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[GSoC 2018] About calendaring

Before using it, calendar applications in phones, websites, computers was just the things i am using for ‘checking date’. It is also correct for many people. However, when i getting older then going to university and start to woking part-time, i realise that there are too many things i have to take care of. Deadlines at work, exams, paying the bills etc. And i have to do them in correct time! Thats moment i understand calendars are for ‘TIME MANAGEMENT’.

There are many tools people are using. If somebody is an adroid user Google is providing google calendar and its sync your calender with the all google services. There are also some interesting things that i love about google calendar. Because it is in the same domain with gmail, some actions are triggering your calendar. For example; if you bought a concert ticket or flight ticket, as soon as company mails you about details of ticket google calendar adds this event to your calendar with the date of the event ofcourse. No action needed, no configuration. It is automatic. On the other hand before google dominates via Gsuit, many enterprise level users have use -im still using at work- another product for this purpose. Microsoft has a infrastructure service called ‘Microsoft Echange’. The good thing about exchange is its harmony with ‘Microsoft Active Directory’. ActiveDirectory -AD as short- is directory service created by Microsoft. While users have account in AD service they can also use same credentials to login exchange for sending/recieving mails, using calendar, sharing the calendar with other users and so on. In addition that you can create calendars for distubution groups, rooms or resrouces. And it is also competible with Microsoft Office products installed on your computer. If your a iPhone user your phone will support exhange and sync all calendar data with exchange account which has also a web interface called ‘Exchange OWA’. For android, not every devices has base support for it. You may need 3rd party app for it. However, installing and managing exchange server is not that easy. It can give you alot of trouble if you make something wrong (exchange must have scheme extend permission on AD service and extending AD scheme(LDAP) is dangerous. if you made something wrong there is no turning back other then backup). Other then theese two there are also other calendar managing on the web which designed for web. Like; GriCal , LWN , Agenda du Libre etc. Theese web calendars are usefull easy to manage. But they are not dynamic in some how. You should always check your calendar on the web browser.

The problem which Debian community faced is that managing events through the different types of calendars in same time. Many different communities uses different software to manage their calendars. But following al theese calendars for searching specific events or calenders is not that easy. So, the solution that wanna create should include following capabilities. The solution;

  1. should able to collect calendar information from different sources
  2. should able to deliver calendar information to different sources
  3. should have web interface
  4. should have support on a common protocol

 

Published in GSoC 2018

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