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Main Area and Open Discussion => General Software Discussion => Topic started by: urlwolf on September 17, 2008, 11:06 AM
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Do you keep two computers synchronized?
I think this is a common situation nowadays; a modern OS should consider it as an usage case and make provision for it. But alas, no OS does!
I want to have my entire 'data' partition synchronized at work + home.
Ideally more than 2 computerx should be possible.
The idea I have in mind is to have a central server that contains the latest copy of everything, and then clients that grab stuff from the server on a timely basis (e.g., hourly).
I'm planning on using SFFS, it's ... flexible; but it's a pain! You have to estimate which areas are the most active and should be copied to the server... and which areas are inactive and not worth monitoring.
Of course, everything can go horribly wrong and you may have an older copy overwrite a newer one. This takes careful planning, and to tell you the truth, I'll never be sure.
I'd love to get to push one button, and make sure all computers are synchronized, but the reality of it is that it's really dangerous and hard to achieve.
Anyone having such a setup working?
How did you do it?
Thanks!
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http://DropBox. Only 2GB at the moment, but in the very near future 50GB. It just doesn't get easier than this, they solved the problem. You don't have to push a button.
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Great topic - I'm just wandering into this morass myself...
For now, I'm using a USB backup drive and Super Flexible File Synchronizer (fortunately for me, I'm synching two notebooks), but I'm keen to read about other ways in which this is tackled. As discussed elsewhere, the biggie for me is e-mail, particularly sent messages. Why is it so freaking difficult/risky to sync two pst files?
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At the moment I'm quite happy with FolderShare (https://www.foldershare.com/). It's for free and you can have up to ten synchronized "libraries" of up to 10.000 files. What I like about it is the fact that this is not a remote storage, just sync service. The advantage is that when both the computers are on the same LAN, they are connected peer-to-peer, so you can sync many gigabytes in a couple of minutes, which would be impossible via internet.
I only had slight problems with Excel files ever changing theirs timestamps (described here (https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=10070.msg120392#msg120392)).
For this reason and for the case of any other disaster I'm running on one of the computers FileHamster (http://www.mogware.com/FileHamster/), which keeps automatically different versions of important files.
This setup is not suitable for every situation, but it works completely unattended, reliably and doesn't cost me a dime. Hope this helps.
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I want to have my entire 'data' partition synchronized at work + home.
Ideally more than 2 computerx should be possible.
The idea I have in mind is to have a central server that contains the latest copy of everything, and then clients that grab stuff from the server on a timely basis (e.g., hourly).
-urlwolf
If it's your own business, and you're using Windows Server, you're already set to go. Set up users to have roaming profiles and host the home directory on a network drive. Then you can log on using any machine on your network (or connect remotely) and much like Moby Dick, your files will rise to meet you.
You can also invoke the "make files available offline" option for mobile PCs. Whenever you log in (or out or both depending on how you set it up) all files in the specified directories will be synchronized.
If that's overkill, (or you're talking about a home network) give Allway Sync a try.
http://www.allwaysync.com/
Set up a directory on whatever you're using as a server and use that as your central storage point. Use AllwaySync to keep things synchronized. Combine that with one of the web backup services like Drop Box to create an "offsite failsafe" and you'll be better protected than some businesses I know.
BTW: Make sure your system clocks are also kept in sync. File timestamps are absolutely critical when you're synchronizing files.
Why is it so freaking difficult/risky to sync two pst files?
-Darwin
Primarily because a pst file is a database rather than a simple collection of individual message files. Your Outlook e-mail application enforces its own internal integrity and structure checks on the database. Hard to tell exactly how Outlook tracks things, but I would assume it hashes the pst file periodically and stores the result internally. It then checks the latest hashkey when it opens the pst file. If there's a mismatch, it knows some other app has changed the pst file. Outlook tends to view any changes made to pst by outside programs as file corruption. So to do it correctly, Microsoft would need to provide some sort of "smart merge" feature for pst files. And I doubt MS will be in any rush to provide that feature since it would remove some of the rationale for needing to buy MS Exchange. ;D
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Thanks for taking the time to reply to that, 40hz :Thmbsup: The solution I use now is to open the pst from one computer in the other installation of Outlook and simply "copy to folder" the sent items that I want synced. It's not that cumbersome and doesn't even take that long, but it's the principle of the thing that bothers me ;)
The italicized phrase above used to have me seeing red when I was in Korea... ESL teachers are apparently a principled lot! That and professional - I was constantly being tut-tutted for the lack of professionalism in the way in which things were done by the company we worked for. These are the same people in whom a sense of professionalism extended to effing and blinding at the manager if they didn't get the schedule they requested for the month ;D
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I think this is a common situation nowadays; a modern OS should consider it as an usage case and make provision for it. But alas, no OS does!-urlwolf
Technically this isn't true as that is what online Operating Systems are for but you have to juggle with the bugs and the privacy issue etc. etc. but it is a service worth following as the technology matures.
