Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion
In search of ideal backup utility
mwang:
There are 2 things I want to clarify here:
-tslim (August 30, 2008, 12:08 PM)
--- End quote ---
Thanks for the clarification. I'll give it another shot, then. Have you tried it with files with a unicode name other than Chinese, like Japanese and Korean? IIRC, Korean filenames gave me the most troubles, followed by Japanese?
Took another look at their homepage just now, and I think the one I tried should be GBM Home, not Pro, if that makes a difference in this regard. Sorry for any misinformation.
mwang:
1) GBM does not change filenames in foreign language (I mean language which is not the master language of Windows) when it stores them in its gbp file.
-tslim (August 30, 2008, 12:08 PM)
--- End quote ---
OK, downloaded GBM Pro 8.0.340.510 just now and tried it.
My system config: Vista sp1 (English), with Traditional Chinese as my "non-unicode language."
I set up a test folder with 6 files, 1 with English name, 1 Japanese, 1 Korean, 1 Simplified Chinese (same as yours), 2 with Traditional Chinese (one the same as yours, converted Traditional Chinese, the other with characters that often cause troubles).
Screenshot 1: The "Rename unicode files" option in GBM Pro isn't checked.
In search of ideal backup utility
Screenshot 2: Full backup catalog (everything fine).
In search of ideal backup utility
Screenshot 3: Traditional Chinese search (no problem). Note wildcards characters ("*") are in the filter view (background), but not in the Advanced Search dialog.
In search of ideal backup utility
Screenshot 4: Simplifed Chinese search: filter view (background) worked, but Advanced Search found nothing.
In search of ideal backup utility
Screenshot 5: Same with Japanese (and Korean, screenshot omitted.)
In search of ideal backup utility
I also load the .gbp file in Total Commander (7.04a, also downloaded just now). I know .gbp files are just .zip filies in another name, but my Directory Opus doesn't recognize it (not even after I set the association), and I don't want to change the ext name to reduce any doubt of tempering.
Screenshot 6: directory structure of test.gbp on the left, and my test folder ("K:\gbmtest") on the right. See the "GRename" and "MF" subfolder?
In search of ideal backup utility
Screenshot 7: content of the "MF" subfolder: 3 files stored in their original name.
In search of ideal backup utility
Screenshot 8: content of the "GRename" subfolder: 3 files stored in a converted name.
In search of ideal backup utility
So it seems my memory didn't really fail me after all.
Side note: why doesn't GPB remember the size and position of the Advanced Search dialog box?
tslim:
I set up a test folder with 6 files, 1 with English name, 1 Japanese, 1 Korean, 1 Simplified Chinese (same as yours), 2 with Traditional Chinese (one the same as yours, converted Traditional Chinese, the other with characters that often cause troubles).
-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)
--- End quote ---
What do you mean by "one the same as yours, converted Traditional Chinese"?
Screenshot 1: The "Rename unicode files" option in GBM Pro isn't checked.
Screenshot 6: directory structure of test.gbp on the left, and my test folder ("K:\gbmtest") on the right. See the "GRename" and "MF" subfolder?
-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)
--- End quote ---
I suppose if the "Rename unicode files" option is not ticked then foreign file names should be saved as it is. There shouldn't be a rename during backup nor a "GRename" folder in the gbp file.
After reading your reply, I try again with 3 files named in Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional and Japanese respectively. Backup with GBM Pro and open up the gbp with Total Commander, I see no "GRename" folder inside??? and I can see the 3 files as before, correctly stored in the gbp. Please see the attachment.
Screenshot 4: Simplifed Chinese search: filter view (background) worked, but Advanced Search found nothing.
Screenshot 5: Same with Japanese (and Korean, screenshot omitted.)
-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)
--- End quote ---
Those search failures are expected. Think about it, if the file names are stored in non-native way, how could there be any match. Do you notice all your search failures happen only when you search for those files whose name is stored by the so called GRename Technology (in GRename folder)?
My search in all Japanese, Chinese Traditional and Simplified are successful! Please see attachment. The question is why in your case a GRename folder appear in the gbp file whereas mine does not have that? i.e why in your case GBM Pro insists of using its "GRename Technology" whereas in mine case it respect my preference setting: me too have the "Rename unicode files" option unchecked.
Side note: why doesn't GPB remember the size and position of the Advanced Search dialog box?
