The Front • Praise for The Hit List
Even though this is a post about a specific app, I am posting here because I think everyone needs to read this.
I have been using Things for a while now. I was drawn to it by its visual appeal. The first time I used it, I ran into some user interface issues, but decided to live with them given its apparent simplicity.
After trying out Hit List, I am convinced that it is far superior. I did not know how much Things sucked until I started using The Hit List. The Hit List seems to have been modeled after people's actual working habits, as opposed to arbitrary and fangled user interface decisions. Some of these problems I was fully aware of and annoyed by, others I did not even realize them until I used The Hit List.
Here are some of them:
1. In real life, the difference between a single task and a multi-step "project" is very tenuous. Having to manually "promote" a task into a project every time you want to specify more granular steps (like in Things) can get very annoying. Not to mention that one can have a long list of projects, cluttering up the side bar. In The Hit List, every task automatically has the ability to have sublists.
2. Despite tags and areas, tasks in Things tend to get cluttered up in the "Next" list, with no satisfying or effective way of organizing or sorting them. It turns into a jumbled and unorganized list. One can sort by tags, but it still feels messy. The Hit List provides folders and lists, which is a natural way to organize tasks.
3. "Areas of Responsibility" in The Hit List is treated like tags, as opposed to like folders in Things, which seems more intuitive to me.
4. One can "Cancel" tasks in The Hit List, one can only delete or complete tasks in Things.
5. Things archives completed tasks automatically, and pushes them all into a giant bucket (the logbook), which means you loose information about how they were sorted/organized. The Hit List only archives when you hit "Archive", and keeps the archived task in the same place (you can hide or show archived tasks in lists).
6. Ability to set "Start" dates, which allows one to automatically have tasks move into "Today" when desired. In Things, you have to manually move tasks into Things.
7. Priority rating is treated separately from tags, which means your tags are not cluttered and messy like in Things.
8. When I first tried to create recurring tasks in Things, it literally took me hours to figure out how the settings work. This is very typical of Things - its visual simplicity is deceptive. I was able to schedule recurring tasks immediately in The Hit List.
9. The Hit List can sort tasks by all sorts of attributes. I don't understand why Things doesn't have this - another reason why the Next list in Things is so cluttered and messy.
I can go on... but I won't.
The ONLY thing that will keep me using Things is the lack of iPhone sync for The Hit List. I know the developer said this is coming soon, but I can't realistically use The Hit List unless I can have it on-the-go.
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I know different people have different workflows, but my preference is The Hit List. I'm astounded at how well Andy developed this. It's usability is off the charts. I can navigate through that app with such ease. Its remarkable.
Last edited by jdavisbacon (April 6, 2009 10:37 pm)
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Very nice and convincing list... thank you.
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I'm a little suspicious now that we may have another SpeedDownload (circa MH2) scenario (anyone remember the SD 4 to 5 switcharoo?)
Can someone confirm that once this app goes from beta to released we won't be asked to shell out $65?
Right now the hit list is free. what (I hope) we paid for is a future license to the official release. If not, tisk tisk to MacHeist. They should have taken the software value of this app out of the bundle total. The $ the potion factory is asking for is for 1.0
Hope someone can confirm this (and yes I emailed PF support too).
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muvlaw wrote:
I'm a little suspicious now that we may have another SpeedDownload (circa MH2) scenario (anyone remember the SD 4 to 5 switcharoo?)
Can someone confirm that once this app goes from beta to released we won't be asked to shell out $65?
Right now the hit list is free. what (I hope) we paid for is a future license to the official release. If not, tisk tisk to MacHeist. They should have taken the software value of this app out of the bundle total. The $ the potion factory is asking for is for 1.0
Hope someone can confirm this (and yes I emailed PF support too).
The beta is free to use (selling a license to this would be stupid).
The only purchase option available is a pre-purchase for the 1.0 (what we got).
The PF contributed voice candy as loot last year, I think they understand MH.
You will get a response back pretty soon, I asked if the license could be used on both of my computers (yes it can), and they were very prompt and courteous in their response.
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@muvlaw
After the SD "fiasco" last year - I'm 99.99% sure the directorate would have made explicitly sure that all apps were full...I wouldn't even think otherwise, especially given:
macheist.com wrote:
And you’ll be happy to know that all the apps you buy here are full versions… the exact same ones that you’d buy directly from the developers at full-price right now!
