Gregg's Nearly Interminable Adventures in Linux Land

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

It will only be deleted if you delete it yourself from the web interface, or from a computer that is synced.

Copy.com/Dropbox are syncing products, not backup products. If you delete something, they will delete the synced copy.


Dropbox offers a 30-day history of all your files, which can be used to restore deleted files (as well as to revert to an older version of a file). If you pay for extra storage they will keep an unlimited history.
You can view those files via their website. Also, there are scripts which access the Dropbox API to do fancier things like restore your whole Dropbox to a specific date (my fork with a shared API key).

Copy.com only allows you to restore deleted files from the desktop client, and I don't know how long you have or what the deal is.


Bottom line, though -- I wouldn't worry about it happening. As far as I am concerned, it will only happen if I am the one doing the deletion, by accident of course.
It isn't their job to protect me from every form of stupidity I can bring upon myself.
They will protect me if my computer is blown up. They will save me when I lose my computer, or can't access it RIGHT NOW. They will even protect me from my own stupidity if I ask them within 30 days. Good enough for me.


I assume if a file got deleted from your computer, and that change was synced to Copy.com/Dropbox... then the file *should* be in your Trash. All in all, what you are doing is making sure that whatever *might* happen to your files, chances are they will be preserved in at least one place.

I doubt you will be in the position, for example, where you deleted the files from your computer, AND you synced to Dropbox, AND you didn't notice for 30 days, AND you lost that computer or cleared the Trash (never do this unless you are sure) AND you lost your flash drive backups.

Thanks for the major dose of sanity. You know, I was looking at Copy.com as a form of backup. Like, if something goes wrong, it's always in the Copy cloud. But yeah of course if I delete something from a synced file it's going to be deleted on both computers and in the cloud. (And yeah, Copy does have the deleted files in the web browser site.)

The thing is I've got everything from both computers in the synced Copy folder.

And that, for me, is a lot of stuff. (11GB)

Thinking of Deb's comment (the "snapshot" idea), I could save the Copy folder to each computer and then when I work on a file save it on the computer AND then to the Copy folder as well. But that gets dicey too. Say I add a file to the Copy folder on one computer and then (to keep things consistent) I should add the same folder to the other computer (But what are the odds of keeping all that straight?) to keep the files NOT in the Copy folder the same. (With a single computer it makes sense and would be easy.)

I do think it incredibly unlikely that I would delete something important without it being somewhere else.

Maybe I'll keep everything the way I've got it and just come up with a foolproof (LOL) backup system. (Any suggestions?)

Thanks man.

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

FWIW: I treat Dropbox as a snapshot *copy* place. I never put my only copy of a thing into the Dropbox folder. I always copy it into the dropbox folder. I know that the Dropbox folder is a folder on my own computer (which is then copied up into the cloud somewhere). This means I have two copies of the thing on my own computer, plus the Dropbox version can be accessed (by me) from somewhere else (like my phone). That's handy. But I don't put my main version of a file there. I put a *snapshot* in there.

That's just how I'm comfortable using it.

(To jump into your discussion here.)
Deb

Thanks Deb. That makes total sense (the snapshot copy idea) except that it gets a little impractical (I think) doing it when I've got two computers synced (unless I'm missing something). As it is I've got the same stuff on both computers (everything is in the Copy (synced) folder and basically nothing is on either of the computers themselves.)

Your way, if I were to originate a file and then make a "copy" and add it to the Copy (synced) folder on just that one computer that would mean that I don't have the selfsame file on the other computer (except for in the Copy file). So I could add the selfsame file to the other computer but I don't think it's realistic that I would be able to keep it all straight. (What if I add five files?)

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Consider what "Sync" means. It means that you want the same contents in the folders being synced. This means that if you add stuff locally, it gets added to the online folders when you Sync, but if you delete stuff locally, it gets deleted in the online folders when you Sync, too.

It seems like what you want in the online folders is essentially a backup of what you have locally. If you have an "Oops!" moment and delete something you shouldn't have, or make a change to a local copy you decide you need to revert and can only do that by going back to an earlier version, you have an earlier version available.

If having a backup you can restore from is a goal, Sync is arguably not the way you do it.

Computers don't yet have a "Do what I mean" function. They do what you say, and it's on you to make sure what you say is what you mean.
______
Dennis

Thanks Dennis. You're right. I do need a backup. Thing is I almost got weirded out like my Copy folder was NOT on my computer. It's on my computer but it's also in the Copy cloud and synced to the other computer. So if I had no Copy or syncing and I accidentally deleted a file I'd be pretty much screwed. With what I have now if I delete a file accidentally I at least have the 30 day retrieval period from my account at Copy.com in a browser.

