If you create a someday/maybe context in Tracks and hide it from the front page, then it’s not there cluttering up the place but it’s still accessible when you need it. I have a rule for making this work, though. When I put something in my someday/maybe context, I deliberately do not assign it to a project (after all, if it’s not something I’m committed to doing, how can it be part of a project? A project in GTD is a series of actions to achieve a specific outcome. A someday/maybe item has no place there). Seeing those someday/maybe items when you’re viewing a project is also distracting. So, if it’s truly someday/maybe, it’s not part of a project (except some vague one in your head). If it really is something you’re committed to doing, create a project for it and add it as a next action.

While I like the idea of dependent actions, I think that implementing it in software would be very tricky. I, like you, can’t resist mapping out lots of actions when I’m thinking about a project. And the lack of sorting (other than by due date, which works quite a bit of the time) can make that tricky. So that’s still a problem, but it might well be a problem with GTD itself, as much as with Tracks.

1) Speed — as I said, the version I’m using works very well and has no speed issues

2) no someday/maybe — I agree that someday/maybe is a core part of GTD, but I don’t agree that it needs to be in a separate feature. It’s just a list. In tracks, you can create a list and call it someday/maybe. There’s no need to make it more complicated. If you were to create a someday/maybe list on your Moleskine, you could create the list anywhere you wanted. You wouldn’t need a new Moleskine for the someday/maybe list.

3) Hoop jumping — creating new NAs and projects are a one-click operation for me; I’m not sure how this is hoop jumping.

4) Clunky AJAX — the AJAX works smoothly and quickly on my version.

5) No sorting — I’ll admit that I’d like to see this improved, but it hasn’t been a major issue for me. I just move completed projects to the end of the list.

6) NA lists show all actions — Again, not an issue for me. If there are date-sensitive reasons that NAs need to be sorted, then I simply add a deadline and it gets moved to the top of the heap. If none of the NAs are date-sensitive, then it doesn’t matter to me which is on top. I just do a quick scan, and pick one that I need to work on. Takes 2 seconds. If your NA list is so long that a scan is too difficult, I would suggest looking at whether that context is working for you.

Anyway, I’m glad GTD Tracks is working better for you. There’s no one program out there that will satisfy everyone, and you should use what works best for you, but as a Tracks user, I just wanted to respond to your points because you kinda gave the impression that it was a horrible, slow, clunky program, when it is anything but — for me, it is smooth, fast, and nicely designed.

First let me say that, since posting this, I’ve switched to a hosted version of tracks at gtdtracks.com and am much happier. My speed issues are mostly gone and they seem to be running a development version of tracks with some newer features than the version I had installed on my webhost.

That being said, you say you disagree with my review, but you never really say why (other than the fact that you like it). The fact remains, I still can’t sort my list of projects and I still have all of my NA’s for a project visible at once. Now, I realize these issues have been addressed in previous comments, but the fact remains that these are, in my mind, important functions of a web application that deals so intimately with lists.

And with regard to the Someday/Maybe list – I know I can use a context for those, but that’s what we programmers like to call a “hack” The Someday/Maybe list is an absolutely fundamental part of GTD and, in my opinion, should be built into the core of any application that would be used for GTD.

Thanks for the feedback – I really do appreciate it

In my opinion, it’s the perfect GTD app. There are improvements that can be made, but they are on the development list for release soon, so those little things will be ironed out. But on the whole, there’s really no better application for GTD, at least with online solutions. It’s better thank kinkless, gtd tiddlywiki, stikkit, Backpack, Remember the Milk, and a dozen other apps I’ve tried.

Btw, I also use Someday/maybe as a context. You can put projects on here, and when you decide you’re ready to actually do the projects, just turn it into a full project and delete the item off the someday maybe list. I don’t understand what the problem is … technically, it may not be considered a context, but it’s just a list, just like any other list. Contexts are lists. You can create any other types of lists here as well, by creating a context – DVDs you want to watch, songs you want to download, goals, etc.

I’d suggest trying a different host, or using a hosted solution, just to try out Tracks a little more, because it really is a great app. I don’t think you’ve given it a fair chance.