Ideas For a Server Based Calendar

[lxskllr]

I've been wanting to make a calendar on our file server that'll allow anyone to view/edit events. It has to support just about every platform(Windows, gnu/linux, Android, IOS) in some form or another, even if it's just by exporting a pdf. It needs to be trivially easy to use, like your average webpage. If I have to give using it a gram of thought, it'll be too hard for everyone else. I'd also like it to be trivially easy for me to setup. I don't know if anyone will use it, and I don't want to waste a bunch of time if they don't. Setup complexity is fine though if that's what it has to be, or otherwise is an interesting project in general.

Hard requirements...

Libre software
Hosted in house
Works on Windows server (unless there's another method to get everyone on)
*EASY* to use

 

[MrDudeMan]

I've been wanting to make a calendar on our file server that'll allow anyone to view/edit events. It has to support just about every platform(Windows, gnu/linux, Android, IOS) in some form or another, even if it's just by exporting a pdf. It needs to be trivially easy to use, like your average webpage. If I have to give using it a gram of thought, it'll be too hard for everyone else. I'd also like it to be trivially easy for me to setup. I don't know if anyone will use it, and I don't want to waste a bunch of time if they don't. Setup complexity is fine though if that's what it has to be, or otherwise is an interesting project in general.

Hard requirements...

Libre software
Hosted in house
Works on Windows server (unless there's another method to get everyone on)
*EASY* to use

I think you forgot one of the requirements: must run on unicorn farts

Seriously, how is this a real question? You've asked for everything including the kitchen sink and you want it to also be free?

 

[Crono]

I haven't used it myself, but Bedework looks interesting.

 

[Ajay]

Uh, wrong thread?

 

[IronWing]

I wrote a calendar script for the YaBB open source project. Last version was 3.9xx. It's dated now but still works with YaBB through SP1.4. I gave up on it when YaBB moved to SQL as my ISP's server configuration was so dated, it couldn't handle the newer calls.

You can read the help file here and see if it has the features you want.

 

[nakedfrog]

Ah, by "make a calendar" I was thinking you were going to write something yourself.

 

[Ns1]

why don't you just use google calendar and forget this server based nonsense.

 

[MrDudeMan]

I haven't used it myself, but Bedework looks interesting.

EASY to use

why don't you just use google calendar and forget this server based nonsense.

Libre

I don't have any better recommendations other than buying actually useful software, e.g. O365. At < $10/mo per user, it should be so far below the noise floor for any marginally profitable business that the time and effort spent working around it makes little to no sense especially considering all platforms are fully supported. Google Calendar is a great alternative if Office integration isn't needed. The cross section of the Libre + EASY + fully responsive requirements is probably going to be zero.

 

[lxskllr]

I think you forgot one of the requirements: must run on unicorn farts

Seriously, how is this a real question? You've asked for everything including the kitchen sink and you want it to also be free?

I've found a bunch of stuff that /I/ could use; mainly in the project management category, but it would be too confusing for everyone else. I'm not familiar with what's available, so I might have overlooked a category of product. Honestly, it doesn't even have to be a calendar, though that's closest to what's needed. A blank page anyone can type on/view would be sufficient. A spreadsheet would be ideal, except it can only be edited by one person at a time when open.

This is a small company with un-savvy users. Complexity on my end is ok if that's what it has to be, but if it's complex on their end, it won't get used. I don't even really need an "official" product if there's a clever hack that can do what's needed.

 

[MrDudeMan]

I've found a bunch of stuff that /I/ could use; mainly in the project management category, but it would be too confusing for everyone else. I'm not familiar with what's available, so I might have overlooked a category of product. Honestly, it doesn't even have to be a calendar, though that's closest to what's needed. A blank page anyone can type on/view would be sufficient. A spreadsheet would be ideal, except it can only be edited by one person at a time when open.

This is a small company with un-savvy users. Complexity on my end is ok if that's what it has to be, but if it's complex on their end, it won't get used. I don't even really need an "official" product if there's a clever hack that can do what's needed.

The libre/free/hosted internally requirements are going to make a lot of this pretty difficult especially considering it has to be easy. If UI complexity wasn't an issue, then there would be plenty of options as I'm sure you are aware, but you're going to have to use O365 Excel, Google Spreadsheets, or something similar to get concurrent editing.

 

[MrDudeMan]

If you use dropbox, the concurrency issue can be managed with the badge. Just a thought.

