What’s the same?

With both Mozy and SugarSync you install an application on your desktop, select which folders you want to backup/sync, and let it go.  Both programs then monitor the folders you specified and uploads changes to the website.  With either application you can download the files either through the application or online.

What makes SugarSync better?

Mozy offers unlimited backup for $4.95 a month.  For the same price on SugarSync you get 30 GB which for most people is plenty and practically speaking all I would every imagine uploading to Mozy in its current state.  The truth with Mozy is that once I got above a few GB it became painfully slow index and upload files.  Now your mileage may very.  The files I’m backing up to Mozy are actually periodically copied from my main drive to my backup drive before being scanned and uploaded (see Backup Strategy).  That means many files are changed all at once not one at a time over many days as Mozy expects.  It takes Mozy a long time to sort out what files have changed and several days to upload all these files.  SugarSync doesn’t appear to have this problem at least during the limited beta when traffic was likely low.  Now I haven’t done any intensive benchmarking so I can’t say for sure but files appear to be sorted and uploaded to SugarSync rather quickly.  Even if the speed wasn’t an issue the SugarSync application shows me what files have been uploaded and which are pending.  It really eases the mind to know which files are safe and which are not.

Understandably because Mozy’s service is for unlimited space they restrict you to one computer.  That is not the case with SugarSync.  After all it’s main purpose is Syncing.  With SugarSync you can install the application on multiple computers, they can all upload to the same account.  They can even be setup to keep certain directories in sync across computers (hence the name).

Probably one of the best things about SugarSync is its ‘web 2.0′ website.  On the website you can view, download, and update files in your file set  If you update the files online they are also updated on your computer next time that computer syncs.  This is really great if you need to work on a file while on the road.  With Mozy you can download the backup through their ‘web 1.0′ website but that is it.  In addition to the website SugarSync has a mobile windows client that can view images in your backup and sync your mobile photos.  You can also visit the mobile version or iphone version of the website to download other files.

Why I’m (reluctantly) sticking with Mozy.

With all this great sweetness with SugarSync (pun intended) it has one serious flaw.  SugarSync lacks file versions.  Imagine that you have a very important word document.  One day you may open this word document and discover that all the images are replaced with big red ‘X’s.  This happened to me in the past with a few large word docs.  The file is corrupted, you need to restore it.  If you then restore this file from SugarSync you will discover that it has the same problem.  SugarSync has "backed up" your corrupted word document over your good version.  Unless you keep another backup somewhere else on your files system you are screwed.  But isn’t that the point of a backup system, so you don’t have to do it manually.  With Mozy you can restore one of the previous versions before the corruption took hold.  Ultimately, I think this makes SugarSync practically unusable as a backup system.  But, as I said before SugarSync is not really intended to be a backup solution.

What I’d like to see.

I really like SugarSync.  I’m tempted to use SugarSync and Mozy together as a Sync/Backup tag team but $25 a year for SugarSync and $50 a year for Mozy I can’t justify it.  If SugarSync had a cheap (or free) low GB version I might continue to use it for essential files that I need to access on other computers.  Instead, for now, I will use Box.net for that and Mozy for backup.

Now with that said I think SugarSync has a lot of room to grow.  It feels to me that Mozy is basically use-as-is software for the foreseeable future while SugarSync is actively pursuing improvements.  If they added file versions I’d jump ship today.  I have a couple of other ideas that would make it the ultimate backup/syncing/mobile documents solution. 

When storing files "in the cloud" security is a serious concern.  SugarSync has robust security in place on their servers but what about on the users end?  If you need to access a file while on the road you may be logging in on a uncontrolled desktop in a cyber cafe or maybe an open wi-fi hotspot.  In this situation your password my be sniffed or key-logged.  With so much of your personal data online this can be disastrous.  I’d like to see a mechanism of protecting against this either with a security token or perhaps restricted throw-away logins that can only access files you have deemed accessible while on the road.  I don’t see anyone doing this at this time but it is necessary if we are to feel comfortable keep private data online.

