Calendar.txt • Hacker News Board

Re: Calendar.txt

#81

Post by janpot » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:07 PM UTC

my dad keeps his calendar in an excel file with almost the exact same format except he omits dates with no entries. Every week he prints a new version of this on a single A4 which he folds and keeps in his wallet. new events are hand written at the bottom and get included in the excel weekly. he's been doing this for as long as I can remember.

Re: Calendar.txt

#82

Post by edoceo » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:15 PM UTC

vhantz wrote: post #80

guessmyname wrote: post #8

I created a super-simple CalDav-esque web endpoint in my personal website that receives HTTP requests from a command line tool, stores the calendar events, and then returns them as a dynamic ICS file. Then, I use Apple’s Calendar app to subscribe to a “hidden” URL and iCloud automatically distributes the subscription to all my devices. It sounds super dumb but it works so well. The main feature is that I can categori…

Could you elaborate on the "hidden URL"?

Just a hard to guess one. Like using UUID or things.

Re: Calendar.txt

#83

Post by doenwe » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:18 PM UTC

Is support for 2034 announced?

Re: Calendar.txt

#84

Post by barbazoo » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:20 PM UTC

tero wrote: post #60

slmjkdbtl wrote: post #56

To me the biggest block for using any plain text format for daily stuff is I need a good mobile - laptop sync method that I can easily read / write and manage files on both mobile and laptop, does anyone have any recommendation? The best choice I can think right now is SimpleNote which I've been using for notes for a long time, but is there a way I can actually use .txt file instead of text been stored somewhere in a…

I recommend https://syncthing.net/ Works with all file formats, from photos and movies to text files. Cross platform: Linux, Windows, Android, probably also Mac and BSD. Update: And it's end-to-end encrypted and free, open-source software.

I use syncthing for notes across iOS and macOS devices and I wouldn't say it's great. It works most of the time until it doesn't, until one client all of a sudden stops syncing and then you gotta figure out where it's hanging. Couple of days ago it was the macOS syncthing app. Just wouldn't start, wouldn't show an error. Usually it's the iOS helper app "Möbius Sync" not actually syncing in the background. It's annoying but still better than using a cloud provider.

I suspect the experience is better on Android.

Re: Calendar.txt

#85

Post by BuildTheRobots » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:20 PM UTC

Tangentially related, but the built-in Windows Notepad still to this day will append the current time and date to a file on opening, if the first line is ".LOG".

Re: Calendar.txt

#86

Post by doenwe » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:20 PM UTC

Is support for 2034 on the calendar?

Re: Calendar.txt

#87

Post by barbazoo » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:22 PM UTC

ftr1200 wrote: post #63

slmjkdbtl wrote: post #56

To me the biggest block for using any plain text format for daily stuff is I need a good mobile - laptop sync method that I can easily read / write and manage files on both mobile and laptop, does anyone have any recommendation? The best choice I can think right now is SimpleNote which I've been using for notes for a long time, but is there a way I can actually use .txt file instead of text been stored somewhere in a…

I use my Gmail drafts as permanent, in-sync notes (with subject as the title of each note) Why? - No extra app needed - Keeps them quite hidden / private / secure - Always easy access (I always have emails open) - In sync with different devices

> Gmail drafts

> Keeps them quite hidden / private / secure

Not hidden from Google obviously :) At that point, why not just use Keep at that point to get proper support for notes?

Re: Calendar.txt

#88

Post by gnabgib » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:22 PM UTC

BuildTheRobots wrote: post #85

Tangentially related, but the built-in Windows Notepad still to this day will append the current time and date to a file on opening, if the first line is ".LOG".

Or press

Re: Calendar.txt

#89

Post by woodrowbarlow » Fri, Feb 28, 2025, 5:33 PM UTC

zero_shift wrote: post #45

oneeyedpigeon wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without any explanation, this comment isn't particularly productive. Can you explain how it doesn't do it well?

I am also sceptical. It's conflating a format for recording calendars with a syntax the user needs to write. That syntax looks quite brittle and not very intuitive. One day = one line would get unwieldy fast. It doesn't localise well and there's no obvious way to implement recurring events beyond daily actions. (From what I can see at least?) You could build a client on top of that but then, you lose the benefit. It'…

> You could build a client on top of that but then, you lose the benefit.

disagree. having the data in a simple format makes it syncable, trackable, and guarantees that even if you don't have access to the software you're used to, you can always edit it by hand as long as you can access the file.

you can build some software on top of it; or better yet, build sync plugins for existing software, and benefit from nicer UX without giving up the benefits.