Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Lightning for Android

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 146 views
  • Last reply by etienne53

more options

I have one question and a suggestion.

My question is why doesn't the alarm I set in Lightning work unless Thunderbird is open?

My suggestion is a calendar for Windows and an identical calendar for Android that sync so that I can avoid telling Google all about my life. I've worked hard to avoid Google. I use Firefox as my browser. I use DuckDuckGo as my search engine. I don't use a GMail address. I use Thunderbird to send my messages from my PC. I use an alternative navigation program on my phone and I turn off my GPS when I'm not using it. I use Dragon to talk to my phone when I'm driving instead of using Google Assistant. I use simple calendar, simple file and simple gallery instead of the Google alternatives. And I "sync" my calendars by entering the same information manually into the calendar on my phone and the calendar on my PC (Efficient Calendar Free).

But, boy, it would be sweet if I could find a non-Google calendar program that would sync across my devices. That would really be sweet.

Keep up the great work. You're not only making good products, you're protecting what little is left of our privacy, and I, for one, appreciate that.

I have one question and a suggestion. My question is why doesn't the alarm I set in Lightning work unless Thunderbird is open? My suggestion is a calendar for Windows and an identical calendar for Android that sync so that I can avoid telling Google all about my life. I've worked hard to avoid Google. I use Firefox as my browser. I use DuckDuckGo as my search engine. I don't use a GMail address. I use Thunderbird to send my messages from my PC. I use an alternative navigation program on my phone and I turn off my GPS when I'm not using it. I use Dragon to talk to my phone when I'm driving instead of using Google Assistant. I use simple calendar, simple file and simple gallery instead of the Google alternatives. And I "sync" my calendars by entering the same information manually into the calendar on my phone and the calendar on my PC (Efficient Calendar Free). But, boy, it would be sweet if I could find a non-Google calendar program that would sync across my devices. That would really be sweet. Keep up the great work. You're not only making good products, you're protecting what little is left of our privacy, and I, for one, appreciate that.

Chosen solution

So, you've investigated all the providers listed here and here, and none of them meet your standards for privacy?

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (5)

more options

There are a number calendar providers (outlook.com, yahoo, icloud, gmx etc.) supported by TbSync. As far as I know, most, if not all of them, can be accessed by both Lightning and on Android.

more options

Mozilla did have a standalone calendar application (for Windows, Mac, and Linux) called Sunbird however it was discontinued with final release back in April 2010

https://blog.mozilla.org/calendar/2010/04/sunbird_10_beta1_now_available/

There is no mobile version of Thunderbird email client so there is no Lightning for Android.

more options

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm explicitly looking for a calendar app plus a corresponding program for my PC that isn't operated by one of the big data-scraping companies (IBM, Google, Yahoo, etc.) because I'm concerned about my privacy.

If I use a the GPS on my phone (whether I use Navigation or not), which tracks where I go and how much time I spend there and crosses that with what's in the neighborhood, GMail, which scrapes my emails to see what I'm up to, Google, which tracks my searches, and Google Calendar, which is also scraped for data, I might as well give my entire life, including my medical history (since it will know which doctors I'm seeing), to these companies.

What I'm looking for is a calendar system that doesn't track me, kind of like the DuckDuckGo search engine.

more options

Chosen Solution

So, you've investigated all the providers listed here and here, and none of them meet your standards for privacy?

more options

Again, thanks for your reply. I don't really want a "cloud" calendar. I want a calendar I keep on my phone and on my computer and I want to sync them. I don't want my data going to anyone else. None of the options mentioned provide that.

My kids laugh at me, and I think they're probably right. They say, "Dad, no one in our generation cares about privacy." Worse, technology is simply making privacy obsolete whatever our desires. But I'm still fighting back. I guess I'll just keep a calendar on my phone and one on my computer and manually update them both.

Thanks for all your help. I appreciate the time and the advice.