Since I don’t want to use SugarSync "on the road" I use Box.net.  Box.net has what they call OpenBox services.  Files uploaded to your box.net account can be viewed and edited online using any number of online services including Zoho (office documents) and Picnik (image editing).  I’d like to see this type of services added to SugarSync.  If SugarSync is going to become my one stop shop for online file storage this is a must.  Or how about using the OpenBox platform to sync a SugarSync folder with box.net?  That would be cool.

Thank you, goodnight.

If someone from Sharpcast (makers of SugarSync) see this I want to thank you for allowing me to participate in your beta.  I look forward to seeing where you go from here.

I’m in the market for a new PC.  One of the machines I’m considering is the Dell XPS 420.  Dollar for dollar the XPS 630 looks like the better deal but the 420 is still in the running (as is building my own).  While looking at what Best Buy has to offer online I noticed for the first time that they sell Dell machines including a couple of XPSs.  I had no idea that best sold Dells.

The best buy site is offering a XPS 420 for $899.99 (image here in case it gets changed), only 99 cents more than the base model at dell.com.  But wait… that’s not the base model.  The one at bestbuy.com is 2.66 GHz quad core, a $200 upgrade to the base model’s 2.40 quad core.  It has a 500 GB hard drive, a $50 upgrade to the base model’s 320 GB.  It has the ATI RADEON HD 2600 XT upgrade, another $100 addition to the base model.  It also is listed as having a media card reader ($20) and a 56K modem ($20).  All told I priced the equivalent machine on Dell.com for $1,309 (image here).

Sounds like a great deal and with a best buy only a block away I decided to take my son for a walk and see this monster in person.  It looked like a nice machine.  I was impressed with it’s size (big like I like my PCs).  First thing odd I noticed was that there was no media reader.  Ok, then I opened the system properties dialog and noticed the machine was listed at 2.40 GHz… what?  I didn’t look at the other items because I frankly had forgotten.

I then asked a blue shirt for the specs on this machine.  He returned a minute later with a print out from the website.  I told him that the machine is listed as at 2.66 GHz but the display model was only 2.4. GHz.  He brushed it off as a misprint.  I then pointed out the missing media reader.  He then proceeded to look everywhere for the media reader (including inside).  In then end we agreed the website was wrong and that buying it in-store or online will result in the same base setup.

Returning home I see now that two people reviewed this machine online mentioned that they got a 2.4 GHz model.  No mention of the other features.  Surprisingly they all still give good ratings.  I would have been pissed off if I had purchased this machine online and received the base model.

Update (5/18/2008): I managed to take a look at the box for this computer today.  The label on the box lists all the same specs as the website minus the 2.66 GHz processor.  Apparently the only thing missing if this machine if purchased in store or online is the CPU upgrade from 2.40 to 2.66 ($200 value).  The display model in the store, however, is the base model missing all the extras.

Hypercubed paid $239.40 in hosting fees to DreamHost, Inc.  These hosting fees were paid in 2007 for services to be rendered through 2009.  Hypercubed paid an additional $39.80 in domain name registration fees.  In total Hypercubed’s expenses in 2007 were $279.20.

So all told my little hobby here has cost me $11.35 in 2007.  Not bad considering how expensive alternative hobbies can be ($2500 for a camera, my god!).  I could probably squeeze a little more out of this by strategic placement of ads and posting more often but, like I’ve said before, this is a hobby not a living.

In case you can’t read the image:

THE NEW PRODUCT COME INTO THE MARKET

Environment-protective Torch for 21st century

Features:

1. Only shake it forward and backward while use. So as to make it generating to light up.

2. Its switch system is based on advanced magnetic induction technologies. So it’s long in service life and reliable in performance.

Advantages:

1. A torch is used for emergency lighting purpose. However, the traditional battery-supplied torch may cause you a big trouble because the batteries will become ineffective and produce pollution if the torch is left idle for a long time. The chargeable torch also has the problem of power leakage; or it will help you remember to charge only at the time you need. This innovative torch is the breakthrough in solution to waste and inconvenience.

