Using a USB thumb drive for backups?
in [Mac Systems]
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From: nospam on 19 Dec 2009 16:45 In article <0001HW.C752A1CD00087270F0488648(a)nntp.charter.net>, Tim Murray <no-spam(a)thankyou.com> wrote: > >> Care to back your opinions up with facts? A Google search supports > >> everything Tim and I said. > > > > cites? > > Simply search for "flash memory" followed by any word such as lifespan, > cycles, destructive, et al. flash memory having a limited life is not in dispute. > > memory circuits don't spark and nothing is vaporized. > > I didn't say memory circuits spark; I said connections spark, and they do, > and then I said the flashing circuit in a thumb drive is destructive. connections do not spark unless they're poor connections.
From: E Z Peaces on 19 Dec 2009 20:53 isw wrote: > In article <tph-7E4F37.23571618122009(a)localhost>, > Tom Harrington <tph(a)pcisys.no.spam.dammit.net> wrote: > >> In article <isw-C0CD34.21281918122009@[216.168.3.50]>, >> isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: >> >>> It's on the Mac of a barely-capable user who works with critical >>> (financial) data (she understands the finances; just not the computer), >>> and so absolutely cannot be trusted to do any backing up in a reliable >>> fashion. The backup app launches at login, and runs continuously, waking >>> up once a week to copy the folders I told it to copy. >> Sounds like a candidate for Dropbox, <http://www.dropbox.com/>. >> >> Have her put the files in the Dropbox folder, and the software will >> silently mirror it to a Dropbox account (and optionally to other >> computers) whenever it changes. She doesn't need to "do" backups, >> they'll just happen, and if/when disaster strikes the files are easily >> recoverable. > > backuplist+ works without intervention (once I set it up); I'm just > looking for the best option for external storage. I'm leaning heavily > towards a 2 or 4 Gig USB Thumbdrive at this time. > > Isaac I've been wondering for some time if flash memory could be ideal for backup. Disks and optical media can go bad on the shelf. For $900 extra, one can buy a Macbook Air with flash storage instead of a disk. Apparently Apple has confidence that flash memory can be reliable in heavy use. Some brands of thumb drives aren't nearly as reliable as others, but the biggest cause of data loss seems to be unplugging without first unmounting. They're cheap enough that I would alternate backups between two thumb drives.
From: Tim Murray on 19 Dec 2009 21:08 nospam wrote: > In article <0001HW.C752A1CD00087270F0488648(a)nntp.charter.net>, Tim > Murray <no-spam(a)thankyou.com> wrote: > >>>> Care to back your opinions up with facts? A Google search supports >>>> everything Tim and I said. >>> >>> cites? >> >> Simply search for "flash memory" followed by any word such as lifespan, >> cycles, destructive, et al. > > flash memory having a limited life is not in dispute. > >>> memory circuits don't spark and nothing is vaporized. >> >> I didn't say memory circuits spark; I said connections spark, and they do, >> and then I said the flashing circuit in a thumb drive is destructive. > > connections do not spark unless they're poor connections. I'm using spark in the sense of an electron jumping from one contact to another as it gets in range. All connections spark but one exception: When the distance between contacts closes up so quickly that an electron does not have time to jump.
From: isw on 20 Dec 2009 01:31 In article <191220091400567551%nospam(a)nospam.invalid>, nospam <nospam(a)nospam.invalid> wrote: > In article <isw-B7459D.10253819122009@[216.168.3.50]>, isw > <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > On a G4 mini, which can't run Leopard because it has to run some legacy > > "Classic" apps. And there's no chance the user could handle SheepShaver. > > which ones? is there really no osx native replacement? Have you ever known somebody who was "resistant to change"? Isaac
From: isw on 20 Dec 2009 01:34
In article <00a90edc$0$26904$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com>, Warren Oates <warren.oates(a)gmail.com> wrote: > In article <isw-919C56.10235519122009@[216.168.3.50]>, > isw <isw(a)witzend.com> wrote: > > > I agree completely. I want my stuff on *my* servers where *I* can get it > > -- or more importantly, destroy it -- whenever *I* want to. > > On the other hand, Wuala seems maybe secure -- your data is encrypted > before it goes, or something. Or so they say... If I think my data should be encrypted, *I* want to be the one who choses the method, and the keys. Isaac |