Merlin vs. OmniPlan
Steve
was looking at OmniPlan and Merlin as the two most likely candidate
apps. The main requirement is that the application export to MS
Project format as this is a work project and needs to be sent back to
Windows-only environment.
I just wondered if anyone has used the two application in depth (and
in the real world) and can comment on the strength and weaknesses of
the two relative to one another. To me OmniPlan looks great and easy
to use where Merlin looks more like an 'industrial strength'
application. I don't really need to use heavy duty features as these
will all be added after the file has been converted to project format.
--
Thanks,
Steve
London.E...@googlemail.com
Do you mean Merlin Mann? He's good on MacBreak weekly but....... they
recommended one called 'You look nice today' which I don't
understand. Must be yank humour? I don't really get it.
Frédérique & Hervé Sainct
> The main requirement is that the application export to MS
> Project format as this is a work project and needs to be sent back to
> Windows-only environment.
three months ago (when I bought it) Merlin was the only one capable to
open the (old) MSproject .mpp format, which many large companies are
still using at least here in Europe. This was decisive for me. Other
than that, it seemed at the time both of them did read and write to the
current MSP format. I tested Merlin more: it can export to both the xml
and mpx formats.
Since then, I discovered the open source Ganttproject (on sourceforge)
that seems to open .mpp too: you may want to try --I don't know whether
it exports still.
Merlin is somehow nicer and very fluently handles complex, multiyear
projects with hundreds of tasks (it also can export them as html for
instance, or deal with related resource needs); its development is
definitely very active (almost one update per month) and the enclosed
documentation is quite clear.
H.
--
Frédérique & Hervé Sainct, h.sa...@laposte.net [fr,es,en,it]
Frédérique's initial is missing in front of the above address
l'initiale de Frédérique manque devant l'adresse email ci-dessus
Steve Firth
> I may be needing to do some project planning at home under OS X and
> was looking at OmniPlan and Merlin as the two most likely candidate
> apps. The main requirement is that the application export to MS
> Project format as this is a work project and needs to be sent back to
> Windows-only environment.
Have you a religious objection to OpenProj?
Steve Hodgson
Not at all but I do need to have the file convert to either MS Project
or Artemis <http://www.aisc.com/>
--
Cheers,
Steve
The reply-to email address is a spam trap.
Email steve 'at' shodgson 'dot' org 'dot' uk
Steve Firth
> > Have you a religious objection to OpenProj?
>
> Not at all but I do need to have the file convert to either MS Project
> or Artemis <http://www.aisc.com/>
Open Project saves in MS Project format.
Steve Hodgson
The review I read said the following:
"There’s an option to import an mpp file. But why the heck there’s no
option to save the project as one? Wanted to make MS Project users’
life harder or what? Hey, they rather stop using OpenProj than move to
use an xml files instead of an mpp format. Yes, I know xml is more open
etc, but mpp is a standard, you want it or not. If I send xml file to
my customer he’ll ask me to send a “normal” mpp file."
Steve Firth
> On 2008-07-22 20:55:52 +0100, %steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth) said:
>
> > Steve Hodgson <ham...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >>> Have you a religious objection to OpenProj?
> >>
> >> Not at all but I do need to have the file convert to either MS Project
> >> or Artemis <http://www.aisc.com/>
> >
> > Open Project saves in MS Project format.
>
> The review I read said the following:
>
> "There's an option to import an mpp file. But why the heck there's no
> option to save the project as one? Wanted to make MS Project users'
> life harder or what? Hey, they rather stop using OpenProj than move to
> use an xml files instead of an mpp format. Yes, I know xml is more open
> etc, but mpp is a standard, you want it or not. If I send xml file to
> my customer he'll ask me to send a "normal" mpp file."
It saves documents in Microsoft Project 2003 format which is xml. Even
Microsoft Project saves documents as xml, anyone using .mpp files is
using something from the ark. Saving files as xml format doesn't make MS
Project users life harder, not that is if they are using a current
version of MS Project.
Stimpy
>
> It saves documents in Microsoft Project 2003 format which is xml. Even
> Microsoft Project saves documents as xml, anyone using .mpp files is
> using something from the ark.
But if that's what the customer specified - and they're paying :-)
Stephen2
>
> - Show quoted text -
He would be more tolerable if he'd shut his gob every now & then
instead of jumping all over the other speakers on MBW.
I think he's one of those people who's at a certain stage of life
where he's desperately trying to work out what to do with himself &
how to cash in on the web 2.0 thing with very limited technical or
other ability. Hence all his productivity/'how to read your email'
sudo-guru crap.
Chris Ridd
It doesn't seem to be able to export to PDF or HTML. But that was only
after a quickish play on a Solaris box.
Cheers,
Chris
Peter Ceresole
> Hence all his productivity/'how to read your email'
> sudo-guru crap.
'Sudo-guru'. Lovely; works on so many levels.
--
Peter
salgud
Probably more effective if spelled correctly, don't you think?
Like "pseudo-guru".
Peter Ceresole
> > 'Sudo-guru'. Lovely; works on so many levels.
>
> Probably more effective if spelled correctly, don't you think?
> Like "pseudo-guru".
But that would be boring.
--
Peter
Steve Firth
Frédérique & Hervé Sainct
> Not at all but I do need to have the file convert to either MS Project
> or Artemis <http://www.aisc.com/>
Merlin exports to mpx and xml (but not mpp, it only reads mpp)
salgud
> Steve Hodgson <ham...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Not at all but I do need to have the file convert to either MS Project
>> or Artemis <http://www.aisc.com/>
>
> Merlin exports to mpx and xml (but not mpp, it only reads mpp)
But MS Project can accept .mpx.
Steve Hodgson
& Hervé Sainct) said:
> Steve Hodgson <ham...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Not at all but I do need to have the file convert to either MS Project
>> or Artemis <http://www.aisc.com/>
>
> Merlin exports to mpx and xml (but not mpp, it only reads mpp)
OmniPlan is similar in that it will export to MPX and XML but not MPP.
I tried the 1 demo full demo licence for OmniPlan - the ¢ exchange rate
was such that Merlin just doesn't compare with OmniPlan for VFM.
Ian Piper
I have used both (tried them on the same project, exchanging with PC MS
Project users) and prefer Omniplan. I prefer the user interface and
general interactivity, and in my experience its round-tripping with MS
Project is more faithful.
I would not waste my time with OpenProj - unless you are Richard
Stallman's geeky brother, that is. Apart from which, the user interface
is a long way from anything I'd want on my Mac desktop.
Regards,
Ian.
--
Steve Hodgson
> Richard Stallman's geeky brother
Now THAT is a scary image.