-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)
--- End quote ---
Your are fingering my G-Spot, ah! Ah! AH
It has to be that way in order to uphold GBM Pro's world no.1 bad interface design status. :P
Btw, if you want to set a permenant size ans position of the GBM's Advanced Search dialog box (which happen to be at top-level), you can try Actual Window Manager, see my reply in previous post
tslim:
I also load the .gbp file in Total Commander (7.04a, also downloaded just now). I know .gbp files are just .zip filies in another name, but my Directory Opus doesn't recognize it (not even after I set the association), and I don't want to change the ext name to reduce any doubt of tempering.
-mwang (August 31, 2008, 12:56 AM)
--- End quote ---
Glad you try Total Commander, for zip or archive files handling, no other explorer like utility come close to it. Its rename dialog is so far the most intuitive interface design that I have ever come acrosss.
I also own a license for xPlorer2, but I seldom use it. I use it only if I need to work with a flat directory listing. It fully support ADS in its copy and move functions.
As for DOpus, I like its ability to let user set multiple functions per toolbar button, but I really dislike its rename dialog and innocent about rar file.
mwang:
What do you mean by "one the same as yours, converted Traditional Chinese"?-tslim (August 31, 2008, 09:18 AM)
--- End quote ---
I mean the filename is the same as yours (as the one in Simplified Chinese in your original test), but in Traditional Chinese.
To get to the bottom of this matter, I changed my "language for non-unicode programs" to Simplified Chinese (PRC), and guess what I found? This time all files were saved as is except one--Korean.
In search of ideal backup utility
As I said, Korean filenames usually gave me the most troubles. Another test was done after changing language to Simplified Chinese (Singapore), same. Then, changed language again into English, and this time all but the English files were saved in the "GRename" subfolder. (Sorted by size this time, for easier comparison with the originals. And the screenshot was taken just now with DOpus after unzipping the .gbp into a folder, with TC gone from my system. )
In search of ideal backup utility
In all three environments I tried two sets of new full backups, one with the "Rename unicode files" option enabled and the other disabled. And the results were all the same. I even tried another round that didn't use compression (files backed up to a directory), and yet I got identical results regardless of the option. Weird.
While in the "English" environment, I also opened the .gbp created when I was in Simplified Chinese (PRC), and this is what I saw:
In search of ideal backup utility
So the mystery is solved. GBM Pro renames a file only when it deems necessary under the very system encoding configuration, disregarding the "Rename unicode files" option. And when it stores a file as is, there's no guarantee filenames could be restored properly under a different system configuration. That's not true unicode operation. A true unicode program doesn't produce different results when the system encoding (for non-unicode programs) has been changed.
The very limitation lies with the zip format GBM uses (zip format before 6.3 just isn't unicode compatible). They really should use the newest zip format (or better, use the open source 7z format that has been unicode compatible from the start), but I guess they have compatibility concerns. (Which, in my opinion, shouldn't be too difficult to solve by giving the user an option to use the newer, unicode-friendly, albeit less compatible zip format.)
Those search failures are expected. Think about it, if the file names are stored in non-native way, how could there be any match.-tslim (August 31, 2008, 09:18 AM)
--- End quote ---
It shouldn't be that hard. If GBM could show all the files properly in backup catalogs and restore those files back to their original name properly, it has to have some sort of internal table that keep records of which is which. The very records should be used to facilitate searching.
Btw, if you want to set a permenant size ans position of the GBM's Advanced Search dialog box (which happen to be at top-level), you can try Actual Window Manager,-tslim (August 31, 2008, 09:18 AM)
--- End quote ---
Thanks. My Powerpro could do that as well. I didn't expect to keep GBM (it's gone now), so I didn't bother to set it up.
Glad you try Total Commander, for zip or archive files handling, no other explorer like utility come close to it. Its rename dialog is so far the most intuitive interface design that I have ever come acrosss.-tslim (August 31, 2008, 09:18 AM)
--- End quote ---
Thanks again for the advice. I tried TC a few times in the past, but never liked it. I know it's very powerful, and a lot of people (on DC and elsewhere) swear by it, but it's just not my thing. I never liked Norton Commander, and don't like any fiile manager that use the same interface. XYplorer would be my file manager if it had true unicode support (it does now) when I was hunting for an Explorer replacement. Now as I'm planning to move to Linux, I'm not paying for anything that works only on Windows, unless I absolutely can't live without it. As a result, I'm stuck with DOpus, for now. (Ah, sounds like I don't like DOpus. Actually I do, despite many small complaints.)
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version