Synchronize a Todo List Via a Cloud-Based App

Think about following situation:

• Must-have requirements:
  • Maintaining a shopping list with my girlfriend.
  • Easy to use for my girlfriend (who is not a geek).
  • Fast capture process of new todos.
  • The data is synchronized between her Android phone and mine.
• Nice to have requirements:
  • An easy to use web interface or a desktop client which runs on GNU/Linux.
  • Reminders
  • Adding meta-data such as text, images, URLs
  • Some kind of bridge to Org-mode.
  • Encryption and/or privacy

I started a testrun with Wunderlist a bit more than a week ago. It is a cloud-based service with a neat web front-end and a really nice Android app. Tasks can be shared and synchronized among other Wunderlist users and different devices running Wunderlist.

There is even basic support for synchronizing Emacs Org-mode with Wunderlist where I found an annoying charset/encoding issue I planned to fix myself.

All my must-have and all my optional requirements are met. Looked like a promising approach.

A couple of days ago, I read a German article about Wunderlist. The article informed me that Wunderlist was acquired by Microsoft in 2015. It also summarized an announcement of Microsoft that they are introducing a new service called «To-Do» and that Wunderlist will be discontinued.

Another cloud-based app which died.

Too bad, that I was investing my time on that one. I should have done more research beforehand. I should have stick to my paradigm to avoid the cloud.

Even I do have to painfully learn (again) that a cloud-based, centralized service is not something you can count on on the long run. The «long run» this time: a lousy week.

Instead of looking for a different cloud-based alternative such as «To-Do», I am now evaluating a promising DIY-method which involves Orgzly (Android), SyncThing and of course Emacs/Org-mode (desktop).

This approach is totally decentralized and runs on Open Source software using end-to-end encryption.

All must-have requirements are met except the capture process which could be slightly simpler. The optional requirements are met with exception to mobile reminders. The direct integration in Org-mode is a big plus to me.

I'll blog about my expiriences later on.

Note 2017-04-25: Irreal mentioned this blog article on its page.