Mozilla Prism, previously known as WebRunner, is a great application that splits the web applications from the browser and lets you run them from your desktop. Although in it’s infancy, Prism is already very useful for me and I use it for a variety of web applications that I need open throughout the day.

If you are new to Prism, you could read my brief Prism review. Here are a few links that can help you get started with Prism:

• What is Mozilla Prism? – a short review
  (with instructions to run from behind a proxy)
• Google Gadget for Mac/Linux with Prism

Prism probably won’t be all things to all people, but if your browsing style mimics remotely to my style you are probably already nodding your head. Prism lets me keep my usual web applications open or atleast be available on my desktop when I need to get to them. I don’t have to worry about signing back into every one of them when I have to restart my Firefox browser multiple times a day.

I have found in the past that when I share my ideas or the way I do things, most often, I usually receive better ones from you. In the same spirit, I am going to share the list of web applications I have started using on my Desktop. I am hoping to spur a discussion in the comments to find what other web applications would be best suited.

Top Prism Applications

• Google Reader – Although I miss the Greasemonkey scripts that add functionality, it is very convenient to open and close Google Reader like a desktop application.
• Remember the Milk – I use the Remember the Milk for Google Gadget url with Prism to get a desktop app that’s very functional and easy to access. Use this url to access Remember the Milk to get the Google gadget version. http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/modules/googleig/ . You could even try the mobile version or the regular website interface of that’s your thing.
• Google Talk Gadget – I prefer the Google Talk gadget over the GChat option available within Gmail. If you have a preferred IM like Digsby (Digsby Review), then you won’t need this. But, if you are stuck on a linux machine like me with the usual IM client’s proxy setting not working, then you’ll love this option. You could also run GTalk gadget in Prism. Read all about it in the link.
• Evernote/Google Notebook – Evernote is one of my recent addition to Prism web apps. I like to have this running in a separate window so I can just copy and paste any notes into it. If you haven’t seen it yet, I have written a short Evernote review last week. If you are a Google Notebook user, you could use that in Prism too.
• Passpack: Passpack is an excellent online password manager and is a great candidate for me to run on Prism. I do miss the use of the PassPack bookmarklet when I run it in Prism but the convenience of having atleast the passwords anytime I need it is heavenly. (Passpack Review)
• Google Calendar: If you are a Google Calendar user, you can run the full version of it in Prism. Or, you could use the url from the Mini Google Calendar that you may be running in your sidebar.
• Mint: Mint is a personal finance application that can aggregate transactions from all your bank accounts and credit card accounts and show you in an easy to digest format. I find it another great tool to have it in my desktop check at various times of the day.
• Any Google app: Google has a suite of useful web applications available and you can create a Prism application for any of them and access them as if they were a desktop application.

As you can see depending on what web applications you use, you can create Prism application for it. The sky is the limit.

Prism, built on our favorite Firefox technology, doesn’t support installing extensions at the moment even though it is coming soon. I have found blog posts indicating that some folks have successfully installed some Firefox extensions in Prism but I haven’t been able to yet.

Why is Gmail missing in the list?

The moment you can add Firefox extensions like Greasemonkey to Prism, the range of web applications I can see myself using is increasing two-fold. That is exactly why you’ll find Gmail missing in this list. I have gotten too addicted with the Stylish script Gmail redesigned, that I have decided to keep it in my browser for now.

I am looking forward to suggestions and ideas for web applications best suited for Prism from you and very interested to hear what you run on Prism.

Top Web Applications Best Suited for Mozilla Prism - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2011/08/02 (RSS)

Remember the Milk is my favorite online to-do manager and even has a great RTM iPhone app too.

I use Gmail and Remember the Milk extensively everyday. So, naturally Remember the Milk for Gmail Firefox extension has been such a wonderful tool for me.

I can access RTM from within Gmail. This is pretty huge as I live in Gmail and it makes it so easy to add and manage my tasks.

Google Chrome has slowly been gaining my trust because it is so fast to load. Plus, each tab runs as a separate process so even if a web app crashes it doesn’t close the whole browser.

Remember the Milk has come out with an add-on for Google Chrome.

With the Google Chrome RTM for Gmail add-on, you can manage your tasks from within Gmail. You can complete, postpone and edit tasks. You can add tasks and connect them with your emails, contacts and even Google Calendar events.

This is huge as I use both RTM and Google Calendar. You can automatically add tasks for starred messages or specific labels in Gmail!

All you need is a free Remember the Milk account and make sure your Gmail language is set to US English.

Download RTM for Gmail Google Chrome Add-on

Google Chrome supports extensions only in their recent beta version. Just follow the notice you will get when you try to install the RTM add-on if you are using an older Google Chrome.

