rfc or suggestion--save backups function for gnucash

[jdebert]

Neil Williams wrote:
> On Tuesday 20 July 2004 9:49, jdebert wrote:
> 
>>I think gnucash could benefit from a function to (optionally) save
>>backup copies of an account file before and after opening.
> 
> 
> Have you found GnuCash file access to be unreliable? Why a backup every single 
> time - are you archiving these or just letting the latest one overwrite the 
> previous? WHY? I backup all ~/ data to CDR but I've never needed to recover a 
> GnuCash file from a backup copy, even after changing distro, upgrading 
> GnuCash, tinkering with the code, using CVS, nothing. I've been rescued by a 
> backup many, many times for other programs but never for GnuCash.
> 

That does not seem to imply any problem with gnucash: If gnucash were 
unreliable then backups would also be unreliable and therefore useless.
Some distros seem to be making for problems, though. I lost my gnucash 
data files to a distro defect recently. Whatever it did also trashed the 
gnucash-generated backups and logs on writing them. Maybe some extra 
backup functions for gnucash might help overcome system defects.

> 
>>The function would feature three methods: "do not make backups", "make
>>backups" and "exec an external app or script to make backups".
> 
> 
> There should be some explanation about why this is necessary - it could give 
> the unjustified impression that GnuCash is unreliable.
> 

same reasoning as above,

> 
>>Currently I use a shell wrapper to make backups before and after running
>>gnucash. 
> 
> 
> Why?

They go to a different filesystem, for one, and add redundancy to 
increase the likelihood that a usable copy exists somewhere.

> 
> 
>>Putting this feature into gnucash may make it more flexible and 
>>helpful to ordinary users who would not be able to make or install
>>wrappers.
> 
> 
> You haven't explained why this would be necessary.

Only to try to overcome system defects that may trash files.

> 
> 
>>Does this seem like something useful?
> 
> 
> Not to me.
> :-)
> 
> 

Probably not...

Nevermind.

Too tired, doing too many things at once. forgot about the gnucash 
backups already produced. And would not help, anyway, since a system 
problem trashing the data files would also too likely affect all the 
backups as well. The wrapper saving backups before and after running 
gnucash would be a better solution.

Adding this to gnucash would really be more trouble than it's worth.


=-=