HUGE thanks to MattJ for recommending Unison. I ditched svn for Mail syncing and went with Unison instead. Way cool. (Of course I’ll still use svn for content/code where I actually do need to keep track of versions.)

Next request: contact management.

My needs are simple, but more than the basic Address Book can handle. I need the basics most small businesses need: to be able to associate contacts with organizations, track the usual contact info, to add notes and bits of information, and to send personalized individual emails based on templates. (No, I do not spam my clients. But I do send out newsletters/announcements a couple times a year.) It also needs to keep my contact information locally so I can work effectively offline.

It does not have to sync between multiple users. Quality Tree Software, Inc. is a really small company, and for the foreseeable future I’ll be the only one with access to the contact database.

I don’t want a do-everything Personal Information Manager that will try to take over my life. iCal (with subscribing to Google calendars) handles my calendaring needs. I use paper (gasp, yes, paper) for my to do lists. And I don’t need or want a sales management tool. My contacts are people I want to keep in touch with, not “Opportunities” in a sales funnel.

By eliminating packages that tried to do too much, I made my short list really short:

• Contactizer by Objective Decision
• Now Contact by Now Software

I’m evaluating Contactizer now. It’s been a trifle glitchy, but so far immensely better than the PC product I use.

Anybody have any opinions on Contact Management apps I should be looking at (or staying away from)?