Making Yummy a Robust Backup Application

[scott721]

I'm a newly registered user of Yummy and have to say that I find the overall performance and design of the application terrific.  While I do use it for uploading individual files occasionally to one of my web sites I am using it mainly as a backup tool to send files to my FTP server; I'm backing up all of my iTunes, iPhoto and Document folders so that I'm covered in case of disaster (in addition to my regularly scheduled backups to external drives).

As a backup tool I find Yummy to be lacking a few features... or I just haven't become a power user quickly enough to take advantage of some capabilities that aren't obvious to me. 

What I think the application really needs to be a superb backup application is:

1. A detailed log.  I'd like to know what files were transferred, how long the session ran, whether there were any errors, etc., and the current transcript function doesn't provide that.  Is there a more robust logging feature that I've just missed?

2. An easy way to pause and resume transfers - this is essential.  Right now the only way that I see to pause a transfer is to use the Stop function; then, when I want to resume that transfer (or, more accurately, a scheduled job) I have to go to that item in the scheduled job queue and select the start function, which then requires logging back into the site and determining again which files need to be uploaded.  It seems like there should simply be a "Pause" button.  I'd like this because there are times when I'm doing a very heavy data transfer and just want to be able to suspend the backup for a while during a period where I need bandwidth for other things I'm doing.  It has been taking 8-10 minutes of "Preparing" to get back to the place where it was before and beginning the file uploads from where they left off. 

3. The ability to run a scheduled Synchronization even if Yummy isn't running.  The application should be set up to auto-launch (yes, I know I could set it up as a login item but this would be a better way of doing it rather than having to keep the application open all the time taking up dock space, RAM, occasional cycles, etc.), run the Synchronization and then quit automatically. 

4. I know we're getting out of Yummy's basic functions here but this one is probably easy to do - how about a synchronization feature that allows syncing between two local folders or drives?  I use a completely different application for my backups to an external drive - how handy it would be to be able to use Yummy as a "complete backup solution". 

5. While I've got my own FTP server not everyone does.  Perhaps you could offer storage for backups at a monthly fee and make yourself some extra money?  I imagine it would be fairly easy to set up dedicated server space (for $7/month GoDaddy gives me 50GB of storage, for example) and use Yummy as the vehicle to perform unattended backups. 

I've got some more ideas/questions, but this should give us a good start, eh?  ;-)

[JD]

Welcome to the forum and thank you for purchasing Yummy FTP!

I understand that quite few people are using Yummy FTP as an FTP backup utility, so it's a popular use of the software. I'm glad to hear you find it useful too

1. Yes, better logging is on my To Do list
2. Pausing transfers and syncs, including scheduled ones, is in the latest beta build
3. Something which has been raised before. There are existing ways of doing this, such as cron jobs, and other scheduling applications, but I would like to make it built into Yummy FTP at some point.
4. No, I think Yummy FTP should remain focused on Internet file transfer. HD backups is something best left to apps that specialize in that sort of thing.
5. Could be an idea... though I seem to recall that the Cute FTP makers had something similar, albeit not with the unattended backup feature you're suggesting.

Thanks for the feedback!

[paulc]

5. Well, I gotta be a bit of a spoil-sport. I think this is a really bad idea for Yummy. Mostly because the ROI would be nonexistent if not negative.

While the concept of remote backup storage is intriguing, I think most folks really don't have a clue what it takes to run a proper infrastructure; redundancies, back-ups, power, staffing, etc. At the very least, there would need to be a fairly high monthly (yearly) subscription fee that I seriously doubt 98% of the consumers would ever be able to really justify.

Now extending Yummy to handle being a .mac client for file transfer that is better than what the fruit offers... that might be interesting. I say that knowing zip about Apple's Backup client; generically, a third party one could be more in tune with what users want than what Apple corporate decides users should get (kinda like I prefer Camino because it's development is far more in tune wit what people want than what the foundation decides they should get).

[JD]

Yes, thinking about this some more over the last couple of days I realised that I'd become just yet another hoster in the sea of the thousands out there. I'd rather concentrate my limited time on development

Since many people have asked about the possibility of Yummy supporting the .Mac iDisk (otherwise known as WebDAV) I am looking into it

[paulc]

Geeze, I open my fat mouth hinting at WebDAV support for Yummy and the people at Inter-arky go and steal my idea! Where's my lawyer's card?

[Instant Runoff]

I think that Yummy could probably make a very successful backup program, separate from but perhaps sharing code from Yummy FTP, and I think the following should be included:

• Scheduling (more in the background than Apple Backup — no user intervention required)
• Automatic compression and uploading of the compressed file (like .gz)
• Incremental backup
• Mac-centric backup sets: Camino/Safari/Etc bookmarks, account settings, preference panes, folders, specific files, settings/preferences
• Simple UI (pre-defined sets common to many users & ability to add custom sets)
• Extensibility (ability to add backup sets for specific apps)
• Freeware restore app, downloadable from Yummysoftware.com
• CD burning option