Desktop Application for Remember the Milk

I once posted about the web application, Remember the Milk (RTM), which enables users to organize their tasks better.

I have to admit, I used the application but oftentimes than not, I hit the “Postpone” button.

Anyway, I have been searching and always on the watch out for any desktop application for RTM that would make access and edit of my tasks more speedy and convenient. There are various RTM services that can integrate into various applications and services, such as but not limited to, Gmail, Google Calendar, IM’s, Blackberry, Mobile access, iGoogle, Twitter, etc. There have also been hacks for a desktop application, some using Adobe Air, but most of the time they have compatability issues with XP or Vista and other operating systems, or simply limited in functionality (i.e., the functions you can actually utilize while in actual RTM homepage, just like adding due dates, list, tags, url, etc.). Some applications are just being so slow.

My Idea of a Good Desktop Application

Let me list down the qualities of a great desktop application:

  • Cross-platform compatible – Windows XP/Vista, Mac, Linux;
  • Lightweight – comsume less resources, to allocate more resources in other critical applications;
  • Fast – in terms of internet connectivity and application response time;
  • Can be hidden from the taskbar – so as not to interfere with your current tasks and minimize the windows that are open;
  • Quickly accessible from the system tray;

These qualities are oftentimes found in open source desktop applications like Pidgin, Firefox, Thunderbird, FileZilla, Winamp, etc.

How I Created my RTM Desktop Application

For this purpose you’ll need:

Step 1: I would like to assume that you already have an RTM account. Simply install Firefox or Flock, if you haven’t done yet. Then, install the “Minimize To Tray” Firefox Plugin (Note: almost all Firefox Plugins can be installed in Flock as well.) in your browser of choice.

Note: The “Minimize To Tray” Firefox Plugin available at the Mozilla Addons site is compatible only with Firefox 2 and Flock 1. This plugin can actually work with Firefox 3 and Flock 2 just as well, only that you need to do some hacking into the xpi file. I already did the hacking side, and you can simply download the plugin from here.

After installing the “Minimize To Tray” plugin, go to its options menu and enable minimizing to system tray on minimize or even on exit if you want.

Step 2: Login into http://m.rememberthemilk.com and enter your username and password. Yep, that’s the RTM interface for mobile, less of its ajaxy-feel, but it offers almost the same functionality as that of the desktop web interface.

Step 3: Hide the toolbars that you wouldn’t really need to save space, such as the navigation and bookmarks toolbars.

Step 4: Organize your tasks.

Screenshots

Some working examples (click on the image to enlarge):

7 thoughts on “Desktop Application for Remember the Milk”

  1. You have the same expectations as I do in a good Desktop Application.

    Looking forward to giving this a shot – thank you for posting up a solution! 😀

    1. Hi Jared, this post is actually 2 and a half years old, and what a shame, there’s no native desktop app for RTM yet.

      Wish there’s a desktop app already so we can do away with work-arounds like this.

  2. Yeah, I’ve been searching for the past couple hours… I gotta say, the closest thing I’ve been able to find to your solution is Adobe Air (as FF 4 doesn’t work with the minimise plugin).

    Still – old posts like this are great little sources of info 🙂

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