Synching... and the index directory

Legacy MyInfo versions topics and topics that are no longer relevant
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Fred
Posts: 216
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:07 pm

Synching... and the index directory

Post by Fred »

JAMALS WRITES:

jamal Post subject: Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 7:03 am
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:29 pm
Posts: 82 There are two issues here:

1. The issue of running MyInfo on multiple computers such as home PC, work PC and laptop, and keeping those multiple instances synchroinized: With the availability of MyInfo portable version and strong encryption, this problem has a solution. I can carry only one instance of MyInfo on a USB drive between home, office and travel. Sensitive topics can be encrypted. This is certainly less expensive than paying $100 or more a year to sync services such as the one mentioned in this thread. However, it brings up the question: what if I lose my USB drive? Unfortunately, MyInfo does not have a backup/restore feature. Now more than ever, MyInfo needs an easy backup & restore capability. It can be used not only to backup the data (topic files) on a central and personal computer (eg: home computer), but also to maintain and synchronize multiple instances of MyInfo at home, office, laptop etc.. That kills two birds in one shot. So, in my opinion, local backup/restore feature should be the first step in resolving sync issues and a top priority right now. It is also relatively easy to implement as it involves simply copying all topic files to a predefined backup folder.

2. Compatibility with PDAs: I am not sure this is a "sync" issue. MyInfo doesn't run on a PDA to begin with, let alone to sync with. These issues arise from the fact that MyInfo runs only on Windows PCs. Using an online sync service plus other third party software offers a convoluted work-around for exchanging info between MyInfo and PDAs. Yet it will not solve all compatibility issues for all users. In any case, this should not be confused with sync and backup issues that many users face.

We need a simple solution for the larger problems of syncing, backup and restore without requiring the users to pay up to sync services.

JAMAL'S VERY RIGHT, AND.... I would like to give my 2cents here.

1. There are so many, many portable devices; it's NOT possible to serve all of them, and it would be morally ugly to only serve the Apple thing, since Apple is and has been, for some time now, the vanguard of internet / content censorship, AND of the will for obscenely inflated profit margins. I know that their GUI is, for the time being, best, but then, their phone 4 shows they are always right even when they're wrong, and their pad 1 shows they are NOT really willing to cater for the power user, but rather for that fraction of the masses that have money and the willingness to pay for looks, but who have rather basic needs finally when it comes to real work. Thus, Milenix catering for Apple users would certainly be very wrong, it's simply is not their customers, except for some people who got to Apple phone for some time, waiting for something better and being able to switch then. It's simply another kind of people.

2. As I said, catering for all those technical solutions, for all those platforms, would not be possible; perhaps Android is something that will be "it" in some time; for now, it's a waiting game, no need to rush to it.

3. But then, our needs "on the road" are NOT "reading only"; we were happy with that some years ago; today we need the possibility to EDIT our stuff "on the road". That's why we carry our notebooks, that's why a lot of us carry a netbook instead, or a subnotebook, with our without touch screen, and thus, I consider it to be NOT NECESSARY to cater for any other platform than Windows, for the time being; it is much more important that MI's GUI is optimized, in order to give its tremendous functionality, even on a rather tiny screen (i.e. 10" or even less) in the most smooth possible way, and this implies that all its functionality be easily accessible by keyboard shortcuts, without fussing with a "mouse" - which, "on the road", would be tenfold fussing with that thumb-driven thing below your keyboards - what is it called again, that piece of sh** there on every netbook?! My postings in this forum tend to help for optizimation of this GUI, this looks-and-feel, this smooth working instrument, in the office AND "on the road", and then no more need for special applications and further synching.

4. But again, jamal's right, there are backup issues, and more so. I began with installing MI portable (= the professional portable version) on a USB stick, and then I understood I not only had speed issues for which my stick was responsible, but I also understood that I would run, by MI's very extensive use of indexes, into deep trouble with possible data loss in some time since Windows (= at least my Windows XP) does NOT spread data writing evenly over your stick, but overwrites, again and again, your index there where it happens to be. In this way, in some months yet, it would be possible to have bad cells there, on your stick, onto which MI writes its indexes or even its real data, and then, all possible misbehavior could occur, up to real data loss.

5. That's why I went back from my stick and first tried a little usb hard disk instead of it, but that was awkward, AND a had an even deeper speed problem. So I went back to my internal hard disk, i.e. I installed my portable version into a directory on my computer itself, and from there, I do some backup here and there, but instead of using MI on 3 computers with my USB stick, as I had intended in the first place, I just carry around a one and only computer everywhere in order to access my MI files - which is far from ideal when you've got 3 computers in the office, at home, and on the road, and there is that possible LOSS issue since you can carry your usb stick in your purse, but your notebook's loss risk is much higher than the loss of just a stick you are carrying near your body.

6. Since MI is VERY RELIABLE, saving your files is NOT really necessary but once in a while, let's say once every two hours or so, and thus, the real usb stick problem is not with the file saving but with that interminable indexing / index writing. And thus, the solution to this would be very simple: To allow for CHOOSING the index directory, DIFFERENT from your MI files dictionary.

That would be very easy since when closing MI, all these indexes / indices will be deleted anyway, a consolidated index being stored within the MI file itself, and this way, you could use MI on your usb stick for a long time, not multiplying your file savings, when at the same time the temporary indexing would be made in a (temporary or pre-defined) directory on disk "c:".

7. And an automatic backup function within MI would be handy, but of course you could always do this in Windows or some other "Free Commander" (very handy, and it's free!), and / or by external macro.
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