[via RTM blog]

Remember the Milk For Gmail Google Chrome Extension - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2009/12/14 (RSS)

Remember the Milk is my choice online to-do web app. And so is true for many of you. If you are a RTM user, read on to find some goodies you could use for RTM. If you are not a RTM user, you could browse through a RTM review & a few posts here to see if that is something you’d like to start using.

Here is a round-up of all things RTM. Enjoy!

RTM in Google Reader Greasemonkey Script

This awesome Firefox Greasemonkey Script adds a the RTM cow icon to Google Reader. Clicking on teh cow opens a RTM mobile window with the clicked links’ title, url for the post and a default tag (website) filled in for you. This would be perfect for bloggers who want to create a reminder in RTM to write about or link to specific post they are reading. It could also help folks who are researching and the possibilities are endless. This is definitely going into our Top Gmail & Google Reader Greasemonkey Scripts.

RTM Tools for Windows

RTM Tool for Windows does one thing and does it well. It lets you quickly add tasks to your RTM account via the utility that stays in your system tray. Love the support for a Windows Hotkey to quickly launch it.

Remember the Moof for Mac

It’s a Remember the Milk interface for OS X and Dashbaord. Let’s you check off tasks as completed, add new tasks, tag management, lilst-bu-list view and filterings tasks by tag.

Remember the Milk for Linux – Tasque

Tasque is a Gnome utility that ties into RTM very nicely. I even have this running on my KDE desktop smoothly. It lets you add and manage tasks although it lacks filtering by lists or tags. I do like how it shows the tasks based on date it’s due.

Remember the Milk in Mozilla Prism

This is preferred way of using RTM. I use the iGoogle Gadget version of RTM in Mozilla Prism and it is fast, light weight and has all the features I need. Just use the this url in Prism to access RTM. (more web applications best suited for Prism)
http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/modules/googleig/

RTM in Firefox Sidebar

Alternatively, you could use the iGoogle gadget version of RTM in Firefox sidebar as well. or you could even use the mobile or iPhone (need a Pro account) version of RTM for your sidebar but I prefer the Google Gadget version better.

RTM Notifier

If you are a Gmail user, you probably can’t live without some kind of Gmail Notifier. Now, you can have the same for Remember the Milk tasks. RTM Notifier is an Adobe AIR app that displays popup alerts for due tasks.

With RTM’s API available, I can see RTM notifier becoming much more than what it is in this version. I now use RTM to track all birthdays I want to remember and this notifier is awesome! [via Techie Buzz]

RTM Provider for ThunderBird

If you use Thunderbird and Lightining, RTM Provider is the extension for you to integrate RTM with Thunderbird. Check out Daily Gyan‘s post on how to set this up.

Embed RTM in your Desktop

Another use of the iGoogle gadget for RTM is that you can RTM via the Active Desktop. Third Error has the details on how to do this. This is great if you don’t care hiding atleast part of your desktop wallpaper.

RTM for Gmail Firefox Extension

This isn’t new, but you have to have this in a list about RTM. This Firefox extension integrates RTM into Gmail beautifully and IMHO has been done better than if Google had done it. A must have if you use the killer combination of Gmail, RTM & Firefox.

RTM Quick Add Bookmarklet

A lesser known counterpart – a bookmarklet to quickly add tasks to RTM right from your browser. Don’t forget to watch this demo to make the most of it. In the above link, go one step above to find bookmarklets for other browsers.

Control RTM with Firefox Ubiquity

Ubiquity is for Firefox where Launchy is for Windows. You can control RTM with Ubiquity as well like there isn’t enough ways to control RTM. But, the command line auto-completion and the ability to quickly add and interact with tasks in Ubiquity is just plain awesome. And geeky.

RTM in Gmail Sidebar

Gmail Labs introduced Gmail gadgets a while back. You can run RTM in your Gmail sidebar and access it while checking your email! Very cool. Just add this URL in gadgets setting to get RTM in Gmail.

https://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/modules/gmail/rtm_https.xml

Hope you enjoyed all the goodies for our favorite online to-do application, Remember the Milk. One last tip for those who are tired of typing the long url – try rtmilk.com and it redirects to the rememberthemilk.com address.

Top 12 Refreshing Remember the Milk Goodies - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2008/10/08 (RSS)

For those unaware, Remember the Milk is an excellent online task manager with awesome features. Remember the Milk (RTM) for Gmail Firefox extension made it possible to have Remember the Milk open in a sidebar right within Gmail. And I love the implementation.

But, not all of us use Gmail or have Gmail open all day to access Remember the Milk anytime. No worries though. You can have it open in the sidebar anytime by using the url for iGoogle gadget for RTM.

