calibre library/ dropbox / system image questions

[cybmole]

how do you know that your data is stored locally?. google documentation is not good and google do tend to change how stuff works without warning.. this discussion suggests you may be right & I may be wrong though:
https://productforums.google.com/for...ve/NFMVzlwdE3c
there a different rules for "google documents" apparaently, I let those confuse me.

Because the Docs files in your Drive folder are essentially links to files that exist online,
That is specifically about Google Documents, not normal files. Uploaded files are synchronised intact, and stored in both places. Google Docs are synchronised as links (unless you enable "offline", in which case it is a little more complicated, but still not the same as sync).

I suppose I could test by moving stuff in/out & monitoring what windows says about disc usage, but that's by the by.

I accept what you say about it not being a reliable a backup as a simple local copy would be.
But it could be that the bug you found no longer exists, because google have tweaked their code.

PS to humour you on the testing, I checked my Laurel K Hamilton author folder, which has ~40 book folders. All the 4 digit numbers match. So I reassert that the process of having windows write a copy of an entire calibre library to google drive, synced to one machine only, and while calibre is inactive. is a safe one-way procedure. remove any of those pre-conditions and yes, it may no longer be safe. Hence the suggestion of more collective testing & documentation.

[cybmole]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

@cybmole - I doubt you'll get a consensus on google-drive.

If one creates a Sticky saying its OK to use GD this way but not that way, but its OK to use OD or DB either way then there is the danger that someone will misinterpret. ..
BR

you're probably right. I began the thread because of a perceived risk with dropbox though, so if there's a sticky saying "trust that" it may need to be modified.
I initially saw dropbox as a way of always having access to calibre library even if my main PC died , because I go from Calibre to dropbox one way only via free file sync ( daily) & then have dropbox also syncing to a 2nd PC. I sync also to a secondary local internal drive but if the PC died I'd have to remove that & install it somewhere else in order to read it.

& all that is still good, the ( still worrying) issue is what happens to cloud copies if I ever were to restore the main PC from an old system image ( in which dropbox is set to run at startup).

[chaley]

Originally Posted by cybmole

how do you know that your data is stored locally?. google documentation is not good and google do tend to change how stuff works without warning.. this discussion suggests you may be right & I may be wrong though:
https://productforums.google.com/for...ve/NFMVzlwdE3c
there a different rules for "google documents" apparaently, I let those confuse me.

I looked at the file lengths and they matched what I got when I copied the file out of GD. However, to prove it I turned off networking and then tried to open a file. Worked fine.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by cybmole

you're probably right. I began the thread because of a perceived risk with dropbox though, so if there's a sticky saying "trust that" it may need to be modified.

I don't think there is a Sticky that says "trust Dropbox", there is this FAQ item Frequently Asked Questions — calibre User Manual It mentions Dropbox, but only as an example.

The main reason the GD sticky exists in Related Software was as a placeholder where DoctorOhh could put the links to the fix-ups from Mattes and mendak - I think?

I don't use any of them, I use the secure FTP service I've been using one way or another for almost 30 years - yes I pay for it. That means I can sue them under the common law as it relates to bailment.

BR

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I don't think there is a Sticky that says "trust Dropbox", there is this FAQ item Frequently Asked Questions — calibre User Manual It mentions Dropbox, but only as an example.

The main reason the GD sticky exists in Related Software was as a placeholder where DoctorOhh could put the links to the fix-ups from Mattes and mendak - I think?

I don't use any of them, I use the secure FTP service I've been using one way or another for almost 30 years - yes I pay for it. That means I can sue them under the common law as it relates to bailment.

BR

This one?

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...17&postcount=1

Technically it is in the correct place. GD is a 3rd party app