 

[sdifox]

https://djangopackages.org/grids/g/calendar/

 

[cbrunny]

Google Doc.

 

[lxskllr]

Thanks for the ideas all. Seems like everything reasonable will be like building a rocket so I can toast marshmallows on the exhaust :^D

So be it. It's more complicated than I wanted, but it'll be an interesting exercise. I'll start by setting up a webserver, then I can play around with different packages til I find something people here can use.

 

[cbrunny]

just use a frigging google doc.

 

[sdifox]

Thanks for the ideas all. Seems like everything reasonable will be like building a rocket so I can toast marshmallows on the exhaust :^D

So be it. It's more complicated than I wanted, but it'll be an interesting exercise. I'll start by setting up a webserver, then I can play around with different packages til I find something people here can use.

just remember, it is always the user that is defective.

 

[lxskllr]

just use a frigging google doc.

I neither use nor endorse google. If it can be done with libre software, that's what I use, or I do without, unless the service is necessary, and this isn't a necessary project. I'm just tired of retarded pieces of paper floating around with jobs to do on them, which can never be easily located. I'll put something together, and people can use it or not. In any case, I'll be a little smarter when it's done.

 

[sourceninja]

...

 

[lxskllr]

https://owncloud.org/features/

Ah... Forgot about these guys, though I'll try nextcloud. Thanks for the reminder. I can set it up on the local server, and if it turns out to be popular, we could get an outside server for backup and files on the go.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Funny I've been wanting this too, just one of those things that's not that important but would be nice to have. Something that has a phone app that connects to it so it dings on reminders would be a bonus but suppose you could set it up to send emails for that and you just set a different notice sound for emails. Also more universal as you can just have it send the reminder to anything that supports email.

I coded some calendar logic when I made my hvac control system so I do have something to start with if I code it myself:



I keep forgetting about owncloud/nextcloud too, I have to check that out some time.

 

[Red Squirrel]

why don't you just use google calendar and forget this server based nonsense.

Not everyone wants to be reliant on an outside service they have no control over. Google can decide one day to start charging for it, make changes that are annoying/unwanted, or simply pull the rug from under you and stop the service altogether.

If it's self hosted with something free/open on a server you control it's never going to go away and you have full control over it. Bonus is being able to access it if the internet goes down too. Not that that happens often now days as ISPs tend to be fairly reliable but still, I don't like adding a reliance on the internet for something that should not need the internet in first place.

 

[manly]

This article is way too old to be accurate, but should at least give you some leads.

https://www.linux.com/learn/five-best-open-source-calendar-servers-linux

 

[Ns1]

Not everyone wants to be reliant on an outside service they have no control over.

So...you put it on your home server which uses power/internet from an outside service you have no control over.

I use "you" in the general sense because I know you have enough battery backups to power a small Canadian city.

 

[Red Squirrel]

So...you put it on your home server which uses power/internet from an outside service you have no control over.

I use "you" in the general sense because I know you have enough battery backups to power a small Canadian city.

But if you're at the place that's hosting it you can still access it. For power, you do have options such as solar or generator in addition to big batteries. For internet service itself, that you have little control over but if you're setup in such a way that your operations don't directly rely on it, then you can continue operations without it until it comes back up. Of course if you're outside the premises and your internet goes down that's another story, but that is one of the things you have little to no options and have to live with. Could go with multiple ISPs, P2P microwave links between buildings etc depending how important it really is.

The next best thing to hosting at home is hosting in a data centre on a leased/collocated server, you at least still have control over the software aspect, and it's in a (hopefully) more reliable physical building/network/ISP. From a privacy aspect I prefer all my day to day stuff be hosted at home though, but public facing stuff is in data centre. But that's mostly because ISPs don't allow home servers or offer static IP blocks. If they did I'd probably host at home anyway and just put more money into batteries and a stand by generator.

 

[Crono]

So...you put it on your home server which uses power/internet from an outside service you have no control over.

I use "you" in the general sense because I know you have enough battery backups to power a small Canadian city.

Having the option of more control and features isn't a bad thing. It's not about perfect control, as you'll always be subject to external factors and sometimes even nature (storms, flooding, squirrels chewing on powerlines, etc).

All the big cloud providers are fine if you don't have the time or know-how to do it yourself, but you are left wringing your hands or dealing with support the second something goes wrong. And if you aren't paying for that service, well, you have to just hope you are treated as well as a paying customer.