Free BackupGnuCash tool

[Wm]

On Fri, 17 Jun 2016 08:30:23 +1000, in gmane.comp.gnome.apps.gnucash.user,
Chris Good <chris.good at ozemail.com.au> wrote:

[snips below as we know what we are talking about]

> 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

all the registry stuff, I really don't see why GnuCash needs to use the
registry at all on Win but that may be personal opinion.

> 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.

That sort of thing, for example I modify .gnucash/accelerator-map so I can
use Ctrl-J to jump and have scripts to record saved-reports at points in
time because I use multi column reports a lot and they break easily.

> 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 suggest you do what is right for yourself and adjust if anyone else says
they want to use it.

> 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.

One would hope so.  I am thinking more of the settings people are surprised
have disappeared when they do a restore, particularly if they didn't think
they were doing a customisation in the first place.

> 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.

Nature of the beast, I come from a more formal understanding of data, the
observation that people don't think of backups until after they need them
is hardly new.

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

I don't think it is that, I think it is more a case of people not realising
that although GnuCash makes generous copies of your work (depending on your
settings) it is up to you as an individual to keep those record safe.

cf requests for GnuCash to add passwords, it isn't what we do, you the user
look after backups, your ex-partners-parent-in-law snooping on your
accounts, etc.

> 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.

They won't be unless you deal with multiple books on a regular basis.  As
soon as you get beyond doing just your own books and help out at a local
community org you'll notice it pronto.  For people like myself that use
GnuCash for charitable work it can become an actual problem, PA helps a lot
with this.

> Using the PortableApps version of GnuCash could itself be considered a
> security issue,

WRONG!  All PA does is make an application and its data self contained.
This is a good thing.

> problems including losing the USB drive 

My PA stuff lives on my HDD, I take copies on my USB drive in an encrypted
container.  The point is that I can use my browser, my e-mail my accounts,
etc from my USB as well as my HDD *because* they are self contained.

My USB is useless to anyone outside of government organisations because of
the encryption and because I don't have any super secrets it'd be much
easier to ask me for my bank balance in person if that was what a thief
wanted to know.

> & getting viruses from other PC's.

Nah, doesn't work like that, portable apps don't need much from the host so
don't get infected.

> If you're suggesting using portable GnuCash with it's backup module as a 
> form of backup,

the portable apps built in backup is crap, it is there because something
needs to be there.  I don't use it, most thinking people use a sync app of
sorts, http://www.freefilesync.org/ is my personal choice

> then unless you need GnuCash to be portable, I don't think
> it is worthwhile.

I'm not saying you should do anything.  If you're happy with your backup
then fine.  I'm just saying you shouldn't expect to be able to pick up and
put down without more work and you shouldn't expect other people to accept
your solution as theirs without saying what it doesn't cover, which is
where we get into the loop of other people not doing backups, it is because
*their* needs aren't covered.

-- 
Wm