2. Being self-supplying, it will serve you long and well.

Caution:

1. Never keep it close to household appliances or other articles which need to be shielded from magnetism.

2. We will not take the responsibility for any loss caused by improper use.

It all started when I saw the following video on Attack of the Show:

I can’t believable!  So awesome!  The video was supposedly created by kesblo from an actual dell sales call.  The original full length call is here.  I recommend you to listen to the whole thing, because the future is gonna to cost more money.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/audio/play/10314/

Now checkout Dan’s re-mix.  Go ahead, little girl, little baby girl, little hooker girl.

It is almost danceable.

Now let’s take this to a next level.  Imagine that the mall management also manages the credit union in which you deposit your income.  Furthermore, other banks are forbidden from operating in the mall, so you are forced to use mall management’s credit union.  Now, imagine that when they shut down your store and seized your equipment they also took all the money in your account.  They took a year’s worth of income — twenty times the amount you owed in rent.  It’s all gone, and they refuse to return your money.

Can you imagine this scenario?  It’s absurd, right?  Well it happened to me!

Mid January I discovered that my SecondLife (SL) account was disabled.  For those that don’t know: second Life an Internet-based virtual world well known for it’s legal trading of the in-world currency. I instantly called SL support to discover that sometime around Christmas 2007 my SecondLife account was disabled after becoming delinquent by $5.26 on a $9.95 monthly charge.  I didn’t realize this because, like many others, I was busy with Christmas, New Years, and such.  SecondLife claims I was sent a billing notice, but no such notice can be found in my e-mail even though I keep all of my e-mails, including spam going back 60 days.  Ok, fine — just re-establish your account and move on, right?

They re-established my account and removed the $5.26 debt “as a courtesy.”  I soon found that all of my assets were gone.  Everything that I had purchased in SL was gone.  Everything that I had built in SL was gone.  Yes, these were virtual assets, but they were purchased with virtual money that is supposedly backed by the US dollar.  My SecondLife is over!  My virtual life was snuffed out over a $5.26 debt.  Even worse my SecondLife business was destroyed.

Some background: Over a year ago I had developed a script in SecondLife that allowed others to add access control to objects in SL (imagine a door sentry for SecondLife objects).  It was actually a very complex piece of code that I spent many hours on.  I started selling this code in SecondLife and made enough money to offset the cost of my SL subscription ($9.95 per month).  And, for those that don’t know, this is not only legal in SL but encouraged as a reason to join.  They even claim that users retain copyright of all content they create in SL. I was operating a legitimate business in SL.  In 2006 I earned enough money to prepay my SL account for almost all of 2007.  This is what allowed my account to be delinquent by $5.26.  I didn’t notice that the money had run out, nor did I notice that my credit card on file had expired. I also never received an overdue notice; perhaps due to an error on the part of SecondLife billing system, or due to an e-mail server error.

I soon realized that in addition to missing my assets, all of my virtual money was gone also.  I had 46,493 virtual dollars in my account when it was shut down (this value was given to me by the SL billing department).  This was all of my 2007 income, equivalent to approximately $180 real world dollars.  This money was intended to offset the $9.95 SL subscription fees.  SL has refused to return my money.  They have seized $180 in cash and an unknown value in personal property over a $5.26 overdue bill.  Virtual or not, this is highway robbery.  I think I could have gotten a better deal with the mafia.

It’s been two weeks since my account was “restored”. I was able to recover a copy of my locking script from a vendor in world but everything I was working on or purchased is gone. SecondLife has refused to return any portion of the virtual money that was lost. After repeated request for an explanation this is the best I get from support:

When an account is purged most, if not all of the inventory and lindens in it are lost. Unfortunately there is nothign [sic] we cna [sic] do to recover the lost inventory.

I have lost all confidence in SL. I encourage others to tread cautiously when it comes to virtual assets.

I’ve been doing some thinking on why I have released so few projects over the eight years I’ve been online (hypercubed.net was purchased December 1999) compared to the number of applications that I build.  In addition why have none of them reached a quality level necessary for earning some real income.  I think it can all be summarized in the following completely made up graph. 

