Author Topic: Favorite Writing Program?  (Read 13289 times)

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Offline xsphat

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #50 on: Fri, 19 December 2008, 22:42:00 »
Voodoo Pad is a wiki thing, but it worked so well, but just by the files sitting on my HD for about six months, every single one of the Voodoo files was corrupt and I couldn't retrieve any data. I almost killed somebody.

Offline andb

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #51 on: Sun, 21 December 2008, 03:14:16 »
Quote from: xsphat;15455
Voodoo Pad is a wiki thing, but it worked so well, but just by the files sitting on my HD for about six months, every single one of the Voodoo files was corrupt and I couldn't retrieve any data. I almost killed somebody.

Do you still have the "corrupt" files? Often the majority of the information inside the file the important text, is still ok. If you have it and want to see if it can be recovered, PM me. Or just dload a good hex editor and see whats really inside those files.

EDIT: Oh, and remember one thing - regular backups :)

Offline xsphat

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #52 on: Sun, 21 December 2008, 13:29:14 »
Quote from: andb;15630
EDIT: Oh, and remember one thing - regular backups :)


My backups were the same file format (learned my lesson there) and they were corrupt too.

Offline lowpoly

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #53 on: Sun, 21 December 2008, 14:23:45 »
Incremental save?

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Offline wellington1869

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #54 on: Sun, 21 December 2008, 16:57:41 »
Quote from: xsphat;15455
Voodoo Pad is a wiki thing, but it worked so well, but just by the files sitting on my HD for about six months, every single one of the Voodoo files was corrupt and I couldn't retrieve any data. I almost killed somebody.


Its one of my nightmares to lose data from my documents and writing. I'm completely paranoid about that and my ultra-redundant backup system reflects that paranoia, lol.

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Offline Chloe

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #55 on: Sun, 21 December 2008, 17:06:44 »
I wrote an article today that I ended up losing because my USB stick ran out of space. :(

Offline wellington1869

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #56 on: Sun, 21 December 2008, 17:08:41 »
Quote from: Chloe;15706
I wrote an article today that I ended up losing because my USB stick ran out of space. :(


Tragedy! :( Hate when that happens.

I'm so paranoid that I even keep a keylogger on my computer. Not to spy on myself - but to function as a "black box" for my whole computer. It works as a last resort -- I can recover all my keystrokes. The few times I've had to do that, its worked really well, it didnt take that much work to recover entire documents from it.

I use this free one called "homekeylogger"

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Offline andb

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Daily snapshots
« Reply #57 on: Fri, 26 December 2008, 01:05:51 »
The best way to make sure you don't lose data is with regular snapshot style backups. For example, windows server has done this for ages, you can right click on a directory or file and see past versions which you can restore. Vista should be offering this now too.

Since I use Linux, I do this using a program called Dirvish, every night it takes a "snapshot" of my files and I keep 30 days worth of these snapshots.

A good solution will only store the "Delta", or the change in the file. So instead of having 30 copies of the same file each day, if you changed only one letter it stores the fact that only one letter changed. Dirvish is a bit simpler, by using Linux hard links it stores a full copy of each file each time it changes.

I have a lot of respect or Apple making simple, easy to use external backup systems. Which, by the way is very important - don't keep your backups on the same machine that you are working on! I'm sure that there are now tons of systems that backup to internet services for Windows, this should be a priority as high as an anti-virus package, if not higher.

The keylogger is an interesting idea. I'd take it one step further and use a hardware based keylogger, so even if the harddrive fails, you'll still have your data.

Anyone have recommendations about good internet products for Windows or Mac (or Linux?) doing regular backups which keep a history of the files?

Offline secularzarathustra

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #58 on: Fri, 26 December 2008, 08:58:57 »
I use rsync and cron for the same thing.
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Offline xsphat

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #59 on: Fri, 26 December 2008, 14:26:43 »
What to hell is a snapshot backup?

I use DropBox and a portable drive and work off my computer. I backup writing to DropBox and the drive I carry around manually when I need to (right after I do big work).

Offline D-EJ915

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #60 on: Fri, 26 December 2008, 22:25:14 »
I think he's talking about differential backups...because a snapshot would be like a full backup...

Offline andb

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #61 on: Mon, 29 December 2008, 03:26:09 »
Quote from: D-EJ915;16232
I think he's talking about differential backups...because a snapshot would be like a full backup...

A snapshot is a term used to restore a system to a given state, just as if you took a photo of it and said, ok, now be like this.

The easiest way to do this is just make a full copy of everything you have and store it on the side.

A better way is to use a system that takes a "base measurement" and then just records the changes. So what I have, as an example, is a directory called "backup" and in it are individual directories for each day. I can go into that day's directory, and the whole file system inside it looks exactly like it did on that day. What is really happening is that the unchanged files are just hardlinks (Windows kernel actually supports this too, why can't they trust their users with such cool tools?) so its essentially just a filename in the later directories pointing back to the original file. When a file changes, it doesn't get linked but its new version is copied.

Since my files don't change much, I have 10gb that I back up, with daily changes from 30 days, and it takes up about 11gb worth of space only.

I'm pretty sure that Vista has incorporated similar functionality from Server2003 which is even better in that it records only file deltas (the actual change) on each file save.

So in answer to above comment, yes differential backups done in a way to provide easy access to a system snapshot. BTW, you can see the same principle used by VMware's workstation product. The "snapshots" build off of the base OS image and as such are useless without it.

Offline Therac-25

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Favorite Writing Program?
« Reply #62 on: Mon, 29 December 2008, 09:58:00 »
Obligatory Backup PSA link

I don't write prose or anything.  At least nothing anyone would want to read.  I don't mind the full screen editors to a degree -- anything which can stop you screwing around with software and writing is a good thing.  You can get the same effect by fullscreening a terminal window (compiz has a shortcut to fullscreen anything) and using your favorite console editor, though, so I'm not sure what the value is, other than variable width fonts ( 1920x1200 terminal example ).

When I'm writing documentation or something at work, I need a full real interface -- I'm obsessive about applying styles and formats properly, so I'd go insane without that window open.  I usually go with OpenOffice, as despite it's flaws, it behaves more consistently than MS Word does.

If I had to write prose, I would probably break out Emacs for the task.  I used to be a huge Emacs person, but times are changing, and every language now has an ideal, integrated IDE which you'd be an idiot not to write code in.  Unless I'm working on Perl, I don't go in Emacs at all at work anymore.
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