Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 80909
Automatic Backup Repository
Last modified: 2013-02-07 22:42:47 UTC
AUTOMATIC BACKUP REPOSITORY This is different from the 'Always create backup copy'-option. Especially in view of the requests to move those saved 'backups' to the same directory as of the original document, this is very different, indeed. A.) INTRO B.) SOLUTION C.) IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS A.) INTRO Losing data due to hardware or software failure is one of the most dreaded complications of extensive computer usage. Every user is therefore urged to save multiple backup copies of his work. While in professional settings, this data backup is usually performed automatically by IT professionals, this is less so the case with home users. However, even when performed, this manual data-backup (especially in home settings) creates a number of problems: - one has to regularly update the backup - and at the same time it is easy to loose track of the many backup copies which can easily get out of sync Therefore, even when regularly updating the backup, one still can loose extensive information, because even one day of work can signify many hours of work. And saving multiple copies of the same document creates a mess, as one is unable to sync the relevant document and ends up with multiple poorly tracked copies of the same document. Also, my personal experience was that both diskettes as well as memory sticks and CDs fail more often than the original. I experienced multiple instances of data loss due to hardware/software failure both with OOo and competitor products. Just recently one of my friends experienced a significant data loss due to a similar failure. Hand-made backups are definitely insufficient. B.) SOLUTION Implement an automatic document backup mechanism using a central repository! When the user first selects to save a document or selects 'Save as', OOo should ask him, IF the user wants to save additionally a backup copy. Every subsequent 'Save' shall update this backup. Unlike the 'Always create backup copy'-option, this new feature shall save the *most recent* document. Also, the file structure shall be more *robust against damage*. Also, OOo shall *keep track* of the backup, even IF the original files get renamed or moved! C.) IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS DOCUMENTS: Writer documents and Spreadsheets are the most used documents and would probably benefit mostly from this feature, though other document types might be included as well. The original document shall save a reference pointing to the backup (inside the ODF-file), too, and a *unique file identifier* (like an *URI*). IF the original document is renamed, OOo shall ask the user, IF a new backup should be created or IF the old one should be further used. CENTRAL REPOSITORY: The backups shall be saved in a central repository. The structure and details of this repository shall be handled internally by OOo. The physical location of this repository shall be on a HD different from that where the documents are usually saved (a different partition is not enough). Other options include network drives and other external data storage. In the extreme case, where such a second HD is lacking, the user should be able to select a different partition and also have the ability to automatically sync this backup with an external storage (similarly to various iPods and handhelds sync capabilities). BACKUP FILE: The backup file shall be a modified ODF-document. Please note, that, as this is NOT officially an ODF-file, there are really NO standards-incompatibilities. Especially, the format shall be adapted to increase the *robustness* against data loss. As the LZW-compress format can become corrupt, the compression should be disabled and the document shall be saved as a *plain tar-file*. Also, the portions of the file, that contain the relevant data (the actual *content*) shall be saved with some *recovery records* to prevent data loss even under very damaging conditions. Some 'Versioning' should be automatically activated to easily *track changes*.
reassigned
The *Sync OpenOffice.org Docs with Google Docs* is an OOo extension that has some significant overlap to this issue (see http://www.lifehacker.com.au/tips/2007/12/11/sync_openofficeorg_docs_with_g.html for a description). It permits syncronising an OOo document with Google Docs. Indeed, Google Docs could be used as a central document repository (although, some people might be skeptic if the document contains sensible data, preferring a local solution).
Another request for syncronising Google Docs with OOo can be found in issue 84616 (see http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=84616).