Re: [gentoo-user] Web application for contact management...

[Mick]

On Sunday 14 June 2009, Steve wrote:
> I am looking for a web-application to manage contacts... but I'm not
> looking for "just an address book"... I guess this isn't especially
> gentoo, but I'd ideally like to run a server on my gentoo box, so I hope
> I can be forgiven for asking here.
>
> Personally, I'm absolutely awful at remembering people's names or
> dates... I'm not so bad at remembering their jobs; where I met them;
> their opinions about cuisine or cars etc. etc.  The snag I find is that
> I tend to forget the details that would be most useful to remember -
> while I remember all the trivia.  I forget when I last spoke to
> occasional acquaintances - and about details that don't mean much to me
> at the time... for example, about spouses or partners if I meet in a
> work environment.
>
> What I'm looking for is some software to help me to collate details
> about my occasional contacts... the idea being that if I expect to meet
> someone I've not met for a while, I've an aide memoir about whom
> introduced me - and the last time we spoke.
>
> Does anyone know of any application to do this?  An open-source
> web-application would be perfect as it would allow me to run a private
> server - hence eliminating potential security and privacy concerns -
> while making the information available independent of the kit I have on
> my desk.  Key features would include some sort of standard form to help
> jog my memory to enter details I might forget - while being flexible
> enough not to try and pigeon-hole the people I meet.
>
> Any suggestions?  Any good experiences?  I guess I could even pay for an
> application like this - if it was good... though not a lot, of course,
> since this would be a personal purchase.
>
> Ideas?

Have a look at sugar-crm, or any other CRM application.  Of course a corporate 
database to manage customer info may be an overkill, but that's what you're 
describing, if only at a personal rather than corporate level.

If running mysql, or postgresql is too much, check out the address book 
features of most mail clients - they usually have space for notes.  You can 
write in there all trivia and non-trivia for each contact.  I am using kmail 
and its address book also has custom fields that you can create as you need 
them.  An address book search will pick up words from within any notes and 
custom fields too.  That should hopefully do what you need.
-- 
Regards,
Mick