[missing-sync-palmos-talk] wanted: OS X memo client support for import/export

[John Faughnan]

I wrote to missing sync asking for these feature improvements, and it was
suggested that I post them here. If others agree perhaps Missing Sync will
add these to a future release

I would like to see a better memo client for the Mac OS. In particular, I
would like:

A. To be able to import and export memos. (This is most important for me)
B. Make the user model consistent with iCal, Address Book, etc.

I'll say further what I mean.

A. Import/Export

At the moment the only way to move text in and/or out of the memo client is
by cut and paste. This doesn't scale well. The file format is binary and
cryptic. Solutions to this problem could include:

1. Change to a plain text file format (XML, whatever) so I can work with it
using a text editor.
2. Adopt a well known open source database format for the notebook files
(MySQL, whatever).
3. Add a separate (command line?) import/export utility.
4. Rewrite the memo client to support import and export.
5. Adopt the same file format for the memos as is used for iPod Notes.
6. Adopt the ODF format for memos.

B. Make the user model consistent with iCal, Address Book, etc. (Not as
important as A.)

The MacOS sync model is login specific (one of the many great failures of
Palm was that they never fixed their client models when both Windows and Mac
moved to better support multiple users). A user may have multiple devices,
but Address Book and iCal present a unified view. The implementation is very
imperfect, but the model is correct. The Memo app segregates memos by sync
device name, that's contrary to the model of iCal and Address Book. I'd like
the Missing Sync Memo app to follow the OS behavior. This is not as
important as A. A way to move or copy memos between devices would work well.

--
John Faughnan
jfaughnan at spamcop.net