I HATE APPLE

I don't trust iCloud. I don't totally trust dropbox, but I use dropbox. And I use backblaze for proper back-up.

I shouldn't be such a dummy but why isn't dropbox proper backup, at least for the files in my dropbox folder?

Dropbox is fine as backup but the way it works as an active place to work doesn’t give it the same sense if history and recovery as something like backblaze

ok I see, thanks!

(i put this on the iCloud thread but these seems a better place for it)

i just had an external hard drive fail and having replaced it i'm trying to work out if i can use iCloud to back external drives up belt-and-braces style, along with everything else iCloud automatically backs up

i have a macbook air 10.15.2 catalina

yeah i really wouldn’t use icloud.

lol i have been righteously ignoring icloud's multiple needy alerts for two or three years but catalina just plunges right in and hooks you up without you doing anything

i used to use backblaze but when the guy who mends my mac resolved the memory problems i was having told me it was bad not good -- would this have been memory-related? i don't recall

(he's a bit of a dick, he always makes me feel like an idiot) (i am one but)

anyway he just said "why not use time machine, that's what it's there for?" answer = the external hard drive i used for time machine failed (an earlier one lol) so i got nervous and added backblaze, then quit it when he bullied me. i am very biddable.

Because time machine is not an off-site backup. Don’t know how much I’d trust anybody who just says use Time Machine! I use Time Machine and backblaze and have lots of stuff in Dropbox and google docs. Used to also use super super to clone my system drive for an even easier way to back up and restore system drive without having to deal with time machine.

turns out my my backblaze sub is still good so i hooked straight back up, now i guess i have to find a new guy to mend my laptop lol

one who doesn't judge me

Good luck with that. You goys are making me want to stick with Windows! And jump drives, even. Although---what are good plug-in keyboards and monitors for Mac Mini? Is it good? Seems like more bang for your buck than iMac (also what is a good UPS back-up battery for iMac? I'm told would need one because brown-outs etc. can mess it up even if your house power doesn't go all the way out--damn you iMac for not having your *own* battery!) Thought of MacBook, but I have friends with sticky keys.

Mac mini is the best. You can get a very high quality monitor for not much money at all.

Thanks. What would be a good one? I heard Logitech, but not seeing any listed as compatible, specifically.

I always get Dell monitors for my Macs - they are cheap, warranty is good, the Ultrasharp models are very high quality IPS and wide gamut, for not much more.
Keyboard and mouse wise, the Apple wireless ones are great and not expensive if you find them secondhand.

I like my 4k dell monitor at work but the *third* was the keeper. Had two lemons die within days

Thanks. I do see a lot of Dell monitors in libraries, medical offices, but haven't asked about replacement rate. An Apple rep got me thinking about Mac Mini, said she used it there at work w Lenovo monitor.

Also a fan of Dell Ultrasharp. HP makes some nice ones, and LG who make the panels half the time anyway. If someone's serious about color and photography BenQ is an option, NEC PA monitors are quality, but just get an Eizo and write it off.

tbf that was a glitch and I’ve had zero replacements across a half dozen dell monitors at work/home before ether bad luck

My Dell Ultrasharp, 2nd monitor to go with my imac, has been solid for years. (The picture did start jittering a couple of weeks ago but quit after a restart.)

Very encouraging on that front, but just now finally realized that it too relies on outlet and back-up battery, like iMac. Maybe I'll just make do with a Pixelbook for a while?

for a UPS, I use a CyberPower 1500 watt. If the machine is left on unattended, install the software that detects an outage and shuts it down gracefully. If memory serves, CyberPower’s software runs well on macOS (but I use mine for my Linux server). You could probably get away with a smaller one. Any computer should probably be using one, not just a Mac.

I also think Time Machine is fine for really quick recovery, but use something like Backblaze for longer term storage. I’d recommend B2 with something like Arq to manage backups.

what is B2 / Arq ?

and would it replace dropbox? I use dropbox just so that I can access my work files on my phone & tablet when I'm out, but I also like that if my hard drive crashed I'd be able to get those files back. with imap email accounts I don't worry about losing those. I have 1 TB of music but as I get used to apple music I worry less about losing those...but wouldn't mind not having juggle external hard drives for those, I suppose.