The common thing I hear is users just using online services like Google Docs to maintain their files.
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Why is it so freaking difficult/risky to sync two pst files?
-Darwin
This is one situation where using some other email client (one which saves emails as .eml files), would be better.
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I'm always surprised at how few people are aware of Live Mesh (mesh.com). I don't like Dropbox at all, the 2GB limit and the requirement for everything to be under the dropbox folder is too limiting.
Live Mesh keeps my documents, music and other data in sync across 3 pc's and also keeps a copy online so I can access it from anywhere. And it has remote desktop to any pc as well. I think its a fantastic product.
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Hmmm... 5GB - nice and I've already got the Live! ID to sign in and start using it. What's the cost going to be when this goes live (pun intended!)?
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I use Microsoft Groove 2007 for my local networked computers, but it still keeps them synchronized across the intertubes (laptop when at school, etc.) which is nice when working on an essay or programming something. But it really isn't meant for large scale synchronization.
It has a 2GB folder limit, but you can synchronize as many folders as you want. So it's kind of like having an infinite number of Dropbox accounts, except you can use any folder on your computer, and the data doesn't have to be saved in the same path on each computer. For example, I might want to keep my essays on my computer in a "D:/School/2008/English/102/Essays" directory. But on my wife's laptop, just in the "My Documents/Essays" directory for easy finding.
My only real complaints about Groove are that you can't filter files by anything other than what Microsoft Office determines to be good or bad. And it's all or nothing. Meaning that if you want to update exe files, you have to disable the filter and allow all files in the directory to be shared. It would be great if I could add individual exceptions to each directory as needed.
Other than that Groove is awesome!
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I'm always surprised at how few people are aware of Live Mesh (mesh.com). I don't like Dropbox at all, the 2GB limit and the requirement for everything to be under the dropbox folder is too limiting.
Live Mesh keeps my documents, music and other data in sync across 3 pc's and also keeps a copy online so I can access it from anywhere. And it has remote desktop to any pc as well. I think its a fantastic product.
-MrCrispy
I tried live mesh and it was a very bad experience (XP SP3). Files were not being synced or very slowly (not like DropBox instant sync) and when I tried to uninstall it, I had major problems. Now it is partly installed with remnants here and there and a second virtual screen called "Live Mesh Remote Desktop Curtain Driver" and no idea on how to remove it
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Oh well. I was all set to go with DropBox, based on lots of praise, but the price killed the deal.
I'm no ueber-downloader or power user, but I do need a complete off-site backup for peace of mind. Since I'm gradually getting rid of my CDs, my backup will max out down the road at about 500GB, I'm estimating. (I'd like to do a complete image of my 2 drives as well.) I'm sorry to be stating the cold, hard facts, but $10/mo for 50GB is nonsense -- just way overpriced. ElephantDrive and KeepIt will do $5/mo for unlimited storage (1TB+). Their GUIs are very functional. And ED uses Amazon, which isn't going to be closing shop anytime soon.
Good luck to you guys, but I don't understand why you don't alter your revenue model to attract all the users who are clamoring for no-hassle system backups.
Last reply in their Going Public (http://blog.getdropbox.com/?p=13#disqus_thread) Blog Post. I haven't tried the service but I too am baffled by the recommendations.
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The solution I use now is to open the pst from one computer in the other installation of Outlook and simply "copy to folder" the sent items that I want synced. It's not that cumbersome and doesn't even take that long, but it's the principle of the thing that bothers me ;)
-Darwin
But your solution is so simple and workable! That's it's own principle right there. ;D
In the immortal words of The Clash: "Sod Art! Let's dance."
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In the immortal words of The Clash: "Sod Art! Let's dance."
-40hz
(https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/esmileys/gen3/5Large/TFR1E0.gif)
You're right, of course. This system has served me in various incarnations for years - it really became workable when I started using SFFS - and there's no compelling reason for me to switch to anything else.
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Thanks for the interesting thread. I tend to use Microsft's FolderShare to link to whatever files I need across my PCs, because it meets my 4 main criteria for use:
1. Good functionality (i.e., it does what it should).
2. Good price (i.e., FREEware or, at worst, reasonably-priced shareware).
3. Self-contained and independent (i.e., no forced dependencies on other, unnecessary or proprietary products).
4. Stability (i.e., it works, and has no annoying bugs - ß products are OK though).
I had not heard of DropBox or Live Mesh (mentioned in the comments above, so I went to the home pages for these two to run through the intros.
Result: I am going to try out DropBox.
