Yesterday I switched from using planner-mode to using Org-Mode, both emacs note-tasking and todo-task management apps. I've been using planner-mode for the last year and a half, and rely on it pretty extensively to track upcoming todo items, in both personal and work contexts.

I've read in the last couple of months, however, that Org-Mode is already in emacs-cvs, and will be part of the standard distribution of emacs-22. I decided to try it out, was quickly impressed, and transitioned over.

Both support the same basic data model: files of mixed notes and todo-items, where the items are simply specially-formatted lines in the file. Items have an optional due date and an optional priority (ABC). For example, in planner-mode, they appear:

A _ Write up planner-/org-mode post (2006.11.24)

B X Make faux-chicken dinner for Thanksgiving (2006.11.23)

For Org-mode:

** TODO [#A] Write up planner-/org-mode post SCHEDULED: <2006-11-24> ** DONE Make faux-chicken dinner for Thanksgiving SCHEDULED: <2006-11-23> CLOSED: [2006-11-23 Thu]

Both support the same basic execution flow: when requested, the package looks through the special files to find lines that fit the pattern, and constructs another file (planner) or a transient view (Org) over past-due and presently-due items. There are operations for creating items, scheduling them on a particular date, transitioning them closed, jumping from the item to associated notes, &c. As well, both support some form of unidirectional publishing of the content to HTML, ostensibly to serve as some public project-planning status.

Org-mode, I've discovered, goes far beyond planner-mode in terms of features.

  • Core
  • It is based on outliner-mode, and its documents are inherently foldable, hierarchical documents.
  • It uses file extension (".org") for mode-selection, so planning document can live next-to or within projects.

  • Todo

  • There's a bit more latitude where items can be placed in the notes documents.
  • It supports -- separately from the scheduled to-do time for a task -- a deadline, which is brought up differently in the "now" view.
  • Overdue items are indicated more clearly.
  • Items can be scheduled for a range of time.
  • Items can be tagged arbitrarily and searched/viewed by tags ("WORK", "STORE", "@LAPTOP", ...)
  • Supports progress logging
  • Supports hierarchical sub-tasks (yay!)

  • Linking

  • Explicit linking rather than CamelCase (though CamelCase is an option), which was the major problem I was having with planner-mode (it starts to become really slow for large documents).
  • Patterned links ("bugs:1234", "http://bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=%s" → "[...]?id=1234") are supported.

  • Other

  • Has a table/spreadsheet editor. The table-editing part appears similar to table.el, but the spreadsheet functionality is just pure awesome.

Update Mon 2006-11-27: after being contacted by Carten Dominik, the author of org-mode, I've revised the comment at the end about the table/spreadsheet editor.


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