I realize the free/beta aspect of THL is what called this into question, but again, i cant imagine that they would advertise a beta app as having a monetary value...
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That's vanity.
I agree 100%- I had downloaded THL to try shortly after buying Things... I was so impressed with the hit list that I regretted purchasing Things. Of course, it all depends on how you work as to which works better for you, but I really feel like THL hit the nail on the head. I'm looking forward to an iphone app to go along with it, but I'm just happy to have THL to replace Things.
AdamWillis wrote:
Very nice and convincing list... thank you.
+2.
.:;-= 60 6r33n !
"But you've heard of MH3."
noetherstheorem wrote:
The ONLY thing that will keep me using Things is the lack of iPhone sync for The Hit List. I know the developer said this is coming soon, but I can't realistically use The Hit List unless I can have it on-the-go.
I agree completely. I've transferred everything from Things to The Hit List, but I can't delete Things until an iPhone app (in any state) becomes available.
GO ORANGE!
My first encounter with theHitList was not so great:
I'm a keyboard kind of guy, and haven't been able to figure out how to navigate through the left bar (INBOX|HITLIST|FOLDERS) with my keys. This to me is very annoying.
Also how to work with the TABS at first testing it, is something I am not able to grasp.
The Tab-content keeps switching (swapping?) all the time. Or do I have to put all the items from the side-bar in tabs? So I can scroll through them with Shift-Command-[ and ] ?
If so, why should I manually add Tabs, why aren't they automatically added ?
I'm confused by this... ~:o)
But...
after reading your praise, noetherstheorem, I will give it another try.
So thanks !
Last edited by thephrase (April 7, 2009 1:22 am)
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I had been using OmniFocus for a few months and really liked it. However, I've start using The Hit List and find it much more intuitive. I've moved all my tasks over to The Hit List. Like the posters above me I am eagerly awaiting the iPhone app so I can sync my tasks.
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i have to agree, it is a handy little app, with an intuitive interface. Glad it was included in the bundle.
I would really appreciate if you do purchase your bundle through my referral link http://www.macheist.com/bundle/u/250933/
macbruski wrote:
I had been using OmniFocus for a few months and really liked it. However, I've start using The Hit List and find it much more intuitive. I've moved all my tasks over to The Hit List. Like the posters above me I am eagerly awaiting the iPhone app so I can sync my tasks.
Same here. Then I switched back to OmniFocus. I just cannot stand colours and design and elegance and "style" on my GTD app...
Not sure I think Things is the best of the two apps, but still think I should reply to your post...
1. In real life, the difference between a single task and a multi-step "project" is very tenuous. Having to manually "promote" a task into a project every time you want to specify more granular steps (like in Things) can get very annoying. Not to mention that one can have a long list of projects, cluttering up the side bar. In The Hit List, every task automatically has the ability to have sublists.
You do not have to promote a task into a project – you just create a project.
2. Despite tags and areas, tasks in Things tend to get cluttered up in the "Next" list, with no satisfying or effective way of organizing or sorting them. It turns into a jumbled and unorganized list. One can sort by tags, but it still feels messy. The Hit List provides folders and lists, which is a natural way to organize tasks.
Agreed.
3. "Areas of Responsibility" in The Hit List is treated like tags, as opposed to like folders in Things, which seems more intuitive to me.
Agreed.
4. One can "Cancel" tasks in The Hit List, one can only delete or complete tasks in Things.
One can cancel tasks in Things. Alt+Backspace
5. Things archives completed tasks automatically, and pushes them all into a giant bucket (the logbook), which means you loose information about how they were sorted/organized. The Hit List only archives when you hit "Archive", and keeps the archived task in the same place (you can hide or show archived tasks in lists).
You can set Things to not archive automatically.
6. Ability to set "Start" dates, which allows one to automatically have tasks move into "Today" when desired. In Things, you have to manually move tasks into Things.
Things does this.
7. Priority rating is treated separately from tags, which means your tags are not cluttered and messy like in Things.
8. When I first tried to create recurring tasks in Things, it literally took me hours to figure out how the settings work. This is very typical of Things - its visual simplicity is deceptive. I was able to schedule recurring tasks immediately in The Hit List.
