Mac Backup QuickPick is included as well
– Notes can be edited in tabs
– Task List can now handle multiple file attachments
– Most toolbar icons have been updated
– The interface has been overhauled
– The Finals calculator, GPA calculator, and graphs have been merged into the main window
– Goals and notes are now handled in separate windows
– Assignment types are user-definable
– The application icon has been enhanced and cleaned up
– Graphs can now be viewed as bar graphs, line graphs, or pie charts
– Task List can now create a separate calendar in iCal for each of your classes
– Reliability of classcasts has been greatly improved
– Reliability of saving data has been improved
– Tons of other minor tweaks and fixes

Download a copy here!

Similar Posts

  • Don Mayer in USA Today – Today!

    Our CEO, Don Mayer was mentioned in USA Today, uh, today, in an article about the allure of the iPhone, even for those…

  • Apple Sales Training

    One of several job requirements for Small Dog employees is that everyone in the company achieves Apple Product Professional certification each year. The…

  • Do I smell a lawsuit?

    Way way back in 1995, Small Dog Electronic’s own Art Hendrickson penned the design for three “internet vending machines” including details of costs…

  • Happy Birthday, Tony!

    Today is our man Tony Amenta’s birthday. Tony, Happy Birthday! Tony is a great music lover, so we figured he’d appreciate this video…

  • Black History Month

    Each February Small Dog Electronics celebrates black history month. We use our blog and newsletters to honor African Americans contributions to our country….

  • Apple Excitement and Steam for Mac

    As an Apple fan, I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited as I am now. If I could roll the clock ahead to April right now then I would, and woe be it to anyone who tried to stop me. Why am I so excited? Well, two things really.

    First, obviously, is the iPad. Somehow in the last week I have gone from staunch iPad skeptic to literally “in a froth” to get my hands on one (thanks Penny Arcade for the excellent descriptor of my frenzied state). I’ll be the first to admit that as it was presented it is a fairly unassuming device. It doesn’t really do anything that you can’t do with an iPhone and a MacBook, and falls awkwardly somewhere between. But oh, the promise! The sheer potential of such a device is astounding. My intent is to purchase one as a statement, if nothing else. A statement to developers that I need them to develop great apps for it. But enough about the iPad.

    What really has me excited for April is the announcement that Valve, creators of Half Life, Portal, and Left for Dead, will be bringing its steam delivery service to the Mac platform, and its Source engine along with it. If you’re a Mac gamer, or wish you were, then this is amazing news. It’s no secret that our platform of choice is routinely ignored by game developers.

    Apple themselves have also ignored us by refusing to offer us more powerful graphics options (yes, I really do need 1GB of VRAM). Blizzard has really been the sole supporter of Macs in the game realm, steadily releasing their Mac versions simultaneously with their Windows counterparts… on the same discs even. For a company the size of Valve to start building Mac-native versions of their games and really support the platform should encourage other companies to follow suit.

    It’s already panning out like I expected. Razer has already announced they will fully support Mac OS X with their line of gamer centric peripherals (I’m a huge fan of their mice). My guess is that next we’ll see some of the larger publishers such as EA and Ubisoft (though please leave your draconian DRM behind) start to pick up Mac knowledgeable programmers and start to build native versions of their games rather than the bogged down ports we receive now.

    Even if other developers don’t jump on board immediately, I can’t express in words how excited I am to be able to download my already large library of Source games without launching bootcamp first. And when Portal 2 releases around the holidays, I’ll finally be able to consider myself a Mac gamer instead of a gamer who likes Macs.