Free BackupGnuCash tool

[Chris Good]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wm [mailto:tcnw81 at tarrcity.demon.co.uk]
> Sent: Thursday, 16 June 2016 7:08 PM
> To: Chris Good <chris.good at ozemail.com.au>
> Subject: Re: Free BackupGnuCash tool
>
> [FYI: This is a copy of a message posted to
> <news:gmane.comp.gnome.apps.gnucash.user> Message-ID:
> <1tnj2n7yf02qv$.dlg at tcnw81.tarrcity.invalid>]
>
> On Fri, 3 Jun 2016 10:11:13 +1000, in
> gmane.comp.gnome.apps.gnucash.devel,gmane.comp.gnome.apps.gnucash
> .user,
> Chris Good <chris.good at ozemail.com.au> wrote:
>
> > I've created an application for easily creating offsite
> > (Dropbox/Google Drive/MS OneDrive etc) encrypted backups of the data
> files used by GnuCash.
>
> [snip]
>
> > I wrote this because I needed something nicer than a script, and as a
> > way to teach myself Java.
> >
> > Gentle constructive criticism is welcome.
>
> I think it would be useful if you looked at how PortableApps.com deals
with
> GnuCash as there is a bit more that needs to be carried around with a file
for
> it to be picked up and put down in another place.
>
> If you'd like a quick ref to work backwards from try this
> http://portableapps.com/support/gnucash_portable#modifications
>
> I think we've (GnuCash community) got a bit muddled over time about what
> belongs with a book on any given OS and that isn't really your problem to
fix
> but if you're thinking about it obviously your thoughts are welcomed.
>
> for e.g. my saved reports for one book don't make sense with others.
> Shouldn't saved reports be partnered with a book rather than a user?
>
> ditto Edit / Preferences vs File / Properties anomalies, people that have
been
> using GnuCash for years (seniors included) sometimes get confused about
> which of those setting belong to a person rather than a book,
instinctively
> people know which belongs to which but GnuCash doesn't do it like that.
>
> To some extent this is historic and it has been discussed before.  I'm
just
> letting you know that if you want to do the job properly on Win it might
have
> already been done by using the PortableApps version of GnuCash and just
> backing that up and if you're thinking about non-Win then the logic PA
uses
> still applies.
>
> --
> Wm

Hi Wm,

Thanks for your feedback. Interesting...
When you say:
  ' as there is a bit more that needs to be carried around with a file for
  it to be picked up and put down in another place',
I guess you are referring to
1)  the online banking registry keys in Windows

2) other possible customisations under users home directory, like say my
file
C:\Users\cgood\.gtkrc-2.0 which maps F11 to copy and F12 to paste.

I need to update my instructions to add:

a) need to reinstall online banking setup after reinstalling GnuCash to
create 
registry keys etc
b) still need to do  periodical full system backups

I don't want to make the README too big as I fear I have
 already turned off some potential users by making it too
 complicated. 

I'm assuming that people who have customised GnuCash
already know the importance of backups, and have taken steps
to ensure their customisations aren't lost.

I haven't had any other feedback yet, which surprises me 
given the no of people writing to gnucash-user over the last
few years who have totally lost their data.

Maybe the Java 8 requirement is the problem, although this is the current
version on Windows
and recent versions of Linux (at least Ubuntu).

Re: Edit / Preferences vs File / Properties anomalies and saved reports file
not being book specific:

There are already bugs in bugzilla about these issues. Hopefully some-one
will fix these sometime.
They are not a big issue for me.

Using the PortableApps version of GnuCash could itself be considered a
security issue,
problems including losing the USB drive & getting viruses from other PC's.
If you're suggesting using portable GnuCash with it's backup module as a 
form of backup, then unless you need GnuCash to be portable, I don't think
it is worthwhile.

Regards,
Chris Good

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