Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Before we jump in, we want to give a massive thank
you to the supporter of this Deep Dive, SafeServer.
If you're looking for robust solutions for hosting software, or maybe you need a
partner to support your digital transformation, SafeServer is there for you.
You can find out more at www.safeserver.de.
Alright, today we are tackling a topic that really, it affects every single person
listening. How we manage our time, our tasks, our lives.
It really does.
We're diving into an open source project with a, let's say a memorable name. It's
called Manage My Damn Life, or MMDL for short.
Right.
And our mission today is to give you a really clear, not overwhelming idea of what
this tool is, how it works, and why it's part of this bigger shift in controlling
your own data.
It's a perfect example of this whole self-hosting movement. For years we've just
handed over our most critical data, our meetings, our deadlines to these big
proprietary platforms.
Just handed it over without a thought?
Exactly. And MMDL is part of a movement to reclaim that. But to really get it, we
need to unpack three key ideas. What a front end is, what self-hosted actually
means, and this crucial protocol, CallDave.
Okay, let's start there. The official definition in our sources says, MMDL is a
self-hosted front end for managing CallDave tasks and calendars. So let's break
that down. First up, self-hosted.
Self-hosted basically means you are in charge. You run the software on your own
server.
So not in someone else's cloud.
Precisely. It could be a little computer in your house, a virtual server you ran,
or an infrastructure solution from a partner like SafeServer. The point is, no
third-party company is holding your to-do list hostage.
So the security, the availability, it's all in your hands.
It is.
But you mentioned it's a front end. That makes it sound like it's only half of the
puzzle.
That's a great way to put it. MMDL is the user interface. It's the part you see and
interact with.
The pretty part.
The pretty part, yeah. But the data itself, your actual appointments and tasks,
that lives on a separate server, which we call the backend. MMDL just connects to
it.
And that connection, that's where CallDAVU comes in. It's the language that lets
the front end talk to any backend,
whether it's NextCloud, ByCall, whatever.
Yes, exactly. CallDAVU is this open, standardized internet protocol.
And it's so important for two reasons. First, because it's open, anyone can build
software that speaks this language.
It creates a level playing field.
You know, operability.
Right. And second, it uses these standardized formats. You'll see them called VTOD
for tasks and VVENT for calendar events.
Okay, hold on. VTOD event. Why should the average person listening care about those
acronyms?
Well, think of them as standardized digital envelopes. If you send your task in a
proprietary format, it's locked in.
But VTODO, that envelope has everything. The due date, the status, the recurrence
rules, all in a format that everyone on the planet agrees on.
So if you ever want to move your data, you just pick up your envelopes and go.
Nothing gets lost.
You got it. It guarantees portability. And that is the ultimate form of control.
Which brings us back to the MMDL project itself. It's open source, GPL 3.0 license.
What's actually under the hood?
It's built on a pretty modern stack, React and Next.js. But my favorite detail from
the sources is that the developers cheerfully admit some of it is pure spaghetti
code.
Huh. Okay, I love the honesty. But if we're trying to be well informed here, what
does calling your own project spaghetti code really imply for a user?
It implies it's a work in progress. It's a big friendly warning sign that says beta.
Right.
In open source, that usually means the code might be a bit disorganized, maybe hard
for new people to jump in and fix things without breaking something else.
It's a signal to be careful if you're using it for, you know, mission critical
stuff.
That's a really important insight. It's not just a funny line. It's a statement
about risk.
Okay, let's get to the features. What can MMDL do right now to actually manage a
complex life?
Its real strength is in how well it supports VTODL. It handles all the key things
you'd expect. Due dates, status, descriptions, recurrence.
But the killer features are really two things. It's support for subtasks, and it's
different ways of looking at your data.
Let's talk about subtasks. Why is that such a game changer? A lot of simple apps
just skip that.
Because real projects aren't just one item. A task like plan vacation isn't a task.
It's a project.
Sure, you've got a book flights, reserve a hotel.
Exactly. You need to break it down. Book flights, reserve hotel, create itinerary.
MMDL support for that kind of hierarchy means it's not just a to-do list, it's a
proper project management tool.
And it's designed to handle that complexity across different parts of your life,
right?
It is. It supports multiple CalDAV accounts. So you can have your work calendar on
one server and your personal family task is on another and see them all in one
place.
Without mixing them up.
Right. And it also supports multiple user accounts on the same installation. So a
small team or a family could all use it from one server.
