After launching Cheqlist last week, I felt compelled to give you a peek under the covers to see the tools involved and why I chose certain technologies. I hope to give you insight for times where you decide what to work with.
Getting started
Before I could really start working on a major project, I had to choose a VCS. I went with mercurial based on a friend’s insistence that I introduce myself to a DVCS (specifically Hg) immediately. I knew what it was but never took time to try it myself. I am very glad I tried it.
Looking back, though, I think git may have been a (very slightly) better choice. Regardless, mercurial has served me very well and I strongly encourage anyone who hasn’t given a DVCS a spin to do so! Continue reading →
Anyone looking to stay productive with their work, errands or chores keeps a to-do list. You need to have that to-do list available at all times and be easy to manage.
With that in mind, I am introducing an application that I think will help you with that: Cheqlist. A desktop application powered by Remember The Milk that does 2 things very well: make managing tasks very efficient and look sweet on your desktop.
What makes Cheqlist awesome
I wanted to build an application that I, myself, would use everyday. There are a few key features that would make that happen:
- Adding tasks quickly using RTM’s new Smart Add feature
- Visual appeal and lots of room for customization. Special thanks to Rakesh Menon for allowing me to use his JavaFX color picker
- Easily search tasks and use RTM’s custom search keywords
- Must work on all the OSes I use: Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
On top of that, I think there are some things you’ll come to appreciate:
- Easy-update: Cheqlist checks for updates on startup, and if you want to upgrade, it takes just seconds!
- Free and open-source
- Lots of nice “easter egg” features for those of you who take time to find them ;)
Continue reading →