auto-save?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

So 'you must be right because you Google'd for it' - whilst me who has been using NPP every day of the week since 2007-ish, must be wrong

I suspect the PI referenced was called Autosave or Autosave 2 - no idea what they do, because I don't use them. Never knew they existed until I just looked in the NPP Plugin Manager. Like some other 'widely used' software, NPP seems to be overburdened with overlapping, redundant PIs.

Right now I don't have any files open in NPP - number of snapshots in its auto-save folder - precisely ZERO. If I open a file now, and edit it progressively over the next four days, (including system shut downs each evening), then on Friday at noon, I would be be able to get back to where I was at 10pm this evening - assuming I never did a Save of the file between now and then.

And with that explanation for why someone would want auto-save, I finally understand why no similar software does it.
It has nothing to do with how easy it is to code it. They're probably just too embarrassed to try saying with a straight face that that is "crash-proof data recovery".
You're stealing the bread right out of the mouths of poor SCM software.

I give this a million downvotes.

...

Now, you asked me why I thought it was an NPP plugin. So I told you where I got the idea from. But if you seriously think that what I meant was "I must be right because I Google'd for it", then I guess I don't have anything more to say to you.

[DiapDealer]

Let's snipe more at the various auto-save/crash-recovery implementations (or lack thereof) and less at each other.

[eschwartz]

Well, as per the OP (emphasis mine):

Originally Posted by Notjohn

[...] I love the reassurance that comes with knowing the program will save my work every few minutes. [...]

I really don't see why anything should be *considered* beyond the idea of something to save you from the effects of a disastrous crash.
If it's doing significantly more than that, then that is a sign that Sigil is trying to do too much, and there was probably a better solution.


I think it would be sufficient to periodically save a copy in $XDG_CACHE_HOME/sigil-disaster-recovery/ or OS equivalent, delete that copy on a normal Sigil shutdown, and offer to restore it when it is detected on Sigil startup.
Subject to whether or not anyone feels it worth their time to implement.

This would nicely parallel similar features in Word and LibreOffice.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Well, as per the OP (emphasis mine):


I really don't see why anything should be *considered* beyond the idea of something to save you from the effects of a disastrous crash.
If it's doing significantly more than that, then that is a sign that Sigil is trying to do too much, and there was probably a better solution.


I think it would be sufficient to periodically save a copy in $XDG_CACHE_HOME/sigil-disaster-recovery/ or OS equivalent, delete that copy on a normal Sigil shutdown, and offer to restore it when it is detected on Sigil startup.
Subject to whether or not anyone feels it worth their time to implement.

This would nicely parallel similar features in Word and LibreOffice.

Wow. I didn't know that all youse guys had all that cool-io software that copies your stuff. I always thought--naive waif that I am--that that's why the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave me that index finger--so I could hit "SAVE" on the menu. Or, going hog-wild, "save as," so I could save copies of my work as I went.

DARN. This is why I'm never gonna be a big time wonk(ette) like youze.

Hitch

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Wow. I didn't know that all youse guys had all that cool-io software that copies your stuff. I always thought--naive waif that I am--that that's why the Flying Spaghetti Monster gave me that index finger--so I could hit "SAVE" on the menu. Or, going hog-wild, "save as," so I could save copies of my work as I went.

Obviously, expecting the computer to save you when you were too careless to remember to save is a little ridiculous.

On the other hand, OS crashes aren't fun and in the unlikely event that one happens, it is nice to know your program can do crash recovery.


Now, don't get me wrong. I still think it is peoples' responsibility to save their work as they go along. Being careful, or even extra-careful, never hurt anyone.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Obviously, expecting the computer to save you when you were too careless to remember to save is a little ridiculous.

On the other hand, OS crashes aren't fun and in the unlikely event that one happens, it is nice to know your program can do crash recovery.

True dat. I've had it happen myself. And I'm not knocking the idea of automation; I have a full backup that runs nightly; a backup of the backup that runs weekly, on an Amazon S3 server; and all--ALL--of our business files are on Dropbox, which is a backup system, for all intents and purposes, itself. So...not knocking the idea. Just...what's the First Rule of Disk Club? Everybody SAVES at Disk Club. ;-)

Now, don't get me wrong. I still think it is peoples' responsibility to save their work as they go along. Being careful, or even extra-careful, never hurt anyone.

Hey, if somebody adds it to Sigil, or builds a plugin, I may even use it. Ya never know. Althought--notjohn won't, not unless he switches up.

Hitch

[Notjohn]

Well, I'm pleased to have started such a joyful thread!

[varlog]

Originally Posted by Notjohn

Well, I'm pleased to have started such a joyful thread!

Just contributing .
I'm CAD professional. We have deadlines. My experience is that just before deadline things tend to happen - one is stressed and in a harry and do things which are to much for poor machine/software.
I never use auto save. What I found sometimes life saving is session recovery. My software makes memory dump in critical situations and offers recovery by new start. Works most of the time and saved me many times. Sigil in deadline situations would certainly profit from such a feature. Is it much used in such a situations?
On the other hand there is this: when one is forced to something again one does it quicker and better(!).