Do you need beta testers?

[Guest]

Hi,

I would like to help you to improove SyncBack Pro - so my question is, do you need beta testers?
If so, please add me to your testers-list.

Through the last year I tested about 12 or 13 Sync programs, but none of them are acceptable.
So I'm very curious about your upcoming software!

Regards,
Martin Gartner
Bitego WEB Developemt

[mickyj]

Hi, we're not yet at a stage where we can beta test, but we hope to in the coming months.

I'm even more curious about why you thought they were unacceptable. Can you say why?

[mgartner]

I'm even more curious about why you thought they were unacceptable. Can you say why?

Most of existing sync programs have the same restrictions and problems with complicated sync jobs - but let's have a look at 3 typical examples, which most of these programs can't handle correctly:

Example 1: basics

You have a file on 2 different PCs in a synced folder. This file is changed/processed in one location and critical changes are saved to this file. Later (after you saved the changes in first location!) another person opens the file in the other location without changing anything but also saving the file.

Unfortunately there are programs which overwrites the supposed older file with the "newer" one without producing a conflict warninig = data loss.

Good programs should produce a conflict warning and inform the user that file1 is older but is for e.g. larger and file2 file size hasn't changed but is newer.

OK - as far as I could see this point is definitely handled correctly by your SyncBack software....

Example 2: complex

You have a project with lot of files in a subdirectory on you notebook and same project on you PC. On You PC you intentionally deleted some files of the project.
Beside this you have changed/processed some of the previously (on PC) deleted files of this project on your notebook.

Most of available sync programs can't handle this case correctly and delete the changed files on notebook if these files don't exist on PC side = data loss.

Example 3: tricky

You have a subfolder on your notebook and PC. In this folder there are some files which you have changed/processed on your notebook. On PC side you rename this subfolder and then try to sync this.

I only found one of 13 programs which can handle exact this case correctly!
Most others deleted the changed files on your notebook because they couldn't find the corresponding folder any longer = data loss.


OK - I hope you can understand what I mean because my English is not the best - I'm afraid of..

Best regards,
Martin Gartner

[mickyj]

Thanks for the very detailed reply, much appreciated.

Example 1: In SyncBack you can tell it to choose what criteria to use as the basis for which file it should use (e.g. newer, older, smaller, larger, etc) but in your example it would be best to be prompted always. In SyncBackPro it will know both have changed so you can be prompted (if only one has changed then it will do whatever you've configured it to do).

Example 2: I think we should be able to cope with this because we'll know that a file has been deleted, but also the other copy has been changed.

Example 3: This is indeed very tough, but has been requested by a lot of people. I'll certainly look at trying to add this though - I've just thought of a way to do this...

You should never apologise for your (excellent) English skills. I've learnt and completely forgotten a number of languages, including German, French, Mandarin, and Cantonese

[mgartner]

I think the easiest method to handle all these (and of course other complex) cases is to use a kind of logging system to minute the complete situation of both synchronized locations each time a sync job is started.

All sync jobs should then use this logging as a base for file/folder comparsions. So it's possible to check if a file/folder has changed is newer or was deleted since the last sync job.

Best regards,
Martin Gartner

[mickyj]

We're going to use an embedded database system for exactly that reason.

[mgartner]

We're going to use an embedded database system for exactly that reason.

Wow - reply time under 1 minute! That's what I call lightspeed!


I nearly can't wait for the first release of SyncBack Pro.

Regards,
Martin

[peaston]

I am excited to read about the embedded database system under development for Syncback Pro. Having just spent a considerable amount of time backing up, reorganizing, synchronizing, re-organizing, re backing up, and resynchronizing my desktop and laptop I am really looking for an application that can track moved files.

I want the "My Documents" folder and all subfolders synchronized between my desktop and laptop. Currently, with SyncBack SE, if I move a file from my "@Review" folder to another folder on my laptop and then synchronize, the file will be added to the folder I moved it to on the desktop, and will be re-added to the folder I moved it from on my laptop.

Therefore, with every sync, I must carefully look over the Differences Window and manually delete the file on the desktop in the folder the file was moved from on the laptop.

Basically, I would love for my synchronized working folders to function like IMAP e-mail folders.

Will the Embedded Database System track moved files, so that she do not reappear in the folder they were moved from when synchronized?