WARNING! --- Start of rant ---
I went to Live Mesh first and clicked on "Take a tour", only to have a pop-up tell me that I had to "Install Microsoft Silverlight for a better experience on this site". Yeah right. Criterion #4 just fell over and I hadn't even got anywhere near the software I was interested in. Strike one. What beats me about this is why anyone in their right mind would force a dependency on an unnecessary product in order to communicate their sales benefits pitch. Experience shows demonstrably that, to be successful, marketing communications must operate at the lowest common denominator. They will never know how many people they just turned away by that single simple act alone.
On top of that the "Silverlight" pop-up wanted to access some new site - "agappdom.net" - that would not own up to who/what it was, so I became suspicious of it.
Live Mesh can get lost for all I care.
---End of rant ---
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2 free alternatives for file folder syncing
http://www.collaber.com/
http://www.collanos.com/
these are also great for teamwork. They are similar to Groove.
I also love powerfolder for syncing computers
http://www.powerfolder.com
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I keep my 2 computers more or less in sync (data not programs, I try to keep the laptop as lean as possible). The amounts of data involved are not huge, 30gb of music looked after separately, and about 5gb of other stuff. Files i am working on regularly, essays and notes, are kept in dropbox and now evernote, the other stuff that doesnt change day to day (new documents downloaded from libraries or databases whatever) gets the SFFS treatment (as does new wallpapers and Icons and photos) Works for me, but as I say I don't have a lot of data, though, it does grow week by week.
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@grorgy:
yes, large collections that change little with time (i.e., music, papers) are a pain because scanning them for changes takes a lot of time and HD activity.
How are macs faring in this business? I have heard good things about time machine... nothing about synchrization.
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I have heard good things about time machine...
-urlwolf
Time Machine is very impressive.
I also suspect it's just Subversion VCS tricked out with one of those stunningly beautiful front-ends Mr. Jobs & Co. do so well. Apple actually made version control look pretty. That's gotta be some sort of breakthrough right there.
Who says you can't put lipstick on a pig? ;D
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as long as you don't kiss it.
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The first OS that solves the synch problem gets my vote.
I'm serious. I'm sick of not having the latest version of each file, or not being sure.
I'm mailing files back and forth because I'm too lazy to set up SFFS and run all the tests needed, plus I know sooner or later I'll overwrite something valuable.
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http://www.adrive.com/
has been much better with 50 gb of free storage
fairly fast upload
no autosync though
can keep more then 1 copy of whatever with this much space
java or basic uploader available
http://www.xdrive.com/
5 gb of free storage with sync capabilities
desktop app is adobe air now
much better then the first program they had
or there is a web interface that works very good
http://www.syncplicity.com/
if you want to spend money this is instant syncing
home network or internet
it can be paused in an instant with it's tray app
keeps deleted files in it's own recycle bin
fastest i've seen, though i haven't seen a lot
2gb free, the rest is $
as a beta tester i got 4gb free
so i could be biased :)
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note-always save old file after revisions
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SFFS is actually pretty foolproof. It DOES take some time to set up, but you can set up a huge number of different profiles and run them automatically, without user intervention required. You have options when setting these sync profiles up to add new files without deleting old ones, etc. So I guess my point is: don't be lazy! Get off your duff and set SFFS up! It's worth it ;D
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I guess it takes less time to configure SFFS than to change the entire OS :)
@cmpm. thanks for the resources.
I have my own server so I'll sync to that, no need for a third party (besides, I prefer not to upload important stuff like working papers or code to a place I have no control over).
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I don't have any use for such, but because I use Linux at home, I looked into it briefly. Here's some Linux solutions:
DirSync Pro
http://directorysync.sourceforge.net/
Synchronization
Powerful synchronization algorithm
Bidirectional (Two way) and Unidirectional (One way) synchronization mode
Synchronizes unlimited number of folders
Large number of options to change the synchronization behavior
Option to synchonise subdirectories recursively
Synchronizes files/folders any file system (FAT, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, WinFS, UDF, Ext2, Ext3, ...)
Synchronizes files from/to network drives
Synchronizes files from/to any mounted devices (Harddisks, USB-Sticks, Memory cards, External drives, CD/DVD's, ...)
Synchronization could be used for making incremental backups.
Option for handling symbolic links
Option for handling time-stamps
General
Easy, clear and user-friendly graphical user interface, no unnecessary gadget you never use.
Runs on every modern operating system including Windows™, Linux™ and Macintosh™
Open source, it is 100% free of charge, 100% free of commercial text, 100% free of advertisements and 100% free of spyware.
No time/function limitations
Uzes no local database, so no overhead
Does not need any installation. Just download and run it. You can put it on you USB-stick en you can run it on any computer/any platform.
Logging
Advaned logging/reporting facilities. Just select a log level and define where to write the log.
