Have You Heard of Tracks for GTD?
May 5th, 2008Categories | Downloads | Getting Things Done | Software
I hadn’t until I read this post by Rose Hulman who blogs over at A Nerd’s Haven. Tracks is a Ruby on Rails program that has been specifically designed for implementing GTD.
Tracks is a bit more involved to set up than most GTD software since it requires that you set up several packages of software including a version of Ruby on Rails, a SQL database and a web server - or you can get an account for free on a hosted server if you don’t feel your nerdly super-powers kicking in.
Here’s how the original author of the software describes Tracks:
“Tracks is a web-based application to help you implement David Allen’s Getting Things Done™ methodology. It was built using Ruby on Rails, and comes with a built-in webserver (WEBrick), so that you can run it on your own computer if you like. It can be run on any platform on which Ruby can be installed, including Mac OS X, Windows XP and Linux. Tracks is Open Source, free and licensed under the GNU GPL.”
I just took a quick look at it and it looks pretty darn cool. I’ve been using Things for the past couple of months and life it pretty well (I can’t wait for them to release the iPhone update) but I’m considering trying out the hosted version of Tracks to see how I like it. If I do and can easily integrate it into my workflow I might try installing the full self-hosted version on one of my servers just to see how much pain the process really entails (or doesn’t depending upon luck, skill, and the blue gnomes that live in my Linux box).
Has anyone else tried Tracks? If so, how about giving the rest of the GTDtimes community a sneak peak? We’d love to hear from you!
Editor
I’ve been using it since I ditched my Sony Clie back in 2006. It’s a great program, and the newest version make things like the weekly review a joy to do. Highly recommended.
Very simple and not a single bit bloated. Check it over as it is also hosted on the morpheXchange.com site (under subscriptions). Just sign -up for free and get on-demand access to Tracks anywhere and everywhere as long as you’re online.
Best.
alain
I wrote an article about this software on my French blog (http://www.oeta.fr). The software is ok, but not simple to install without the Bitnami installer.
I do believe that it is lacking a printing function.
Also I don’t find the the Tickler is implemented correctly; only future actions can be added. However at the moment of adding something to your Tickler, you haven’t analyzed it, so how do you know it is an action? Maybe it is a project or even just a reference. It may end up being useless and thrown out.
This software needs improvements.
If you want a painless way to host your own install of Tracks, try the Bitnami installer stack available at http://bitnami.org/stack/tracks
If you are trying out a hosted solution, do make sure that it is running the latest-and-greatest 1.5 release and not the feature-constrained earlier release.
hey all! i just wanted to mention my free tracks host, https://tracks.tra.in — it’s SSL-secured, stable, and ad-free. i’ve also complemented Tracks with features like email/SMS entry of new actions.
hi, i have been using tracks for about a year now. at first i had it installed on my pc running linux, then i put it on a hosted server so i could see it from multiple pc and my mobile. i love it. definitely recommend.
You might want to give a try to http://www.taskwriter.com also