this is getting a lot of general (non IT) press.
Shift: Apple's Time Machine is the future of
data backup
At Monday's World Wide Developer's Conference, Apple revealed a number of new features for its upcoming update to the Mac OS X operating system, codenamed Leopard. While many of the features were interesting, the most attention-getting was Time Machine, a new system built directly into the OS for backing up and recovering data. While backing up data isn't exactly the most exciting thing you can do with a computer, it is extremely important and very few people actually do it. Anyone who's experienced a hard-drive crash can tell you it's devastating, and not backing up your family photos can be a crushing regret. Apple intends to make backing up data something that people don't even have to think about, which is certainly a great thing for folks who are less computer-savvy or don't have the time and energy to backup data on their own. However, Time Machine may not be the best solution for everybody.
What makes Time Machine so noteworthy is the fact that it backs up data automatically, and then allows people to recover it, piece by piece, very easily. Older backup programs weren't just confusing — they often forced users to restore their entire system if they needed to get back just one file. Of course, there's always been the method of backing up by simply burning discs of important files, but it's typically such a hassle that only the most anal retentive actually do it. With Time Machine, the only hassle is buying a second external hard drive to dedicate to backups — after all, you'll need enough space to store everything twice. Once it's hooked up and Time Machine knows it's your backup drive, you don't need to think about it ever again. The flashy interface allows users to sort through previous "versions" of folders, looking for a time when the file they want still existed. Simply press the restore button and back it goes, as if it was never deleted. This simplicity of recovery is Time Machine's strongest asset.
blog.scifi.com |
