How can I get Orage for MX Linux since it's gone in 21?

[ssfc72]

Sigh! :-(   After doing the fresh install of MXLinux 21, I tried to copy in the files I copied from the Home directory of my previous MXLinux 19.
During the copy process, I had to skip some files which were not able to be copied. So when I did copy the remaining Home files back into the MXLinux 21 install, I was not able to log into my MXLinux using my password.

So I had to start from a fresh install of MXLinux and reinstall all the programs that I had with MXLinux 19. :-(

I the found that the Calendar program, Orage is no longer available, on MXLinux 21 and there does not appear to be any similar replacement available. :-(

So, I may have to ditch MXLinux. :-(

[Jason]

It appears that Orage no longer comes with the latest version of the Xfce desktop environment (4.16). It might have been dropped because it's no longer maintained and was last updated in 2019. So it's not so much an MX thing but an Xfce thing since MX-21 has the latest Xfce version.

While Orage is available as a package you can (maybe) download and install, it's for a previous version of Debian, too. So no telling if it'd work. If you want to go down that road, let me know. I'm not sure you can just click it to install since it won't install a repo but there is a way to install a local package via the terminal.

There is a panel item you can add called Xfce timer if you're looking for the alarm and timer features. There's also an app called Osmo that might be a good replacement. What were you looking for in the app that you needed?

This looks like a separate support query, assuming it is a query and not just a sad story. I hate when a program you like is dropped. It's like finding out a new TV show you like won't have a second season.

[ssfc72]

Thanks for your help, Jason.
For a calendar, I am just looking for a basic calendar showing the days of the month and which I can show upcoming days of the month, that I have an appointment/event etc, happening. The Orage calendar filled this requirement very nicely and was on mu desktop screen, each time I booted up the computer.

[Jason]

Osmo is pretty basic but it might be enough for what you need. I've attached screenshots showing some of it's screens. It's in the stable Debian repo using the MX Installer and somewhere in Synaptic, I'm sure. A search will find it in either.

It shows the current day and upcoming month. You can show a calendar of the entire year, too.

There doesn't seem to be a 'meeting' type function so what I did here as an example was to create a Task for a set time. You can put in an end-time by selecting a 'task' and then entering the details in the advanced tab.

There seems to be an alarm feature in the advanced tab but I'm a bit confused where it says 'Alarm command'. I have no idea if that means you have to give it an alarm program or not. But you could give it a try and see what happens.

Honestly, kcalendar (kalendar?) might be better. This appears to be early software. Or search online and see if you can find others. Doesn't Thunderbird have a calendar? Btw, not sure if you want to use it but there is Google Calendar. Protonmail might even have one. Tutanota does.

Honestly, I use my phone but that's Google Calendar obviously. I like to have my meetings synced across my devices. But I can understand some might not like how Google handles privacy or just prefer a separate program.

[fox]

Thunderbird does have a calendar; it's an add-on called Lightning. Works well, but may be more than Bill wants. Same with Google Calendar, which is what I use. Osmo looks more in line with Orage. Osmo and other calendar alternatives to Orage are summarized here.

[ssfc72]

Thanks Jason and Fox for the suggestions.
Yes, Google calendar is out because I don't want Google to be recording my activities.

I did do a Google search for a Calendar but didn't get really any results.  Thanks to your comments, I realize I should be doing a search for an "organizer".

[Jason]

Fox's link reminded me of Rainlender. Didn't you use to use it, Bill? Any reason why you stopped?

[Jason]

If you'd like to use it on the phone, F-Droid has a few calendar apps. F-Droid is an alternative app store. You can still use the Google Play store concurrently.

F-Droid requires turning on special permission to install it (it's only available as an APK file). The warning is nothing to worry about. Lots of Open Source people want to get away from Google Play and Google as much as possible. So they use F-Droid. I've had it installed on my phone previously with no problems. Some of the apps are very basic and might not look as good as standard Android apps but they work.

https://f-droid.org/

Oh, forgot to mention. If you prefer an encrypted online calendar (also includes email and contact list) that can sync with your phone, tablet, etc, check out Tutanota. It has a free encrypted email, contact and calendar. There are also programs for other operating systems including Linux. For Linux, it's just an AppImage file. Download it, then set the file to be executable (in File Properties), and run. Easy peasy. Or you can just use it in your web browser.

https://tutanota.com/pricing

[ssfc72]

Wow, I don't know why I didn't think of using Rainlendar. Yes, that works great. Thanks Jason.
I don't know why I chose the Orage calendar/organizer, for when I started using MXLinux 19, instead of Rainlender, which I use with my Mint Distro.

A screenshot of my MXLinux Tron desktop. :-)
Edit - sorry the png file isn't allowed by the Forum program? The file size seems to be small enough, at 2 MB
I reduced the png file down to 1M is size and that seems to have worked, now.

Fox's link reminded me of Rainlender. Didn't you use to use it, Bill? Any reason why you stopped?

[Jason]

Edit - sorry the png file isn't allowed by the Forum program? The file size seems to be small enough, at 2 MB

Can you double-check the size of the file? png files are enabled. I checked the settings for that extension and it's allowed and I performed a successful test upload in the Testing Grounds board. It also lists the allowed file types where you attach a file. It might be a permissions issue; I'll see if there is a setting for that. Did you get any error messages?

[ssfc72]

Yes the png file is 2M in size.
The error message says the attachment may have taken too long to load or was too large. Neither conditions are valid.

[Jason]

Yes the png file is 2M in size.
The error message says the attachment may have taken too long to load or was too large. Neither conditions are valid.

Nice desktop! I like the wallpaper. I also didn't know Rainlendar could integrate into the desktop like that. Looks good.

The size issue may be something that I can fix. Let me know if it happens again (private message or email). Same if anyone else notices this issue.

[fox]

I agree with Jason. That Rainlendar window on the desktop looks great.