PIM

Software for handling Contact Management, events/meetings Calendar, to-dos/tasks (Issue Tracker), ideas (NoteBook) etc.

Of course you often want to share info (e.g. calendar) with others, so it becomes GroupWare (Group Calendaring).

The marketshare winner is MsOutlook.

The open-source challenger is Evolution.

Some other contenders: Lotus Agenda, Zoot, Ecco Pro. (James Fallows has a habit of writing about really interesting software.)

Failed hopeful: OSAF/Chandler.

Why do you need a fancy db-oriented software app at all?

a few people talking about using Wiki As PIM: <http://www.spack.org/index.cgi/Wiki As PIM,> http://www.ourpla.net/john/wikiweblogpim.html
Or, at the next level up, since most email apps have an address book, why not use wiki for just calendar items (and tasks, which few people use), and leave the rest in email?
Or just use the desktop companion software that comes with your PDA, plus an email client.

Needs

want to Data Synch all of them to your PDA (I think there are utilities to synch Netscape address books to Palm, but that leaves out calendar).
- on the other hand if you run a lite-enough wiki engine on something like the Sharp Zaurus, maybe you no longer use PIM apps on the PDA, either - you just have to decide how to synch wiki records
for calendars, if you're working in a company, you want a system for scheduling meetings where you can see other attendees' availability before setting the meeting time (Group Calendaring)
- amazingly, there's no decent server/client combo other than MsOutlook/MsExchange and Lotus Notes. Maybe the Mac ICal sharing will help change this...
may want to run on non-standard OS (which could conflict with previous desire)

Bill Seitz