Moving to Linux: Kiss the Blue Screen of Death Goodbye!

It is sometimes hard for me to fathom as I look at the piles of papers, books, cables, devices, and toys scattered across my desk that computers have helped in getting us more organized. No, it's true. Work with me here.

Once upon a time, I made appointments, scribbled down the information, and hoped that I'd find it again later. Maybe it wasn't an appointment, but somebody's birthday. Either way, if I got lucky and managed to find my paper planner (or scrap of paper) in time, I might just make it to where I was supposed to be. My friends will tell you that I was always 20 minutes late. These days, I'm only 5 minutes late. The reason? My personal digital assistant. Currently, it is a Palm Zire 72, but I have had others. There's nothing like an alarm going off to remind you that, yes, you do have something planned.

I keep my PDA backed up and synced to the notebook computer on which I do my writing. My notebook also has a copy of the calendar, complete with all its appointments, in a great little piece of software called KOrganizer (part of the Kontact personal information management suite I told you about in the introduction to Chapter 11). Now if I happen to leave my PDA in another part of the house, a second piece of software is ready to warn me when I'm supposed to return a phone call. My life is far from being perfectly organized, but, trust me, its organization has improved dramatically. In time, I aim to be only 2 minutes late.

I start this chapter with a look at KOrganizer. After that, I give you a tour of Evolution and its organizer tools. Ready? Great. Let's synchronize those watches.