I've been pulling my hair out trying to handle .ICS files for a project at work. These files are over 25 years old and every calendar provider has its own way of dealing with them – it's a total mess! To tackle this, I created a JSON envelope for JSCalendar, which I call ACE (Active Calendar Events). This aims to modernize event management with live updates, versioning, signing, and webhooks.
I've built a small event system using ACE that lets developers send invites via API/SDKs and keep everything in sync. But now I'm at that frustrating point where I can't see if my idea is solid or if I'm just obsessing over my own challenges. I'd really appreciate some honest feedback from other developers who've dealt with invites, RSVPs, time zone issues, or just have any thoughts on my project. Is this idea solving a real problem, or am I just being overly critical of my own work?
3 Answers
This is definitely a worthwhile problem to tackle! Let’s be real, ICS files are a pain, and companies like Google and Microsoft don't make it any easier to share calendars. I haven't delved into your project just yet, but it sounds promising! Keep pushing forward with this!
I noticed you haven’t mentioned how your tool helps users manage their meetings with existing calendars. It might be useful to provide a guide on integrating with tools like Outlook or Gmail. Otherwise, it risks feeling like a solution searching for a problem.
Synara is primarily crafted for developers to seamlessly connect events into existing calendars like Outlook and Gmail. It simplifies the coding of ICS files and addresses common issues like RSVPs and time zone inconsistencies.
Are you competing with Cal.com? It sounds like there might be some overlap.
There is some overlap, especially since both approaches are about easing calendar integration. However, Cal.com's focus is more on scheduling products while Synara is event-centric, designed to handle invites and updates efficiently, even for users who won't OAuth.
Thanks for the encouragement! I can’t wait to hear your full thoughts once you’ve had a chance to check it out.