Memoranda

 

Came across this software called Memoranda (Wikipedia entry here) while looking for an open source software that I can use for an electronic diary. It is basically a personal information manager, with calendar and to-do list, yet also allowing you to take notes. So you can use the notes as a diary.

The installation is actually a Java program that you can run straight from the directory (after unzipping) without need for installation. For non-KDE users, you need to edit the shell script to disable the system tray function. For Windows users, there is a batch file that will help you execute the program.

What I like about this software is that it allows you to run it from a portable harddisk, which means you can bring your electronic diary with you. All you need to do is to unzip the program onto a portable drive, run it once, then find the ".memoranda" directory under your home directory, and copy it onto the portable drive. Then delete the ".memoranda" directory from your home directory, and instead create a symbolic link named ".memoranda" pointing to the directory on the portable drive.

Once you have done the above on one computer, the next time you use another computer, all you need to do is create shortcut in your home directory pointing to the directory on the portable drive, and you are ready to start the program.

One setback, though, is that the calendar is not interoperable with other formats such as iCal/vCal.