Just create a bookmark named something like ‘RTM in sidebar’ with the url http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/modules/googleig/ and check the ‘load in sidebar‘ option. The iGoogle gadget version doesn’t have the full blown features of the Gmail Firefox extension but it is simple enough to quickly check tasks and add tasks.

I like this option for the rare times when I don’t have my Gmail open. I can see how this could be a great option if you don’t use Gmail or just don’t have it open all the time.

Open Remember the Milk in Your Browser Sidebar - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2008/02/04 (RSS)

Remember the Milk – Reloaded

My favorite application to keep track of tasks in different lists and tags just got better with these new features.

• Improved List View – New icons & keyboard shortcuts
• Connecting your tasks – Visually connects the tasks you editing to the details box
• Friendlier due dates
• Tags – easier editing and management
• Tags visible in the list – tags are nicely displayed in the list
• Private Atom/RSS/iCalendar feeds
• Atom/RSS feeds for completed tasks
• Using Smart Lists in Searches
• New advanced search operators

Whew.. RTM team has definitely been super busy with these slew of new features. Plus, the application loads and reacts a whole lot faster as well.

If you are looking for an onine task manager to take control of your tasks at work or home, I totally recommend Remember the Milk.

Remember the Milk – Reloaded With New features - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2007/11/17 (RSS)

Now, you can sort your tasks in RTM by

• Priority
• Task Name
• Due Date

If you read my recent post on Launchy and liked it, you will love this great tip on how to use Launchy to add tasks directly to RTM through Twitter.

Lifehacker has a similar tip on using Launchy & Twitter here.

Sorting Added to Remember the Milk - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2007/08/07 (RSS)

I am not a Twitter user but since I have covered RTM so much here and some of our readers might use Twitter, this new integration with Twitter has to be useful to atleast some Twitter users.

Now you will be able to update your RTM tasks from within Twitter. You just add RTM as your private friend and send messages to it to update tasks. You can also send tasks from Twitter to your friends RTM Inbox. You can use commands to perform various things on your tasks.

Ready to give it a shot?

Head on over to RTM’s Twitter page.

[via RTM Blog]

Remember the Milk integrates with Twitter - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2007/07/11 (RSS)

Folks at RTM have totally redesigned their home page and it is very functional and slick. Plus, you might have heard about the new Google Gears browser plugin which lets you take online web applications, offline. That is really a milestone in the interweb development as far as I am concerned. It is goig to blur the lines between traditional desktop applications and the online applications in terms of usability without an internet connection.

 Now, with the help of Google Gears, RTM is also available offline! Quick facts about this feature:

• Complete access to online lists, tags, notes, etc including the ability to add and edit tasks.
• Access to search (your tasks)
• Create smart lists
• Seamless transition between online and offline mode and automatic detection of availability of an internet connection.

RTM has also added some new sections:

• Services section now features both official features like Google Calendar option, gadgets and mobile version.
• Also, has third-party service like IMified which is loved by heavy IM (instant messenger) users.
• They have also released a simple and informative Getting Started Guide.

As a side note, if you haven’t heard, Google Reader is now available in an offline version as well thanks to Google Gears!

Remember the Milk Shines and Goes Offline - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2007/06/06 (RSS)

d-cubed is based on the TiddlyWiki line of applications which I have a fascination for. But, RTM is winning me over with its simplicity and ease of use. Granted your preference would swing based on what you use it for.

This article assumes that you have started using Remember the Milk and are looking to make it do more for you. We recommend starting here if you haven’t used it yet.

One of the powerful aspects of RTM is the ability to create Smart Lists. This alone will supercharge your lists..

If you are like me, your lists in RTM are probably are titled plainly like ‘Home’, ‘Bills’, ‘Work’, ‘Leisure’ etc. These will do fine to begin with. But, when tasks in your lists grow longer and the number of lists increase, you may find yourself using the ‘Search’ box more and more.

That is when you might notice the ‘Show Search Options’ link under it. Hmm.. is that an advanced search? You click on the link to find out that it is.. huh!

Ok. Let me find all the tasks with Priority 1 and status ‘incomplete’ from all my lists! You want to tackle the urgent stuff first right? Like mowing your overgrown grass, sending in that weekly status report. So, you choose the priority and hit ‘Search Tasks’.

So, you are shocked at the sheer number of tasks screaming ‘URGENT’ at you. But, this is when you play it cool. And narrow the list further down by entering ‘work’ in the ‘Tagged with’ field. Let’s take care of business first.

Alright.. this list of tasks isn’t that scary but it is still long and you are scratching your head to figure out where to begin. So you ask yourself err RTM, what’s due this week?

