However, the minimum feature set for a PIM is pretty high right now,
if you want it to gain a large user base. For example, I don't think
you can get really big market penetration with a PIM unless you can
sync to a PalmPilot (or whatever the official name of that device is
this week).
As for your architectural questions:
The AbiWord text engine is going to need to be abstracted out to be
more suitable for use in multiple apps. For example, AbiShow (our
PowerPoint-like-thingie) needs it. A PIM would certainly need it
as well.
The XAP (cross-application) framework stuff is currently being
purified to make it more reusable for apps other than AbiWord.
We hope to make it easier to code a simple GUI app in the
Abi fashion.
--> Does ABI have any plans to do an Outlook-like program? I ask because, at > least where I work, this is rapidly becoming a killer app. I suspect > others are in the same boat. > > It seems to me that an outlook-like programe could benefit greatly from > having AbiWord to provide the editing infrastructure and so on. How well > adapted is the XP framework ABI is using to this? > > For what it's worth, I'm not planning to start writing this. I'm just > thinking about the problem. > > Patrick > > > > -- > J. Patrick Narkinsky (patrick@narkinsky.ml.org) > > "If you want to know what God thinks about money, just look at the people > He gives it to." -- Old Irish Saying
-- Eric W. Sink, Software Craftsman eric@abisource.com