Option to log on application level (default log)
Option to log on each directory level (dir log)
Option to define the log leven (how much to log)
Conduit (for Gnome)
http://www.conduit-project.org/
Conduit is a synchronization application for GNOME. It allows you to synchronize your files, photos, emails, contacts, notes, calendar data and any other type of personal information and synchronize that data with another computer, an online service, or even another electronic device.
Conduit manages the synchronization and conversion of data into other formats. For example, Conduit allows you to;
Synchronize your Tomboy notes with another computer
Synchronize your your PIM data to your mobile phone, iPod, Nokia Internet tablet, or between computers
Upload photos to Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug, ShutterFly and your iPod,
... and many more
Any combination you can imagine, Conduit will take care of the conversion and synchronization.
MultiSync
http://multisync.sourceforge.net/news.php
MultiSync is a free modular program to synchronize calendars, addressbooks and other PIM data between programs on your computer and other computers, mobile devices, PDAs or cell phones. MultiSync works on any Gnome platform, such as Linux.
Those were the best-looking ones I could find.
Cheers
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Also see this thread (https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=3203.0) that zaine started in 2006 on synchronization softwares.
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I didn't know you had the server space already urlwolf.
I like GoodSync for between my computers and I'm sure it would work.
It is about $30 for the pro version but it is loaded with features.
A one time charge for the program.
I bought it and don't really need it I like it so much.
Check out the trial and see if it meets your agenda.
I don't think there is a limit on how many sync jobs to create.
Any deleted files go to the respective computers recycle bin.
I think the features are very flexible with filters and exclude options.
As well as more that more experienced users would use.
http://www.goodsync.com/index.html
It may be too simple, I don't know.
Depends on the needs I reckon.
It sets in the tray works auto or manual.
And yes push one option from the tray and all sync jobs are performed for manual.
Might want to practice with test files for different scenarios.
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http://DropBox. Only 2GB at the moment, but in the very near future 50GB. It just doesn't get easier than this, they solved the problem. You don't have to push a button.
-justice
I've used DropBoks (not Box, thats a different service) ever since it first showed up on the web - small files for school and personal stuff, but it it freaking awesome how they keep it simple, yet powerful behind the scenes. Familiar interface, compressed.
EDIT: Also, unlike DropBox, DropBoks doesn't require a download - you upload and download your files in a small explorer-like box.
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I use subversion (command line client) and a centrally subversion server.
The only downside is that it takes twice the needed bytes.
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http://DropBox. Only 2GB at the moment, but in the very near future 50GB. It just doesn't get easier than this, they solved the problem. You don't have to push a button.
-justice
I've used DropBoks (not Box, thats a different service) ever since it first showed up on the web - small files for school and personal stuff, but it it freaking awesome how they keep it simple, yet powerful behind the scenes. Familiar interface, compressed.
EDIT: Also, unlike DropBox, DropBoks doesn't require a download - you upload and download your files in a small explorer-like box.
-wreckedcarzz
Yeah, I've always been impressed with DropBoks. Wasn't too sure how long it would last though so I never tested it long term.
Has the service been stable for you wrecked? I'm afraid the service might disappear one day because of it's similarity to DropBox's name.
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I've used DropBoks (not Box, thats a different service) ever since it first showed up on the web - small files for school and personal stuff, but it it freaking awesome how they keep it simple, yet powerful behind the scenes. Familiar interface, compressed.
EDIT: Also, unlike DropBox, DropBoks doesn't require a download - you upload and download your files in a small explorer-like box.
-wreckedcarzz
I just tried out DropBoks. It's almost completely useless because it doesn't have an easy way to upload an entire directory and all subdirectories. Instead it forces you to manually create each directory, navigate into the directory, then browse your computer into the appropriate directory, then upload all files from the directory. But any subdirectories are ignored and you have to start the process over again.
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http://www.xdrive.com/
5 gb of free storage with sync capabilities
desktop app is adobe air now
much better then the first program they had
or there is a web interface that works very good-cmpm
I just signed up for Xdrive, and I don't understand my confirmation e-mail:
Congratulations! We received your registration for [[email protected]]. AOL(R) is proud to have you as a member of our online community.
Confirm your email address now! If you requested to reserve this email address as part of the AOL(R) Screen Name Service, please select the "Yes, I made this request" link below. Otherwise, if this was not requested by you, please select the "No, I did not make this request" link below to reject this request.
Yes, I made this request and I want to reserve this email address as part of the AOL Screen Name Service
No, I did not make this request and I do not want my e-mail address registered with the AOL Screen Name Service
To learn more about AOL Screen Name Service, please visit the Screen Name Service Web site at http://my.screenname.aol.com.
Thank you,
Screen Name Service Team
So... Yeah. I DO want to confirm my e-mail address for Xdrive, but I don't want need an AOL Screen Name. Suggestions?
