I know this isn’t a new request, but PLEASE consider doing a web client version of OmniFocus. Like thousands of others, I am an avid OmniFocus user, but I now work at a company that only uses Windows, and doesn’t allow any unapproved software to be installed on their machines. Right now I’m barely hanging on using my iPad and iPhone, but it’s too “separate” from all my work documents and e-mails to really work for me. The only decent way for me to continue using OmniFocus would be a web app.
Stating the obvious, but this would open OmniFocus up to a much larger audience. Thanks for considering my request - I want to keep supporting you!
I too have seen this request frequently, and realize it may not be high on Omnigroup’s priorities.
But I also want to second this request. I use to be able to bring my MacBook Air into work but not anymore. Using my iPhone is not an ideal substitute for all of what I used OF on my Mac.
I think OmniFocus 2 for iPad has proven to be a capable companion for my usage. I have found it much improved and helped ease the pain. But I tend to keep my personal stuff for OmniFocus and just use Asana for my work stuff. I remember listening to the GTD Virtual Study Group podcast and this subject was brought up. For teamwork and task delegation, Asana proved better suited at my work. OmniFocus was kept for my personal projects and home stuff.
That’s similar to what I’ve just started trying this week. I’m trying Nozbe for my work tasks, while keeping my personal stuff in OmniFocus on my personal iPad. Will it work? Yes. But how great a solution is two different task managers?
using it as part of team. I use what the boss asks me to use.
I can live. I wished for OmniFocus for teams. But then again, some folks find OmniFocus too complex and confusing. It would be a bit hard to try to get people used to the idea of OmniFocus’ structure with projects and contexts. Most folks just have a flat to-do list and work off that. And that’s all they’ll ever need.
Asana’s multi-team capabilities feels fleshed out pretty well. I get the job done and that’s all the really matters.
You can google “using OmniFocus with Asana” and you’ll find some interesting articles about users who encountered this same issue - using OmniFocus for personal stuff and another system such as Asana for professional stuff.
I just don’t duplicate tasks in both. I don’t want to keep track of projects in both OmniFocus and Asana. It’s in one app or the other.
For my side job and house projects, I use OmniFocus. But for my day job, the department uses Asana. I don’t think I want people to see my home projects in Asana.
By the way, OMNI folks, thousands of people having to run two separate to-do list manager systems is what marketing experts call “an important but unmet customer need.” :)
I remembered reading on the old OmniFocus forums about a web version. If I remembered correctly, a web version was being discussed a long time. But this was in the days before the iPhone Software Development Kit was born. Apple had originally stated that developers would create mobile web versions of their apps and let the customers connect that way. But public demand changed Apple’s mind. They had to create the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) so that programmers would have the tools to create their own native apps.
When a lot of developers heard the announcement of the iPhone SDK, it appeared that the majority focused on native app development instead of a web app.
@mwooten777: I think David Allen said something to the effect of “putting everything into its proper place.” I have a work inbox where my supervisor puts in tasks and projects. My work stuff then gets processed into Asana.
All of my personal stuff goes into OmniFocus. I don’t mix personal stuff and work stuff together.
There might be a lot of security reasons not to put stuff into OmniFocus. For certain projects, i don’t know if my supervisors want me to put project stuff into an outside program like OmniFocus.
I just try to roll with the punches. Look inside your OmniFocus app to send feedback. That will make your vote count.
Every couple of years I look at Task Managers. I just bought a new MacBook Pro and evaluated OmniFocus. But like many (I would say most) professionals out there I no longer use “1 Computer” for all my work. I switch between Mac, PC, IPad, etc. In fact, I regularly use about 5 machines.
Therefore I had to rule out OmniFocus, because it does not provide access to when I am on a PC.
In my opinion, OmniGroup is missing a big opportunity to expand the market for OmniFocus, due to this missing feature.
+1 for a full featured web app or windows client on a par with the Mac version.
Sadly I’m now working in a windows only environment where BYOD is pretty much forbidden. This is jarring after my previous job where having my Macbook pro on the network was fine.
I’ve tried using the iOS version but pasting clips and urls back and forth between OF and whatever else I’m doing is central to how I work. The iOS version is great when I’m out and about but no replacement for something on the desktop.
I’ve trialled spootnik but it has very limited features that don’t align well with how I use Omnifocus (no perspectives, task notes, project focus or date editing).
I even considered renting a virtual Mac so I could RDP to a remote desktop running OF, but that gets pricey fast. Most companies want $25 a month and that’s for an underpowered machine or with a limited number of hours per day connection time.
I’ve finally opted for a todoist pro account which is about $20/year (but also has a free tier). It’s actually pretty good and compares well with OF. Its gathering features and integrations with other services at quite a clip but most importantly has clients that run on pretty much everything and a web service.
But I’d still rather be pushing that money in Omni’s direction.
Thanks for being clear about where you see the pros and cons of OmniFocus vs alternatives. I think this is valuable both for other folks trying to get things done and for Omni as we guide our future development.
(Of course I’m happy when OmniFocus is the best option for you, but I really care more that you have something that works well for you.)
I remembered a long time ago way before the iPhone SDK kits came out, Steve Jobs was trying to get everybody to do web apps that will run on the iPhone. The user base didn’t care for that sentiment and Apple eventually released the first iPhone SDK for developers to work on native apps.
I also remembered that Omnigroup had talks about a web app version. But I think that got dropped as the iOS platform slowly started up.
You can always send your vote to omnifocus@omnigroup.com if you would like to vote for a web app version. Personally, I need to keep my data locally on the iOS device. If I am on a plane without wifi access, I’d be screwed. I am often in areas that have no phone signal or wifi access as well. I’d prefer to be able to use OmniFocus while offline and re-sync when i get a signal.
Would the OmniFocus sharing widget in iOS 8 help you with copy and pasting URLs between iOS apps?
Another reason to finally upgrade my iPad 2 to the iPad Air 2 is to use iOS 9’s split screen feature. Have two apps running side by side sounds like what I’ve been wanting for a long time to do on my iPad.
I started using OmniFocus 2 for iPhone on an iPhone 6 Plus within this past year and it has saved my sanity! I’m easily getting 4 times as much done during my days and feel much more calm. I absolutely love it. I don’t own a mac and don’t use OmniFocus anywhere but on my iPhone. It’s sync’d to the Omni Sync Server. I dropped my phone a couple of weeks ago and was without it for about 5 days. All the Omnifocus data was on the server, so that’s good, but I had no way to access my tasks during those days. Luckily I printed my flagged list before I had the phone repaired so I could work off that list for a while, but I was really in a difficult spot. I use windows and linux all the time but not macintosh. I also keep all tasks in OmniFocus - work, personal, anything - I can do work or personal things based on context and I love having everything in a single place. I’ve tried so many task managers on so many platforms in the past and absolutely nothing has given me the productivity and peace that OmniFocus has.
You can see that a web-based omnifocus interface that hits the Omni Sync Server would solve all of my problems above - even if the web interface only allowed me to capture new inbox items and flag and mark tasks complete - something really simple to get by would be amazing.
I suspect that creating a web interface for OmniFocus would cannibalize some of their Mac version revenue and so perhaps that’s why they’re not doing it. I don’t know, but a web interface (even severely dumbed down) would be extremely useful and would open up new revenue streams. Please, please, please - just a simple web interface - even a super simple one. Please.
I looked into Spootnik when I saw it linked to above. I’m not super comfortable signing up for $3 per month to a system in Switzerland that hasn’t been touched for three years or so. And yeah, it is a bit old looking too. I’ll wait for OmniFocus to set up something simple. Now with OmniSync, it seems like a no-brainer.