Arq is a backup client that you can use to back data up to your own cloud account(s). I haven’t used it, but friends have vouched for it. B2 is the name of Backblaze’s bucket system. Dropbox and other cloud sync products work OK for backing up small amounts of data that you don’t need encrypted, but it’s expensive.

most of it depends on whether you have large media libraries or personal (or mostly likely work) photos/video that you want backed up in a non-interactive way

if you listen to music in the cloud, have a moderate amount of photos and few videos, iCloud and other file stores like Dropbox are sufficient for that media and document storage. If you have a bunch of larger files, or archives, you want a non-interactive full backup offsite. The other risk, although smaller, is a rogue app or glitch is more likely to take out an interactive file storage like Dropbox but a bulk backup is safer.

is there a good solution if i want to do better than my external HD backups with Time Machine, but don't want to pay an ongoing fee for offsite backup?

Rotate between two external drives for your backup and leave one at work.

safe deposit box imo

Well that costs money but yeah

Backblaze is exceptionally cheap.

I have Backblaze chugging away now that I have an internet connection that makes it viable.

I also got a new monitor recently and for some stupid apple related reason by iPhone won't charge when connected to the USB port on the monitor. Everything else is just dandy, including other lighting powered things, just not the iPhone. (I guess Is hold see if my wife's is similarly afflicted). Anyway I'm blaming this squarely on Apple not HP.

is it a power supply USB port or just an accessory one? Some monitors don’t have both, sadly

It seems to power other things, as it in can charge my Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad.

I like the idea of an off-site back-up; to put my whole photo/video/old-crap archive online would only take around 12-13 8-hour working days in *this* office. At home, over my basic broadband, it would take an entire year of connection. And, in this office, I suspect ZScaler/some other security measure would kill the connection to BackBlaze.

Just to backtrack for a second, I thought Dropbox was a disaster if you care about security and/or privacy?

Re the USB port, the phone won’t charge unless sufficient current is available - way more than it takes to power a keyboard. Sometimes you can run a USB cable from the computer to the monitor to pump it up a little.

Possibly it issei's because it is sending 65W down the USB-C to power the laptop, but that seem daft to not be able to spare a few watts for the phone
.

Oh - well yeah that sounds mad, but maybe it’s the USB standard 500mA instead of 1.5A like some of the iPhone chargers

xp - why does the speed to backup offsite matter? I throttle the hell out of mine during times where we’re using the internet. It took me maybe a week or two for the initial backup to finish, but now it just tops it off if there are new files or changes to existing.

Restoring is where extreme slowness sucks. It’s where cold storage solutions like Nearline and Glacier get you, too. Slow and expensive. The way I have mine set up is a happy balance. I can cherry pick the files I want after a catastrophe. The best way is a local backup (Time Machine to external drive or NAS) and cheap offsite backup run as frequently as you’re willing to put up with, or seldom as you’re willing to risk. Encrypt it, too.

I guess I can see it if a laptop is your only computer and you’re often mobile. Would then suggest a NAS if in the budget.

my initial backup to backblaze took forever. Since then I haven't noticed. I like that for a fee they'll just send you a hard-drive.

nearline is slow (it's what i use with arq), but if i'm recovering a single file (which is by far my most common use of backups) it's still faster for me than finding the right disk drive and a usb cable.

http://youtu.be/zPptSPVYnQQ?t=121

Ooops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPptSPVYnQQ&t=121

Shout out to @TaikaWaititi for using his post-win interview to bag on those garbage Apple keyboards. He continues to be a hero of the people. pic.twitter.com/nVaAtLpNoN

— Anthony Carboni (@acarboni) February 10, 2020

he's right!

they're decent again now, I swear

only on the larger pro model, though :(

and they're better but still nowhere near as good as they used to be

I have no idea why I'm acting defensive about a zillion dollar company. Maybe my brain's partially in the late 90s

my message to every company other than Apple (and maybe Microsoft?) is to make a touchpad that freaking works well, though. apple did win the touchpad wars

Some still swear by the clit TrackPoint

that is a relatively good device, especially on ThinkPads of yore