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Calendar with alarms - NOT iCal

OldCorpse

OldCorpse

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 7, 2005
1,758
348
compost heap
I really, really, really, really, absolutely hate and detest iCal. It's garbage as far as I am concerned.

Here's what I need: a calendar where I can set events for specific days and times that - at a designated day and time - will pop up a flashing message with sound. I cannot accomplish this in the POS iCal, and I find iCal an extremely inflexible and utterly unintuitive nightmare (by far the worst Apple app IMHO).

Seemingly a simple request. Is there such a thing in the big wide world of mac apps? TIA!
 
OldCorpse said:
Yeah, that's a good suggestion, and I did think about it when I started looking for such an app, but the problem is that I need something that's not web based, so that it works when I'm offline somewhere with my iBook.
Click to expand...

Have you tried iCal? I thought that you loved that app :)
 
TheStu said:
Have you tried iCal? I thought that you loved that app :)
Click to expand...

I'm not a programmer or software designer. So, I guess I just cannot comprehend why it is so difficult to come up with a decent calendaring app. I'd really like to sit down with a software designer and hear just what the challenges are here. I mean, iCal is so pitiful, I just cannot grok how it is that Apple - a company that's a powerhouse of genius programmers - has been working on iCal for like almost 10 years, and the result is such utter junk. I mean, I just do not understand it. It must be extremely hard? Or what gives? Really, can somebody explain this to me? What's so freakin' hard about designing a simple and intuitive calendaring app? Why is everything such a chore to do in iCal? Why can't I just set an event with an alarm in a few simple actions which cumulatively should not take more than 15 seconds - so that on the specified day/time a flashing message with a sound alarm appears on the desktop. It's utterly impossible in iCal. Maybe there's a way to do it in iCal, but I figure it would involve some heavy duty Automator/Applescript rigmarole. And what I'm asking is so, so, so basic I just cannot wrap my mind around how it is that Apple doesn't address this. And so on with tons of things in iCal - I hate this freakin' app.
 
OldCorpse said:
Yeah, that's a good suggestion, and I did think about it when I started looking for such an app, but the problem is that I need something that's not web based, so that it works when I'm offline somewhere with my iBook.
Click to expand...

I understand. How about Palm Desktop? I have had a Palm pda for several years now, and have always liked their desktop utility. I haven't used it on a mac, so I can't vouch for it, but their Windows version was great.

I hope this helps.
 
I know this is somewhat off topic, but what don't you like about iCal? I think it's a great program personally. Are you not able to get alerts to show up for your events? When I set an alert the little window pops up right when it's supposed to. Everyone is entitled to their opinion obviously, I'm just curious what it is about it that's got you fuming.
 
OldCorpse said:
I'm not a programmer or software designer. So, I guess I just cannot comprehend why it is so difficult to come up with a decent calendaring app. I'd really like to sit down with a software designer and hear just what the challenges are here. I mean, iCal is so pitiful, I just cannot grok how it is that Apple - a company that's a powerhouse of genius programmers - has been working on iCal for like almost 10 years, and the result is such utter junk. I mean, I just do not understand it. It must be extremely hard? Or what gives? Really, can somebody explain this to me? What's so freakin' hard about designing a simple and intuitive calendaring app? Why is everything such a chore to do in iCal? Why can't I just set an event with an alarm in a few simple actions which cumulatively should not take more than 15 seconds - so that on the specified day/time a flashing message with a sound alarm appears on the desktop. It's utterly impossible in iCal. Maybe there's a way to do it in iCal, but I figure it would involve some heavy duty Automator/Applescript rigmarole. And what I'm asking is so, so, so basic I just cannot wrap my mind around how it is that Apple doesn't address this. And so on with tons of things in iCal - I hate this freakin' app.
Click to expand...

I am having issues with Leopard iCal (things got moved a little from where they were in Tiger) but other than that, it is the same, easy to use Calendar app that I got used to, alarms and all.

I think maybe you either have A: a software bug or B: Are expecting things to be a certain way, they are not that way, and it is throwing you off to the nth degree
 
Stampyhead said:
I know this is somewhat off topic, but what don't you like about iCal? I think it's a great program personally. Are you not able to get alerts to show up for your events? When I set an alert the little window pops up right when it's supposed to. Everyone is entitled to their opinion obviously, I'm just curious what it is about it that's got you fuming.
Click to expand...

Better question would be "what do I like about it", and the answer is: "nothing". I guess maybe I can think up something I like about it... like, it doesn't jump out of the screen and smash me in the head with a hammer - that's nice, I like that about it.

OK, now seriously, where do I even start... well, how about just the very look of it. The pale weak lines of the calendar grid, the pale ugly font of the day numbers, the tiny microscopic print used on all the events and notes, and on and on and on, so that the whole thing visually blurs and induces immediate boredom and hatred. Apple is supposed to be the king of attractive "lickable" graphic design... well, this app is a total 100% visual turd. I feel nauseous just opening this app.

The horrible unusability - everywhere. There is absolutely no control of the font or visibility of text in the nasty little calendar boxes of the days. And the horror of that "info" side panel! Say, I just want an alarm to be triggered on a given day at a certain time - what is this idiocy of "from" and "to"?? If these fields were controllable, fine - but they are not! I put in a time for "from" but then, since there is no "to" in this case, it shouldn't have anything in there by default, and I shouldn't have to deal with that field! Because I can't adjust the time of the alarm in the alarm field - I have to compensate in the alarm field for the true time I actually want the alarm to sound - what inefficient idiocy. And why do I have so few choices as far as the sound of the alarm? And why can't I make the message flash the way I want to? No controls - and no choices. Using iCal I feel like I'm in prison with a psychotic warden enforcing unpredictable nonsensical psychotic rules.

I can go on and on, but really, life is too short. I just want a calendaring app that's LOGICAL and INTUITIVE and SIMPLE and FAST/EFFICIENT to use and that gives me CHOICES and CONTROL. iCal is the opposite of all that.
 
Quick question for you OldCorpse

Are you using Leopard or Tiger?

In Leopard
I open iCal
I double click where I want the event (easy, intuitive to me)
I double click the event to get more information about it (single click selects)
I hit Edit to add more info, such as an alarm (easy)
I click Alarm and then choose what I want it to do
I configure when i want the alarm (before, day of... what?)
I click done

7 steps, all in all taking maybe 10 seconds. Not that bad really.
 
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