Now, you have your list of tasks that are Priority 1 and incomplete and tagged ‘work’ and due in a week. Cool. You roll up your sleeves and get to work.

But, similar questions are popping up in your head several times a day. No worries. RTM lets you save this search as a Smart List. Notice the grey tab named ‘Save’ in a box under the search box? Save this search as ‘Do it now’ smart list.

Now, you are probably thinking this is just a saved search. What’s so smart about it?

What are Smart Lists?
From RTM’s help page:

Smart Lists are special lists that are created based on criteria that you
define, and are automatically updated as your tasks change.

Smart lists are dynamic lists that keep track of all the changes that you do with your tasks. In the above example your smart list might have had 10 tasks. But, after you go through them you are updating your lists with ‘complete’ status. Your ‘Do it now’ smart list will automatically update itself.

Another cool feature. If you add a task to the ‘Smart List’ instead of your regular lists, it inherits the properties of the Smart List!

So, if you have a high priority work related task that need to be done within the week, just add it to the ‘Do it now’ list and it will automatically set its Priority to 1, a due date and tag itself ‘work’.

Hope this makes managing your lists in RTM easier! Also, check out this Demo from RTM’s help page.

Remember the Milk has one of the very resourceful help pages with bite sized information. Make sure you make full use of it.

How do you use smart lists? I am sure everyone can benefit from a tip or two.

Updated May 16, 2007:

Remember the Milk blog has a very useful list of 21 searches to make us even more productive! Some of it were suggested by users in the forum and some put together by the RTM team. Thanks for the great list!

How to use Smart Lists with Remember the Milk? - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2007/05/15 (RSS)

I have played with many solutions both online and offline but they weren’t for me. They were either too complex or I was getting too consumed maintaining the to-do list than getting things done. I have to admit I might not have followed Mr. David Allen’s Getting Things Done mantra, to the word.

  Now, I am using Remember the Milk. It is a free web application in public beta created by a small Australian company.

Why I got hooked on to it?
It is simple, intuitive, fast and elegant. All the features that would make a web application a winner. It is not cluttered with useless features. Plus, the availability of a Netvibes module was the last straw that made me switch to it full time even though I have been playing with it for a while. And I find their logo incredibly funny looking!

What can you do with Remember the Milk (RTM)?
For starters, you are gonna find managing your to do list such a breeze once you start using this! I am still learning the ropes here so please feel free to add to this or correct me if I am plain wrong about something. Anyways, it’s time for the quick facts:

• Lists: You can create lists and name them to your desire. Mine are named Bills, Home, Work & Blog. I set up tasks that repeat every month to pay the different bills under Bills. Forgetting to pay bills can be very expensive! This is my foremost in any of my to-do lists. There is also an Inbox and Sent lists which have tasks that were shared with you by someone else and tasks that you shared with your wife or friend. Once you get going, check out their Smart Lists.
• Tags: I love tags and tag clouds as you can see in the side-bar. They offer such a nice visual look at data. At RTM, you can tag your tasks and that breaks you free from looking at tasks within lists. From the tag cloud in the Overview page, you can look at tasks spread across Lists if they share the same tag. For example, you could tag tasks that need you to call as ‘phone’. You could get creative with the use of tags once you get the hang of it. I have found it to be most useful when you use them judiciously. But, I am still learning as I go.
• Locations: This feature is a mash-up with Google Maps. You could add locations to your tasks and you can get a visual look at all the tasks that you need to get done around town in a Map. I am yet to put this feature to its best use.
• Feeds: You can subscribe to Atom/RSS Feeds for any of your lists. I don’t use this since I get a nice subset view of all tasks in the Netvibes RTM module.
• Reminders: You can set up reminders to various tasks and receive by Email, SMS or one of the many popular IM clients like Yahoo, Skype, Jabber, GoogleChat, etc.
• Mobile Friendly: They have a mobile friendly version available as well here if you have a web-enabled phone.
• Google Fan? RTM has nice integration with Google Calendar . And they have a RTM gadget if you use Google’s Personalized Homepage. However, I prefer Netvibes myself if I haven’t said that a hundred times already in this post.
• Quick access: There are add-ons for different browsers to add tasks quickly without going to their website. Also, they have keyboard shortcuts for easy access to most functions.

There are numerous offerings for to-do list applications on the web but I find RTM very refreshing and flexible. And I thought the same about MonkeyGTD a while back. So, check it out for yourself and let us know what you think. Maybe you have found a better alternative that you would like to share with us!

If you are David Allen’s GTD fan, here is an excellent post on how you can make RTM a tool for GTD, though its a little dated.

ShanKri-la Feature: Remember the Milk - Originally published at ShanKrila.com on 2007/04/16 (RSS)