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I've used DropBoks (not Box, thats a different service) ever since it first showed up on the web - small files for school and personal stuff, but it it freaking awesome how they keep it simple, yet powerful behind the scenes. Familiar interface, compressed.
EDIT: Also, unlike DropBox, DropBoks doesn't require a download - you upload and download your files in a small explorer-like box.
-wreckedcarzz
I just tried out DropBoks. It's almost completely useless because it doesn't have an easy way to upload an entire directory and all subdirectories. Instead it forces you to manually create each directory, navigate into the directory, then browse your computer into the appropriate directory, then upload all files from the directory. But any subdirectories are ignored and you have to start the process over again.
-Deozaan
True but with the size available to you in DropBoks, it's really more a hassle if you had to restructure your directory just to reduce the space it takes.
Applications like these appeal more towards people who want a free online usb stick than a synching or backup system.
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Anyone tried OpenDrive (http://www.opendrive.com/)? 1 GB at the moment, but looks promising. Not mentioned at DC so far.
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Applications like these appeal more towards people who want a free online usb stick than a synching or backup system.
-Paul Keith
I organize my USB stick with directories as well.
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Applications like these appeal more towards people who want a free online usb stick than a synching or backup system.
-Paul Keith
I organize my USB stick with directories as well.
-Deozaan
As do I. Sorry for the misunderstanding. What I meant to say was whenever I have a new usb stick, I find half the fun is to recreate all the directories and subdirectories and see if I get a better structure than before rather than uploading the old folders.
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+2 on organizing my USB sticks as well... :Thmbsup:
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http://www.xdrive.com/
5 gb of free storage with sync capabilities
desktop app is adobe air now
much better then the first program they had
or there is a web interface that works very good-cmpm
I just signed up for Xdrive, and I don't understand my confirmation e-mail:
Congratulations! We received your registration for [[email protected]]. AOL(R) is proud to have you as a member of our online community.
Confirm your email address now! If you requested to reserve this email address as part of the AOL(R) Screen Name Service, please select the "Yes, I made this request" link below. Otherwise, if this was not requested by you, please select the "No, I did not make this request" link below to reject this request.
Yes, I made this request and I want to reserve this email address as part of the AOL Screen Name Service
No, I did not make this request and I do not want my e-mail address registered with the AOL Screen Name Service
To learn more about AOL Screen Name Service, please visit the Screen Name Service Web site at http://my.screenname.aol.com.
Thank you,
Screen Name Service Team
So... Yeah. I DO want to confirm my e-mail address for Xdrive, but I don't want need an AOL Screen Name. Suggestions?
-Deozaan
Deozaan, you now have an aol email account. As I do.
I don't use it, it just sits there with one message in it, the welcome message.
When signing into XDrive just use the screen name that you choose, as it says, and no need for the '@aol.com'.
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Why is it so freaking difficult/risky to sync two pst files?
-Darwin
Primarily because a pst file is a database rather than a simple collection of individual message files. Your Outlook e-mail application enforces its own internal integrity and structure checks on the database. Hard to tell exactly how Outlook tracks things, but I would assume it hashes the pst file periodically and stores the result internally. It then checks the latest hashkey when it opens the pst file. If there's a mismatch, it knows some other app has changed the pst file. Outlook tends to view any changes made to pst by outside programs as file corruption. So to do it correctly, Microsoft would need to provide some sort of "smart merge" feature for pst files. And I doubt MS will be in any rush to provide that feature since it would remove some of the rationale for needing to buy MS Exchange. ;D
-40hz
Strikes me it would be simplicity for MS to ensure data inegrity. Do an MD5 check on the PST file (or similar) and store its hash value as the last few bytes of the file. When Outlook opens the file it can read the has value and recalculate the has with the rest of the file and compare them. That way PST files would be portable instead of a PITA !
One way you can keep Outlook up to date across different systems is to import the PST file across the network without allowing duplicates to be copied. Not convenient (reasonably fast if you have a Gigabit network) but could be automated I suppose. The advantages of this to open and copy to folder are firstly the import without duplicates is automated and secondly you are not 'opening' the PST files on the other system so Outlook on eacy system is unaware that the file has been used by another version of Outlook. Also if the PST files are in Outlook 2000-2003 format it should work across and between all Outlook 2000-2007 versions.
My preferred method is to keep the PST file as small as possible and hive off all my email into MailStore Home (allowing MailStore to delete all emails in Outlook older than a certain number of days so that the PST file doesn't grow too big). You can then sync those MailStore database files without any problem across systems. If you get Mailstore Home Plus you can even automate the archiving of all your email to MailStore and the auto-deletion of email from Outlook. Since Mailstore only deals with email, I also use Outlook's Archive to move dead tasks, calendar entries, Notes etc. into an Archive PST file, that would need to be imported on each system o keep things up to date but since it only contains older tasks etc. it doesn't need to be synced that often.
