Roll Your Tasks (RYT)

Screenshots

Description

Roll Your Tasks (RYT) (click link for start) is a browser based task management application for individuals and small groups.

• It runs with JavaScript capable browsers, e.g.
  • Firefox (used for development),
  • Chrome,
  • Safari;
  but it seems to be that Internet Explorer does not work.
• Project data will be stored locally and at server for
  • sharing projects between different hosts, and
  • working offline.
• Much more info is available by
  • taking a look into Screenshots above;
  • screencasts about
    • first steps,
    • creating a project,
    • copy/paste/alias behavior,
    which are showing you how to work with RYT; and
  • the (public) [info] project, which should be loaded automatically after first start of RYT.

Some Features

• Mobile:
  • data storage at server allows accessing
    • own projects from different hosts,
    • shared projects with others you know,
    • public projects for all;
  • using local browser storage allows
    • offline mode,
    • temporarily having no server connection, and
    • personalized user experience.
• GUI:
  • responsive: because server interaction is only needed for loading/storing project data from/to there, user interaction with GUI widgets is very fast;
  • comfortable (see below).
• Arbitrary task nesting: tasks may contain subtasks, which may also contain subtasks, etc..
• Task properties:
  • successors/predecessors:
    • finishing a task may depend from finishing predecessors, for which it is one of their successors;
    • such a relation is made by dragging an arrow from a task to its successor;
  • finished state:
    • mutliple subtask logics (all have to be finished, one has to be finished, etc.);
    • propagates to successors;
  • priority:
    • propagates to predecessors;
  • priority and finished state may be set to 'non-applicable' (which is the default for priority).
• Versioning with smart comparison of different versions:
  if there is a 'save' or 'load' interaction (between client and server), it is known
  • if they are the same, or
  • if the target can be upgraded savely, or
  • if there is some conflict needing to ask for a decision from the user.

GUI Features

Looking at screenshots or into screencasts is recommended, but for those preferring text here are some GUI features.

• 2-D positioning of elements:
  • task and comment elements (widgets) can be placed freely into so called 'flow' canvases (this is possible by using SVG),
  • this also works for subtasks by using 'flow' canvases for them, too (being part of the task editor widget);
• fast element creation by clicking at (flow) canvas:
  • double-click → task,
  • shift-double-click → comment;
• fast navigation by hovering (moving mouse over) element widgets, which triggers info windows with rendered element - task, comment - content;
• unlimited undo/redo of all element/relation changes (as long as storage isn't exhausted):
  • history of element/relation changes can be condensed;
• 'tape recorder' widget for undo/redo actions:
  • replay of changes forward and backward in time,
  • visualization of 'save' actions by 'snapshot markers',
  • triggers windows for visualizing changes;
• diff windows:
  • showing textual differences between elements,
  • automatically triggered by undo/redo actions;
• markup for rendering typed-in text into HTML:
  • simple:
    • should mostly give what you expect, if you don't know it at all,
    • easy to learn, if you want to use it,
    • does not try to replace HTML,
  • modest: tries to stay near what you see in the text editor,
  • raw text mode: for embedding console output, etc.,
  • support for links:
    • internal for referencing other elements in current project (opening info windows), and
    • external for referencing things outside current project,
  • flexible: if you really want it, you can even embed HTML.

Unminified Version

There is an unminified version, too.

Feedback

Feedback is appreciated. Please use mail via (RYT) ?→Feedback menu. Don't worry: it's an ordinary mailto (no web form).

ToDo

Remake screencasts and screenshots with current RYT version.

About this Service

The RYT service here is provided as it is: feel free to use it

• to play around with RYT, and
• for your own projects.

If you want to have your project data encrypted while being transferred from/to the server, just use RYT via https. You have to accept a self signed certificate to get this working, though. For encrypted storage at server see There is a partial solution....

However, permanent availability cannot be guaranteed. If you want to start your own RYT service, see Your own RYT Service below.

About 'dangerous' JavaScript

There has been an article The JavaScript Trap by Richard Stallman (FSF). This has motivated me to also provide an unminified - functional identical - RYT version in addition to the minified default.

The minified version once has been made - after the unminified (more developer friendly) one -, because a colleague of mine has had a very slow internet connection in a train... (now it is the default). My suggestion is to use the minified default one.

Software as a Service (SAAS)

The term 'software as a service' (SAAS) is suited for describing some of RYT's features:

• no software installation needed,
• automatic upgrade (reload in browser),
• usable from different computers,
• data in the 'cloud'.

This functionality is comfortable for the enduser.

FSF sees SAAS as dangerous for the freedom of the individual person. But how to keep enduser comfort while at the same time keeping the user data private?

There is a partial solution...

Currently there is an - experimental - feature of encrypting user project data before pushing it onto the server. So even a RYT admin cannot read your project data (but nevertheless a RYT admin could always read your keys and project names, of course).

Note: for having your keys and project names encrypted in server interactions, too, please use RYT via https.

Your own RYT Service

Audience: this section is not for RYT endusers (using it as a service). It is for people, who want to provide their own RYT service.

License and where to get it

RYT is open-sourced at Github under the AGPL license (long version).

What you can do with it

This is how I (Stephan Rudlof) have understood the AGPL license: please contact me, if you want to start your own RYT service and think I'm wrong.

• You are free to install RYT at your own server and provide a RYT service on your own (with being paid for it or not). To give your endusers access to the RYT software, a link to Github or this webside should be sufficient.
• If you extend/fork RYT and provide the extended/forked version as a service (paid or not), you have to give every enduser of your extended/forked RYT version the possibility to get the extended/forked version as software (e.g. by publishing it at Github) under the same AGPL license. The idea here is, that extensions/forks become as free as the original software, too.

Donations

Donations support further maintenance and development of RYT.

• You could donate by contacting RYT developer by mail via (RYT) ? → Donations menu (e.g. for giving you a specific bitcoin address).
• For other ways of giving donations, please mail via (RYT) ? → Donations menu.