Task List by Zaweba on Mac and Linux: what carries across
Task List by Zaweba also comes for macOS and Linux, with a menu-bar or tray icon, its own reminder pop-ups and start at login. Here is what differs.
Task List by Zaweba began on Windows, and version 1.0.5 also comes for macOS and Linux. On a Mac it lives in the menu bar; on Linux, in the system tray. It shows its own reminder pop-ups alongside the system's notifications, and it can start at login so reminders are never missed. One thing is left out: the global quick-add hotkey.
The aim is the same app on each system, with only the parts that have to differ changed.
What carries across
The heart of the app is shared. Lists with importance from Critical to Someday, tasks with due dates in plain words, stars, tags, notes and checklists, your own drag order, recurring tasks and the smart views all work the same way. So do reminders on any timetable, from one-off to annual, with advance warnings for birthdays, MOTs, insurance and tax dates.
That matters if you use more than one kind of computer. What you learn on one carries to the other.
How it is built
The Mac and Linux versions are built on GitHub's machines from the shared source, rather than being separate apps written again. The project's notes explain what is shared and what differs. Building from one source is why the features line up: a change to how tasks or reminders behave is made once and lands everywhere.
What differs, and why
The global quick-add hotkey, Ctrl+Alt+T by default on Windows, is left out on Mac and Linux. Global hotkeys depend closely on each system and its rules about which programs may listen to keys in the background, so this was the sensible thing to leave to Windows.
Pop-ups are handled twice over. Task List shows its own reminder cards, so Done and Snooze are there as on Windows, and it also raises a system notification, so the reminder appears where Mac and Linux users expect it.
Start at login replaces Start with Windows. Turning it on means the app starts with your session and sits in the menu bar or tray, which is what lets reminders pop up on time.
Running it well on Mac or Linux
Reminders fire only while the app is running, on any system. Turn on start at login and leave Task List in the menu bar or tray rather than quitting it.
Check notification permissions. Mac and many Linux desktops let you allow or block notifications per app. Allow them for Task List so the system notification appears alongside its own card.
Set up email in Settings if you want reminders and the daily summary by email, and send yourself a test before relying on it.
Moving between systems
To take your tasks from one computer to another, use File, then Export a full backup, and Import on the other machine. Import replaces what is there after asking, and takes a safety copy first. The email password is never in the backup, so enter it again in Settings afterwards.
Privacy is the same everywhere
On every system, Task List keeps your tasks on your own computer with no account and no cloud. It is free software under the EULA on Windows, macOS and Linux alike.
