Calendar.txt outlines a simple, universal calendar format based on plain text. Each line represents a day, formatted as YYYY-MM-DD followed by optional event descriptions separated by tabs. This minimalist approach allows for easy creation, parsing, and manipulation by any text editor or scripting tool, promoting interoperability across diverse platforms and applications. The post emphasizes the benefits of this format's portability, version control friendliness, and longevity, contrasting it with proprietary calendar systems that often lock users into specific software or data formats. The suggested structure allows for complex recurring events and to-do lists with simple extensions, making it adaptable to various scheduling needs.
Tero Karvinen's blog post, "Calendar.txt," explores a minimalist approach to personal time management using a simple text file named "calendar.txt." This system eschews complex calendar applications in favor of a plain text file that leverages the inherent flexibility and universality of the format. The core concept revolves around listing appointments and events chronologically within the file, utilizing a straightforward date and time notation followed by a brief description of the event.
The post emphasizes the advantages of this method, highlighting its portability across different operating systems and devices. Since it's a plain text file, calendar.txt can be easily accessed and edited with any text editor, eliminating the need for specialized software or internet connectivity. This simplicity also ensures longevity, as the file can be easily archived and remains accessible regardless of future software changes or platform obsolescence.
Karvinen details the specific format he uses, suggesting a YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM format for date and time, ensuring easy sorting and readability. He further illustrates the system's flexibility by demonstrating how recurring events can be represented using concise abbreviations and how additional information, like locations or URLs, can be incorporated.
The post advocates for integrating calendar.txt into a daily workflow, suggesting practices like regularly reviewing the file and incorporating it into backup routines. It also touches upon potential enhancements, such as utilizing command-line tools like grep or awk for searching and filtering events, and the possibility of scripting more complex functionalities. Essentially, the post presents calendar.txt not just as a simple calendar alternative, but as a building block for a personalized, adaptable, and robust time management system. The underlying philosophy champions simplicity, control, and the avoidance of vendor lock-in associated with proprietary calendar applications.
Summary of Comments ( 63 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43160226
Hacker News users discuss the minimalist approach of
calendar.txt, appreciating its simplicity and portability. Some highlight its alignment with the Unix philosophy of doing one thing well. Others suggest improvements like adding support for recurring events or integration with other tools. A few users express skepticism, finding the plain text format too limiting for practical use, while others champion its accessibility and ease of parsing. The discussion also touches upon alternative calendar solutions and the benefits of plain text for archiving and data longevity. Several commenters share their personal workflows incorporating plain text files for task management and scheduling.The Hacker News post "Calendar.txt" (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43160226) discussing the article about a plain text calendar system has a moderate number of comments, offering a mix of perspectives on the idea.
Several commenters appreciate the simplicity and portability of the system. One user highlights the benefit of having a universal format that's easy to parse and manipulate with standard Unix tools. This sentiment is echoed by others who see the value in a lightweight, human-readable format that avoids the complexities and potential lock-in of proprietary calendar applications. The ability to easily diff versions of the calendar file for tracking changes is also mentioned as a positive aspect.
Some users delve into specific use cases and integrations. One commenter suggests using
grepandawkfor extracting specific information from the calendar file, showcasing the practicality of working with plain text. Another mentions integrating the calendar.txt with Taskwarrior, a command-line task management tool, further emphasizing the system's compatibility with other command-line utilities. One user even shared a link to their own Python script for generating calendar.txt files, demonstrating the ease with which the system can be automated.A few comments address potential drawbacks and offer alternative solutions. One user raises the concern of lacking features commonly found in dedicated calendar applications, such as reminders or sharing capabilities. Another points out the potential difficulty of handling recurring events elegantly within the plain text format. Suggestions for alternative plain text calendar formats are also put forward, including mentioning org-mode and reminding users of the built-in
calcommand.A significant part of the discussion revolves around the philosophy of using plain text for personal information management. Some users advocate for the longevity and control offered by plain text systems, emphasizing the freedom from vendor lock-in and the ability to easily migrate data. Others express a preference for more feature-rich graphical applications, highlighting the convenience and advanced functionality they provide.
Finally, some comments offer minor critiques and suggestions for improvement, like including timestamps or considering different delimiters. Overall, the comments section reflects a generally positive reception to the calendar.txt concept, acknowledging its strengths while also recognizing its limitations and suggesting potential enhancements.