Okay. Now the viewing options. Our sources say you can see tasks as a list, on a
calendar, or in a Gantt view. That Gantt view seems like a huge feature for an open
source project like this.
It absolutely is. A Gantt chart is a staple of professional project management. It's
that horizontal bar chart that shows you a project schedule over time.
So you can actually see how your tasks overlap. Yes. You can instantly visualize
your timeline, see where the bottlenecks are, and understand which tasks depend on
others.
For planning anything complex, it's a massive productivity boost. That sounds like
it's aimed squarely at project managers, consultants, people juggling a lot.
But the developers also say the interface is, and I quote, responsive-ish, and it's
a desktop-first project. Isn't that a big limitation in a mobile-first world?
It's a trade-off. I think it's probably a smart one for a small team. How so?
Well, trying to manage a complex con chart or nested subtasks on a tiny phone
screen is difficult to do well.
By focusing on the desktop, they're perfecting the power user experience where
these features really matter.
And they know other mobile apps already exist for Cal Day. Exactly. There are
already good mobile clients.
MMDL is filling a gap in the ecosystem for a really robust desktop-centric hub.
They're choosing depth over being everywhere at once.
That makes a lot of sense. Okay, let's talk about connecting to it.
We know it works with Nextcloud and Bycall, but there's a big authentication issue
we have to talk about.
That's right. This is critical for users to understand. Currently, MMDL only
supports basic authentication.
Whoa, hold on. Basic Auth. Isn't that just sending your username and password with,
like, every request?
For calendars and tasks, that seems like a pretty significant security risk.
It is. You've just put your finger on the biggest challenge for an early-stage
project.
So why not prioritize something more modern, like OA Youth?
Because OA Youth is really, really complex to implement correctly.
Basic Auth is much simpler, and it let them get the core functionality of the task
management up and running much faster.
It's probably the clearest sign of its beta status.
The features are there, but the security hardening is still on the to-do list.
So the user is trading top-tier security for early access to these advanced
features.
That is the reality of using beta open-source software, yes.
Which is why the official status is still beta.
We've strongly advised anyone using it with real data to be cautious, keep good
backups, and understand that it's still evolving.
But the community interest is there. The numbers are pretty good.
Over 452 stars on GitHub, 28 forks, a core group of eight contributors.
It shows a healthy, active project that's moving forward.
The last release mentioned was v.8.1 in September of 2025.
So let's look at where it's going.
The roadmap seems to focus on usability and, maybe more importantly, really
sticking to open standards.
And that commitment to standards is absolutely key.
The first big item on their roadmap is full support for all the fields for VTODO
and Vient, as described in RFC 5545.
OK, RFC 5545. In practical terms, what does full support for a standard like that
actually give a user?
It means reliability. RFC 5545 is the Bible for calendar data.
Full support means it can handle all the tricky edge cases, like complex time zones
or weird recurring events.
You mean like the third Tuesday of every other month?
Exactly. A system that only partially supports the RFC will probably mess that up,
especially if you cross a daylight saving boundary.
Full compliance means your data will be bulletproof and work with any other
compliance server on the planet.
So that's long-term reliability. What about more immediate user experience fixes?
They're focusing there, too. They're planning more flexible ways to view and filter
tasks. And a big one, drag and drop capability.
That's essential.
It really is. And finally, the ability to create external plug-ins.
That opens the door for the community to build all sorts of integrations with other
tools.
So if you connect all those dots, it really looks like MMDL is aiming to be a true
alternative to the big commercial products.
But with that core advantage of you, the user, keeping control of the data.
That's it exactly. MMDL is a bridge. It's using a modern framework to give you a
great desktop experience,
connecting to established backends like Nextcloud and offering power user features
like GotCharts, all while keeping your data sovereign.
And that leads us to our final thought for you. MMDL wants to manage your damn life,
the most important time-sensitive data you have.
So given the trade-offs we talked about, the powerful features versus the current
security limitations, think about this.
What level of transparency and what degree of control would you demand from the
software that handles your most important daily tasks?
That's a powerful question. It really gets to the heart of what self-hosting is all
about.
It does. And as always, a huge thanks to you for joining us on this deep dive, and
a final thank you to our supporter, SafeServer.
They're there to help with hosting robust software and supporting your digital
transformation.
You can find more information at www.safeserver.de. We'll see you next time.