Another approach with outlook would be to use a search app (such as X1 Pro) that can sync PST file content across a network so that the data is searchable without actually being moved. You could then index all of your PST files on each computer.
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Thanks, Carol - I'll try the MailStore Home route (I've had it installed in the past). All I am worred about are e-mails, so this should be the perfect solution. I also have X1 Pro, but I don't have a server set up and would like all e-mail to be local. MailStore Home is an attractive idea because if I am reading your post correctly, I shouldn't have too much trouble syncing between multiple comptuers (at the moment I have five of my own plus my wife's work notebook).
Alternatively, I am open to the idea of switching to a different client. I used to love Eudora - it was so easy to take your e-mail and e-mail settings with you.
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This thread speaks to one of my own greatest concerns. I have some information to add that has not yet been mentioned.
FIRST, I'm evaluating a new facility, still in beta, called Syncplicity, available at www.syncplicity.com.
This open-source facility keeps the core files you designate at an online "cloud" hub. You can access it from any computer world-wide via your browser. BUT it also has a desktop-side program which allows you to designate just which files you wish to synchronize. So far, I've got my laptop and desktop in Mexico sync'd up. Whenever I changed a file on one computer, the change would ripple up to the online hub and then back down to the second computer. Worked beautifully.
Now I'm at my other residence half-way around the world. Of course, I brought my laptop with me -- probably for the very last time since the new US Customs policy of seizing laptops willy-nilly, for no announced reason.
I'm planning on setting up a desktop here too, and introducing Syncplicity. Once I set it up, I'll be interested to see if all of my "sync'd" folders get automatically downloaded into that new desktop. I expect it to happen flawlessly.
Assuming my expectations are fulfilled, I'll be one happy computer user. I've been searching for such a facility for 11 years, ever since I established two residences.
BUT THERE'S MORE: I read a couple months back that Microsoft has yet another OS in the works, to follow eventually on the heels of Windows 7, which is expected to be out within a year or two. This new OS has built right into it the facility to maintain core files ONLINE, with synchronized dumps back onto whatever computers one uses. Fabulous idea.
In fact, I see a subtle movement among many software developers in this direction. The new iteration of the free facility EVERNOTE is a prominent example. Also there are new efforts underway to set up "virtual desktops" which are accessible both online and off, all synchronized. I've already experimented with one of these that is in very early beta stages of development. It's promising, but requires very fast internet connections and computers.
I'm beginning to make judgments about which software to buy and install based on similar considerations. I'm beginning to look very carefully at purchase licenses of software I'm considering for purchase. Those that allow installation on only one computer will have a difficult time earning my acceptance. On the other hand, I'll be favorably inclined toward those that allow a single user to install the software on more than one computer, as long as only one is in use at any given time.
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Sounds good, Syncplicity is not open source though? At least I couldn't find it and they've got pricing plans.
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I like the sounds of Synplicity as well...
justice, I found this in the faq:
Price
How can you afford to offer Syncplicity for free?
We’re offering Syncplicity for free during our Beta period in order to test out the service and get as much of your valuable feedback as possible. It’s also one of the ways we want to thank you for starting to use Syncplicity early on, putting up with the occasional bug, and helping us build a product that suits your needs exactly. The Beta period will end on July 28th, 2008.
After the beta, Syncplicity will still offer free accounts. Please see our pricing for more information
So it looks like we missed the free beta by a good couple of months...
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BUT THERE'S MORE: I read a couple months back that Microsoft has yet another OS in the works, to follow eventually on the heels of Windows 7, which is expected to be out within a year or two. This new OS has built right into it the facility to maintain core files ONLINE, with synchronized dumps back onto whatever computers one uses. Fabulous idea.
-TomColvin
This is what I'd expect an OS to do nowadays. A pity that it's M$ who implements it first.
I'm sure it'll be copied.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks this should be a core OS thing. I'm also scared that M$ could have control over my files in the cloud though.
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justice, I found this in the faq:
Price
...After the beta, Syncplicity will still offer free accounts. Please see our pricing for more information
-Darwin
:-[ I didn't even read the quote closely enough the first time to notice this :o
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the free accounts come with 2GB just like dropbox. :Thmbsup:
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Hi ,
Full disclosure here: I work for http://www.nomadesk.com, which offers small business users (or nomadic professionals, as we like to call ourselves) an innovative way to share documents and work together on a “virtual fileserver.” I found this topic thanks to google, and just wanted to add NomaDesk to the discussion.
Since the size seems very important for you guys , I can tell you the following :
We don't have any limits and you don't have to wait/look for an invitation code, you can just go to http://www.nomadesk.com and download our application!