So I'm actually ahead of the game (from where I was anyway).

So basically I've got a huge (11 GB) Copy (the synced thing) folder on each of my two computers. What would be a good (and simple) way to back up such a situation?

[badgoodDeb]

Actually, my snapshot copies are only for files I think I may want to view somewhere else (phone, ipad, or other computer). It's not for everything.

I also use the Dropbox area as a *transfer* media -- I copy something there because I want to take it to my other computer. But when I myself get to the other computer, I move the file to its target location, and out of Dropbox. It was only there long enough to do the transfer.

And then I do make actual backups onto 4 different physical hard drives, in rotation. Just because they are so cheap. Not that my data actually matters in the least. But backup is my job at work, so I'm rather anal about it. About having redundant backups; not about doing them very often! (At home). I let my mac's Time Machine magic backup software back up my stuff once a week (when I bother to attach the cable), and I attach another hard drive & do a whole disk copy maybe once a month. But I really only have photos these days. And email that lives in the cloud anyway. So it doesn't much matter, really. If I worked from home, I'd do those more regularly.

[Dngrsone]

I bought an expensive mouse to replace my old one, which still works but is getting a bit iffy.

I got his new one specifically because it has Bluetooth, and I would like to get away from the little dongle (laptops have only so my USB ports).

I have fought for two weeks to get Mint KDE to recognize the mouse. Finally did (don't ask me how); but the OS doesn't recognize it as a mouse.

I'm going to have to use the dongle anyway, until I can figure out how to convince the OS that this is a mouse; or somebody throws together a driver for it...

[Glorfindel]

@Gregg Bell: Check your settings on the copy app, you can set it so it doesn't sync some folders, just keeps them in the cloud. I have a folder named 'unsynced' for just this.

[Glorfindel]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I bought an expensive mouse to replace my old one, which still works but is getting a bit iffy.
I got his new one specifically because it has Bluetooth, and I would like to get away from the little dongle (laptops have only so my USB ports).
I have fought for two weeks to get Mint KDE to recognize the mouse. Finally did (don't ask me how); but the OS doesn't recognize it as a mouse.
I'm going to have to use the dongle anyway, until I can figure out how to convince the OS that this is a mouse; or somebody throws together a driver for it...

What do you mean by "the os doesn't recognize it"?

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

@Gregg Bell: Check your settings on the copy app, you can set it so it doesn't sync some folders, just keeps them in the cloud. I have a folder named 'unsynced' for just this.

That's a good idea. I created a folder at copy.com and then it just sits in the cloud without being synced to either computer. Is that what you referring to? Because also when I go Preferences>Manage My Files it lists my files and says: 'Select the files in the cloud that you want to sync to this computer.' Then I could uncheck the files but then they would still be snyced to the other computer. (I'm thinking you were referring to the first way.)

[Glorfindel]

That is exactly what I meant
Either way works, do it however it works for you

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I bought an expensive mouse to replace my old one, which still works but is getting a bit iffy.

I got his new one specifically because it has Bluetooth, and I would like to get away from the little dongle (laptops have only so my USB ports).

I have fought for two weeks to get Mint KDE to recognize the mouse. Finally did (don't ask me how); but the OS doesn't recognize it as a mouse.

I'm going to have to use the dongle anyway, until I can figure out how to convince the OS that this is a mouse; or somebody throws together a driver for it...

Sure sounds like a pity. What mouse?

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

What do you mean by "the os doesn't recognize it"?

The OS calls it an unknown device, therefore it doesn't load an interface. I have no idea how to inform out that this is an HID (specifically a ten-button mouse)

[Gregg Bell]

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

That is exactly what I meant
Either way works, do it however it works for you

Thanks!

[eschwartz]

@Dngrsone -- What mouse? What bluetooth-related packages do you currently have installed? (Particularly, do you have bluez-hid2hci?) And what does lsusb report?

[Dngrsone]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

@Dngrsone -- What mouse? What bluetooth-related packages do you currently have installed? (Particularly, do you have bluez-hid2hci?) And what does lsusb report?

The new Logitech MX Master. I removed, purged and reinstalled Bluez, installed and removed Blueman, removed and reinstalled Bluedevil.

Don't think I have bluez-hid2hci; will try to add that later and see what happens.

**edit: apparently, I will have to build bluez from scratch to get that... What a PITA

[eschwartz]

Build it from scratch? Why -- shouldn't it be in the repos?