As you can see three things are conspiring against me.  First is the complexity factor.  As the feature set grows the time needed to add each feature grows even faster.  Each new feature takes longer and longer to implement.  Second, I usually work on the interesting part of the project first, everything else is bells, whistles, and polish.  Sometimes just implementing the interesting part is enough to release a Version 0.1 (basic usability) but more often then not the interesting part is over well before a publicly shareable release is ready.  The third thing conspiring against me is my available time.  Developing application and running my website is a hobby.  I do have a day job and a very demanding one if you ask me.  With such limited time available I can’t get much beyond the interesting parts of the project without feeling the pull to other more interesting projects.  Sometimes I come back to old projects but often I don’t.  I seam to always be in the vicious cycle of starting interesting projects, running out of steam, then starting the next.  Someday this needs to stop.

There are several solution to this dilemma; none of them very easy.  I could quit my day job and work on development full time (Hypercubed, Inc. anyone).  Isn’t it everyone’s dream to turn their hobby into their work?  But I don’t think I would be able to make enough to support my family anytime soon.  The second is to get a partner.  Unfortunately most people I know are not interested in the geeky stuff I work on.  I could lower my standards and release every project regardless of the state.  If the project generates interest then that would be a driver for me to add more time.  The problem with this is that most people on the web are leaches (myself included) thousands of people may download a piece of software but only a handful will comment on it and their comments are not usually helpfully (where is the anykey?).  Last is to make a the project to open source.  I’ve been considering this for a long time but just not sure how to do that.  It seams to me that the same curve may apply to managing the open source project.  I say it almost every day at work… I’m not a manager… and I don’t want to be.

Then came the first ride.  The line was a little long but we could deal.  We are standing in line.  Children are laughing and people are talking.  Actually some guy was yelling.  I start noticing that a guy two groups behind us in line is yelling “This is America.  In America we queue up!.”  First of all I didn’t know any Americans use the term “queue up”.  Anyway, I tried to ignore it at first. 

It soon became clear to me what was going on.  An elderly visitor to our country (Korean I believe) was attempting to pass the “American” to join is grandchildren (I assume they were his grandchildren) in line up ahead (one group ahead of me).  In case you don’t know it is common at Disneyland when the lines are long for adults to put the children in line first and join them later after getting a drink or something.  Most of us just hop the rope or something.  Nobody seams to mind as long as it is clear that you are with someone already in line.  Well the elderly foreigner was not so nimble so he was trying to pass through the line to join the children who wouldn’t be able to ride the ride alone anyway. 

Now the elderly man didn’t seam to speak any English so the children’s father (I assume) standing outside the line was attempting to explain to the America what he was doing and at the same time speaking to the grandfather in Korean.  The American wasn’t taking any of this.  He just kept on yelling “In America we queue up!  You’re in America”.  Then he started to mock the foreigner with faux Chinese “Ching-ching-ching-chang. We queue up in America.  Ching-chong-chang.  This is America”.  I was flabbergasted.

I turned around at this point as said something like “Come on dude! He is just trying to join the children up ahead in line.”  The person in front of me in line (between me an the Korean children) joined in saying something like “Yeah, that’s right.  They were here first”.  He gave me a quick look up and down.  I couldn’t tell if he was gauging my American-ness or determining if he could take me in a fight.  Either way I didn’t like it and was half expecting to engage in my first fist fight in this decade.  He grumbled a complaint or two but the grandfather at this point had managed to sneak past.  The loud American didn’t say anything more.  The other person that interjected and I exchanged glances.  I knew we were both thinking the same thing: “This is why people hate us.”  Really sad thing is that this attitude doesn’t stop at our borders.  It reminds me of the time I was flying from Japan to Los Angeles on Korean Airlines and a American passenger behind me kept yelling at the top of her lungs “I WANT THIS MOVIE IN ENGLISH.  HOW DO I GET THIS MOVIE IN ENGLISH?”.  Apparently yelling helps the Korean stewardesses understand English better.