Check out our movie on our homepage and you will be convinced!
Thanks!
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Time Machine is very impressive.
I also suspect it's just Subversion VCS tricked out with one of those stunningly beautiful front-ends Mr. Jobs & Co. do so well. Apple actually made version control look pretty. That's gotta be some sort of breakthrough right there.-40hz
Nah, nothing to do with subversion - simply a bunch of hardlinks.
rsnapshot (http://www.rsnapshot.org/) works similarly for lunix systems.
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Welcome to DC, wwdj, and thanks for telling us about Nomadesk. When I have some time, I'll give it a whirl. For now, as much as this kind of solution appeals to me, I'd like to get everything caught up WRT my current backup strategy, which is based on external harddrives, etc. Once I've gotten my computers synced with the harddrive, I'll give the on-line solutions a whirl :Thmbsup:
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@ Darwin , lovely to hear that , in case you have any questions or remarks while using it , don't hesitate to contact us via http://support.nomadesk.com :Thmbsup:
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This case is quite a)techie, b)purpose-specific, but nevertheless it might give some ideas.
10 years owning PDAs has left me with lots of notes; simple text notes that every respectable PDA let's you take. While using Palm I simply used the notes app and sync'ed to Palm Desktop. Some limitations arise, but all in all, it does the trick. Now I have a Windows Smartphone and it didn't come with a notes app. I bought a suite that includes a notes app which is really a plain text note editor. So now I mirror my notes directory between my smartphone, my personal laptop and my work computer, and to do so, I use Subversion (http://subversion.tigris.org).
I won't go into the details of what Subversion (or any version control system) does; just let's say it allows you to keep consecutive versions of your files. Since I already pay for a web/app server for my freelance projects, I created a Subversion instance for my notes, and -for the techie inclined- the syncing process becomes transparent and the whole solution is really powerful.
Even the other day I had to quickly check some notes that I haven't synced to the phone yet (no Subversion client for Windows Mobile; I plug the microSD card in the computer to sync), but since I had wi-fi available, I could read them through the web. It saved my butt that day.
Geeky cool hack, indeed! :P
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Surprisingly, I've found Microsoft's PowerToy SyncToy 2.0 to be a great help. I use it to sync up my images, videos, eBooks, et cetera. (Don't hate me for using Microsoft's PowerToys... LOL)
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It seems sync programs are popping up here and there quite a bit.
Unless I'm just now noticing.
http://jonathanstoolbar.blogspot.com/
A decent read.
http://synkron.sourceforge.net/
Another sync program - open source.
And another-
http://www.sugarsync.com/
Personally I like Dropbox and Syncplicity. I use both.
For their ease of use and ability to make links to share any file.
I was surprised to see it in Syncplicity, just right click any synced file or folder and you can make a web link.
Dropbox has it's 'public folder', still having to click and make the link though.
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Here's another possibility; Dsynchronize (http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/).
I don't have first-hand knowledge of what it can do, or how well it performs.
DSynchronize is a stand-alone utility that let you periodically synchronize two or more folders on Hard Disk, Floppy Disk, LAN, USB Key, CD-DVD (with packet writing software) and FTP server.
It is also possible to specify the time and the day to schedule the synchronization to run, and to create some additional "filters" for other factors.
Real-Time sync is also supported.
- The website
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I wasn't too crazy about DSynchronize the last time I tried it as it didn't seem to handle files with names containing CJK and such [1]. In fact, a fair number of synchronizing utilities didn't seem to do so well on this point (at least many of the ones that I've tried -- I think this includes PathSync, TreeComp, and SyncExp).
I think a few of the Java-based ones (JFileSync and DirSync Pro [mentioned already as a Linux alternative, but I believe it works under Windows too]) ended up working out for me in this regard but I found that Java-based stuff sometimes adds a bit of complexity to my portable set-up.
I think SyncBack Freeware might have worked ok, but IIRC it wasn't quite portable.
Was trying Toucan, but I think it still feels quite rough around the edges.
Will have to try Synkron -- hadn't seen that one.
[1] Not in the habit of intentionally creating files w/ names that use CJK, but when I create bookmarks when visiting certain pages, it tends to happen...
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I use Microsoft Groove 2007 for my local networked computers, but it still keeps them synchronized across the intertubes (laptop when at school, etc.) which is nice when working on an essay or programming something. But it really isn't meant for large scale synchronization.
It has a 2GB folder limit, but you can synchronize as many folders as you want. So it's kind of like having an infinite number of Dropbox accounts, except you can use any folder on your computer, and the data doesn't have to be saved in the same path on each computer. For example, I might want to keep my essays on my computer in a "D:/School/2008/English/102/Essays" directory. But on my wife's laptop, just in the "My Documents/Essays" directory for easy finding.
