__/ [RobDee] on Monday 29 August 2005 12:18 \__
> Yes, thanks Roy. It's difficult to explain my exact needs without filling
> a screen or two - which I'm sure everyone would love to read - not!
> The main problem is my "sloppy" way of working and the fact that the
> laptops
> join different networks (guest status usually) including my own wireless
> net at home (non server), so I can't centralise my files and thus there's
> a lot of scope for me to lose track of the various versions of certain
> files and yes, occasionally I get asked "are you sure you want to
> overwrite the newer version with an older one.........." I end up having
> to pause to open both versions to see which I prefer to keep - if not
> both! I really need to set up a system which helps me get organised - even
> if something as simple as saving *any* changed files to a single "Working
> Folder" - then I need to synchronise only the files therein on a regular
> basis and occasionally relocate the definitive version(s) of each file.
> I'm currently playing around with SyncToy (XP) and Synchromagic Pro -
> maybe I can build a simple procedure to get myself organised.
>
> Rob
Hi Rob,
I would be happy to try to help further with this. It sounds as if you have
rather persistent network access. If not, you can get around it quite
conveniently.
There are two key solutions:
1. Centralise everything in a single workstation and connect to it
remotely, merely using any other machine as a hollow (no data)
computational station and you main workstation as a 'host' -- the 'poppa'
of all data. In Linux, this can easily be established using SSH and related
protocols. In Windows, VNC (remote desktop) is one such solution, but data
transfers could be a pain.
2. Conduct and manage an on-line filestore. You may not be able to access
files on your work machine from home and vice versa. One of the machines
might be switched off or not connected. Consider putting your important
files on a secure Web space that is maintained by a Web host and is
available 99.9%+ of the time. All you have to do then is connect to your
site/filespace, get the most recent file, apply changes to it and 'commit'
it once editing is finished by uploading it, overriding the old file.
Is my advice going in a useful direction, or am I expending your time and my
time in vain? Can you think of which solution you foresee as more suitable
to you? For the very same reason you describe (among others), data and
operating systems are drifting on-line or towards our pockets (e.g. iPod
with Linux in IBM, LifeDrive), but it might take another 5-10 to become a
mainstream trend.
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz Useless fact: There are five regular polyhedra
http://Schestowitz.com
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