Brim Hosting: Compare Hosting

What is Brim Hosting?

Brim is a web-based open-source personal information manager which organizes a wide array of items based on hierarchy. Brim is, in essence, a virtual planner. Just like a physical planner which you might pick up at the office supply store, it keeps names, addresses, notes, and calendars. Unlike a physical planner, though, it is capable of organizing all of the information you store in it by hierarchy, features a multitude of optional themes and plugins, and allows for the creation of an unlimited number of tasks, items and folders. Additionally, it is multilingual, having been translated into more than 15 different languages.

Brim is an MVC (model-view-controller) framework written in the Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) scripting language. It is a server-side application which carries out each command you give it before presenting the polished final result to you. It also features an extremely responsive user interface to ensure each request is met with an intuitive response.

Brim was last updated in April 2007 and the Brim website was not available as of April 2015.

What is Brim used for?

Brim is a personal information manager used to keep track of a wide array of tasks and information. Brim can keep track of just about any information and make it available on the web server of your choice meaning you can access and edit the information on any device from anywhere you have an internet connection. Also, Brim’s unlimited-user functionality means Brim can be used as a personal organizational tool for enterprises of any size.

There are two Brim packages: lite and full.

• Brim lite includes organizational tools such as a bookmark manager, calendar, contact database, notes feature, and tasks list.
• Brim full includes all of the Brim lite features but adds additional features such as a password manager, recipe keeper, gmail integration, and an rss feed.

What does Brim cost?

Since Brim is an open-source project it is completely free to download, install, and use.

What are some alternatives to Brim?

Since Brim is an application designed to be installed on the web server of your choice direct competitors will be open-source applications designed for hosting on your website. Open-source web-based alternatives to Brim include Borg calendar, C-CPP Calendar, QOrganizer, and many others.

It is possible to get most or all of the functionality of Brim in a cloud-based solution that will require less effort to get up and running. Indirect alternatives that are cloud-based have exploded in popularity since Brim’s last update in 2007. Much of the same functionality can be found in cloud-based services such as Google Calendar and Docs, Evernote, and Microsoft OneNote. These cloud-based services have the added benefit of not requiring you to complete administrative tasks such as installation or maintenance. In addition, since these cloud-based services are continuously updated they offer many features and options that Brim can’t match, and continuous updates for greater data security.

How do I install Brim?

One of the drawbacks to Brim is the complex installation process. If you undertake Brim installation be ready to spend some time troubleshooting and carefully following the installation instructions.

The Brim installation files are hosted at Sourceforge. To install Brim download the zipped Brim folder with the installation files from Sourceforge and unzip the folder. The folder includes two read-me files with installation instructions. Read the installation read-me files thoroughly and carefully follow the instructions. Brim installation may require some troubleshooting and will go more smoothly for those familiar with database configuration.

Brim pros and cons

Pros: As an open-source program Brim is completely free. Also, Brim is highly customizable with a wide range of functionality. As a web-based application written in PHP that operates in the browser, using Brim will eliminate cross-platform compatibility issues. This is particularly useful if you’re considering using Brim as an organizational tool for a multi-user organization.

Cons: While there are a lot of things to like about Brim keep in mind that Brim was last updated in April 2007 and that the Brim website is no longer available. Also, support for Brim is virtually nonexistent. Further, the features Brim offers are available from other free cloud-based services that don’t require you to install, troubleshoot, or maintain the application. This is particularly noteworthy considering the cumbersome and complex Brim installation procedure.

Server Requirements

A server hosting Brim needs to support two technologies: the PHP programming language and a database management system such as MySQL. Virtually all hosting providers will provide the server functionality necessary for Brim to operate.