My only real complaints about Groove are that you can't filter files by anything other than what Microsoft Office determines to be good or bad. And it's all or nothing. Meaning that if you want to update exe files, you have to disable the filter and allow all files in the directory to be shared. It would be great if I could add individual exceptions to each directory as needed.
Other than that Groove is awesome!
-Deozaan
+1 for Groove (a.k.a. Microsoft Office Groove 2007)
2 free alternatives for file folder syncing
http://www.collaber.com/
http://www.collanos.com/
these are also great for teamwork. They are similar to Groove.
-kartal
At the risk of being repetitive (I already praised the software in this thread (https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=15456.msg135603#msg135603)), I think that Collaber (http://www.collaber.com/en/faq) may be even better than Groove, for the following reasons:
- It seems it doesn't have the 2 GB per folder limit
- It's not a Microsoft product :D
- For now (its current status is Release Candidate 1, IIRC) it's free. And all accounts created during the beta period (I'm assuming that RC period is included also) will remain free.
- It's being updated MUCH more frequently than Groove. So new features, like file versioning, are likely to be implemented in coming releases. And, of course, bugs fixed.
Collaber is definitely worth being taken into consideration.
Please note that in all of theses solutions (Groove, Collaber, etc.) your data remains in your computer/s. Their servers are only used temporarily for synchronization purposes. And, at least in the case of Collaber (I haven't checked the other's FAQ), all data is encrypted during transport.
Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape or form related to the Collaber development team
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DirSync Pro 1.0 Final is just released; See: directorysync.sourceforge.net (http://directorysync.sourceforge.net). It is open-ource (free) and i is written in Java and so it could be run on all platforms.
I have been using it for a while and I like it! :Thmbsup: :Thmbsup: :Thmbsup: It has a clear user interface and it does just it says: synchronizing. There are no trash-functionality (which you never use) which may make it unneeded complex. It is very fast too!
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Thanks for pointing out the release of DirSync Pro 1.0 -- will have to check it out.
I like that it has a preview feature :) However, I found that JFileSync makes it easier to choose not to sync certain individual things after previewing. May be that kind of thing is already in DirSync Pro and I missed it or perhaps if it isn't there, it will be added eventually.
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Since I believe that all those companies offering their services for storing your backups/synchronize your files can never be trusted (after all it is my unique data and for them it's just business).
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the off-site backup concept that they offer. I just think that since it is my data, I want to have as much control over it as possible.
While looking for an update for a tool called ExamDiffPro (http://www.prestosoft.com/edp_examdiffpro.asp), I saw that the author also has a simple version control system that only requires FTP access. It doesn't require you to setup a CVS, SVN (or any other similar) server, it just requires plain and simple FTP access. With this software you don't need to pay for an extra monthly fee (besides your internet access and own website) to keep your data in your own hands.
For the ones interested, FtpVC (http://www.prestosoft.com/fvc_ftpvc.asp)
While it is not cheap (50 USD), it is a one time buy. They hand out 20% discounts for students and educators.
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here's another for your own network
looks a lot like goodsync and it's capabilities
best sync
http://www.risefly.com/index.htm
edit-oops, it's shareware, thought it was free
can't find the price anywhere, but didn't look very hard
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Interesting, cmpm. BestSync is sold at four price points - Free, Basic ($15), Premium ($38), Business($78). To find the pricing you have to click on Contact at the top of the page and then Online Buy on the left hand pane of the page that loads and then scroll all the way down the page. Bizarre!
For personal user, the activation number is equal to the license number PLUS ONE, that is, if you have ONE license, you can activate it on TWO computers.
For enterprise user, ONE license can be activated on only ONE computer.
That's as far as I got - I got tired of looking for the differences between versions.
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Yeah, Deception in their website.
Not clear on key things.
BestSync would be one to stay away from imo.
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Goodsync, mentionned by cmpm a few times is 19.95 today (34% saving) on bitsdujour.
http://www.bitsdujour.com/software/goodsync-pro/
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If it's in you network places or shared docs, they can be synced, with Goodsync. Without limits for the pro version.
I am trying humyo.com and it's program, but there is no sync capabilities without a purchased plan. Although you can upload up to the specified limits.
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Hi @ ALL
To solve all your problems for active collaboration we introduce Collaber. It is an Collaboration software which lets you synchronize with your team members in an easier way then ever before. You can work any no.of computers synchronized at a same time. Its absolutely an free Software with unlimited space. There are more than 14 tools to make your virtual office effective. Keep all your data secured.
In a very short span people started saying it is an alternative for Groove.
Check www.collaber.com for more details on Collaber:)
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You have a fine setup in Collaber.
But some people do not want the middle man, the server run by another party. Which is the way a lot of sync programs work.
But there are a few that can deal directly with network places and shared folders over the net or home network. Both free and not free.