9. The Hit List can sort tasks by all sorts of attributes. I don't understand why Things doesn't have this - another reason why the Next list in Things is so cluttered and messy.
Yeah, I really wish Things had smart searches/folders.
...
We will see how the THL iPhone app turns out. If it is good enough I might switch.
I've been using THL beta for a while now and the only thing I really prefer over Things, is a real simple thing actually -- KEYBOARD control! It's amazing how useful it is, yet Things has barely any support for it.
In THL you can do almost everything with your keyboard, no need for a mouse most of the times - I LOVE it!
Also, the way THL orders tasks inside a list, the hierarchy, it's awesome! Things can't do that, it displays tasks one by one only...
Last edited by sionicks (April 7, 2009 5:27 am)
"A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over."
I agree, but I hope the iPhone app is sooner then later. I too wouldn't be able to really use THL without an iPhone app. But so far I like what I see.
I love the hit list, in fact I think it's my favorite app in the bundle. I had it up and going in no time, and have even created smart folders for tags/contexts like "business-hours" or "phone".
For those of you that are looking for iPhone integration, the hit list supports iCal sync. So, as long as you can find something that syncs iCal to iPhone that would be a good first step. You wouldn't be able to apply updates from the iPhone to your master list, but at least you'd have your list handy.
See You Space Cowboy
thephrase wrote:
My first encounter with theHitList was not so great:
I'm a keyboard kind of guy, and haven't been able to figure out how to navigate through the left bar (INBOX|HITLIST|FOLDERS) with my keys. This to me is very annoying.
Hit G (Go to...) and then type the name of the folder, or at least part of it!
After using the Hit List for a good week I have to say I prefer it over Things as well. Very good Task Management Application.
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noetherstheorem, your avatar rules. Great band.
I'm moving from OmniFocus to THL as well. I think OmniFocus's system is really good for people who need it, and I even thought it would help me out a lot when I started using it. But as practice revealed, I didn't really need OF's extra structure. And the keyboard shortcuts are very intuitive, and help to speed things along.
JMarkevich wrote:
thephrase wrote:
My first encounter with theHitList was not so great:
I'm a keyboard kind of guy, and haven't been able to figure out how to navigate through the left bar (INBOX|HITLIST|FOLDERS) with my keys. This to me is very annoying.Hit G (Go to...) and then type the name of the folder, or at least part of it!
This is absolutely my favorite feature-- as the 'Learn the Hit List' description sez: "It's just like Quicksilver." This has got to be one of the smoothest and most navigable apps I have ever used. I love it.
Last edited by hsbork (April 7, 2009 9:54 am)
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The Hit List has a lot going for it, a lot of useful features (timer, cards, inline tagging) and a great appearance but i'm not sure if i'd take it over omnifocus. Some things seem to be missing. Like, what do I do with a list once all the tasks are completed? I can't delete it because that deletes the archived tasks, and there's no 'list completed' button. Putting completed lists in an archive folder is clumsy too.
I completely agree. THL has totally blown me away.
I was thinking about buying things and probably wouldn't even have given THL a proper try if it hadn't been included in the bundle because I was already used to things.
But after taking half an hour to learning the keycommands and tips from the learn THL project, I'm just so incredibly fast with creating and organizing tasks. The concept really works out.
There are still some features I really lack in THL but I lack them in Things too.
What I miss is a forum on potionfactory.com - discussing everything in blog-comments is just not enough. I'd appreciate a forum, feature-request-lists, planned feature lists, public bug-tracking, a platform for people to discuss ways of work with THL, maybe the opportunity to share apple scripts for THL, etc...
V
@surphaze: Agree with much of what you said there. For interest, whilst there isn't a forum run by potionfactory, there is a Google Group here: http://groups.google.com/group/the-hit-list-users which Andy, the developer, seems to read and be sometimes active on, where users have discussed their feedback about the product. This might change as it moves out of beta, but I don't know anything for sure.
Looking forward to the iPhone app (!)
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I like the Hit List, however, can someone explain to me the difference between contexts and tags? Why would I use context instead of tags for my organization of tasks?