Bambi Hambi - 28 July 2005 12:45 AM

That still gets too confusing. I’d consider iSync a utility. Same with RSS readers. Why? They don’t generate something that can be shared with others.

Apple’s Backup? Shirley, you’re jesting? Shirley? Shirley? Where’d she go? Backup might just be the worst piece of ‘utility’ software running on a Mac. That said, I’ve heard folks who testing 3.0 who say it’s miles ahead of 2.x.

It’ll need to be.

I had probs with every other backup program I tried - including all the ones recommeneded on Mac360!  The only one that has been reliable is Backup (oh except on Tiger 10.4.0 - didn’t work at all on it).

I pinch myself when people tell me how bad is to see if maybe i’m the one dreaming. But, nup.

And the rumored features of Backup 3 have got me drooling.

PS NetNewsWire has a built-in browser so blurs the line between utility and app even more.

Here, try this one: Apps let you work with stuff, utilities look after stuff.

Apple backup is painless, quick, and automatic. My parents use it all the time and don’t even know it until they delete something and I magically restore it for them. Yeah, it lacks features, but boy… so simple.

Chris H - 28 July 2005 04:52 AM

I had probs with every other backup program I tried - including all the ones recommeneded on Mac360!  The only one that has been reliable is Backup (oh except on Tiger 10.4.0 - didn’t work at all on it).

I pinch myself when people tell me how bad is to see if maybe i’m the one dreaming. But, nup.

And the rumored features of Backup 3 have got me drooling.

PS NetNewsWire has a built-in browser so blurs the line between utility and app even more.

Here, try this one: Apps let you work with stuff, utilities look after stuff.

That’s not a bad definition.

I’m surprised you had trouble backing up with anything like SuperDuper! What went wrong? SuperDuper! has worked flawlessly and the whole Mac360 staff use it exclusively to clone volumes (or, one hard drive to another). That said, ChronoSync isn’t the same thing. It synchronizes and/or backups up files from one place to another; folder to folder, hard drive to hard drive, across a network (auto login), all things SuperDuper! does not do.

That said, I’ve read reports about problems with many ‘clone’ backup utilities on certain external Firewire or USB drives (usually the former as chipsets matter).

Jackie D. Miller - 28 July 2005 04:19 PM

Chris H - 28 July 2005 04:52 AM

I had probs with every other backup program I tried - including all the ones recommeneded on Mac360!  The only one that has been reliable is Backup (oh except on Tiger 10.4.0 - didn’t work at all on it).

I pinch myself when people tell me how bad is to see if maybe i’m the one dreaming. But, nup.

And the rumored features of Backup 3 have got me drooling.

PS NetNewsWire has a built-in browser so blurs the line between utility and app even more.

Here, try this one: Apps let you work with stuff, utilities look after stuff.

That’s not a bad definition.

I’m surprised you had trouble backing up with anything like SuperDuper! What went wrong? SuperDuper! has worked flawlessly and the whole Mac360 staff use it exclusively to clone volumes (or, one hard drive to another). That said, ChronoSync isn’t the same thing. It synchronizes and/or backups up files from one place to another; folder to folder, hard drive to hard drive, across a network (auto login), all things SuperDuper! does not do.

That said, I’ve read reports about problems with many ‘clone’ backup utilities on certain external Firewire or USB drives (usually the former as chipsets matter).

I, too, have heard good things about Apple’s “Backup 3.0” and look forward to it. I stopped using Backup 1.x and 2.x as they were not reliable and other applications did a better job. I’m surprised Apple has taken so long to figure out the need for a good Apple-branded backup scheme.

RonnieMac - 29 July 2005 02:20 AM

Jackie D. Miller - 28 July 2005 04:19 PM

Chris H - 28 July 2005 04:52 AM

I had probs with every other backup program I tried - including all the ones recommeneded on Mac360!  The only one that has been reliable is Backup (oh except on Tiger 10.4.0 - didn’t work at all on it).

I pinch myself when people tell me how bad is to see if maybe i’m the one dreaming. But, nup.

And the rumored features of Backup 3 have got me drooling.

PS NetNewsWire has a built-in browser so blurs the line between utility and app even more.

Here, try this one: Apps let you work with stuff, utilities look after stuff.

That’s not a bad definition.

I’m surprised you had trouble backing up with anything like SuperDuper! What went wrong? SuperDuper! has worked flawlessly and the whole Mac360 staff use it exclusively to clone volumes (or, one hard drive to another). That said, ChronoSync isn’t the same thing. It synchronizes and/or backups up files from one place to another; folder to folder, hard drive to hard drive, across a network (auto login), all things SuperDuper! does not do.

That said, I’ve read reports about problems with many ‘clone’ backup utilities on certain external Firewire or USB drives (usually the former as chipsets matter).

I, too, have heard good things about Apple’s “Backup 3.0” and look forward to it. I stopped using Backup 1.x and 2.x as they were not reliable and other applications did a better job. I’m surprised Apple has taken so long to figure out the need for a good Apple-branded backup scheme.

I have been using backup. It seems to work fine for me. Of course I haven’t had the need to restore anything from it yet. Would iView Media be an App or a Utility? What ever it is, it’s a great program.

I’m not sure if this is application or utility, based on the definition. It’s web cam software that pulls images from your camera and can send them via email, display them in a web page, etc.

It’s ImageCaster. I like it better than EvoCam, though both work well. I was able to get a web cam picture up faster with ImageCaster.

I use it to log in to watch the kids at home. I can see if they’re doing their homework. Or not.

MenuMeter by far. I feel naked without it. Can instantly tell if Safari is gobbling all processor time, Photoshop has caught alzheimers, or if downloads uploads are hung or trucking along. in a distant second I’d place Diskwarrior.

Since I try not to keep bad software, hard to pin “worst utility.” Biggest letdown has to be Stuffit; With a string of bugginess and just not that compelling an advance in featureset, I’ve said goodbye to perhaps the longest running piece of software on my Macs.

Chevalier - 04 August 2005 02:48 PM

MenuMeter by far. I feel naked without it. Can instantly tell if Safari is gobbling all processor time, Photoshop has caught alzheimers, or if downloads uploads are hung or trucking along. in a distant second I’d place Diskwarrior.

Since I try not to keep bad software, hard to pin “worst utility.” Biggest letdown has to be Stuffit; With a string of bugginess and just not that compelling an advance in featureset, I’ve said goodbye to perhaps the longest running piece of software on my Macs.

Oh, yes. Amen. Ever since Missy T said, ‘Check this out, Alex” I’ve had MenuMeters running on my Mac. Click Here to read details and download.

MenuMeters installs as a System Pref and takes a couple of minutes to get the right ‘meter’. Instant gratification after that.