[X4U] Preferred Tool for Smart File Copying

[Daly Jessup]

At 18 26  -0800 12/17/07, Rick Gordon wrote:
>I'm seeking your input on your preferred method of smart file 
>copying. That is, one which will allow the copy of selected folders 
>and only copy the files which have new modification dates, and which 
>will (optionally, at least) preserve all permissions and advanced 
>file flags.
>
>Tools like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper don't seem well suited 
>for simple smart backups. I'm looking forward to more suggestions, 
>including (but not preferring) straight terminal commands. I do use 
>the ditto command sometimes for this purpose, but find its behavior 
>of losing the top level of folder hierarchy annoying.

It's pretty easy to do it with Copy Scripts in SuperDuper. Make your 
script, save it, and then it's always available as an option when 
running SuperDuper. ("Script" is just a matter of making some 
selections, not writing code.)  But another program I've heard 
praised is FoldersSynchronizer. However, Neither is fully certified 
for Leopard yet.

Carbon Copy Cloner is also popular. It is the cheapest of the 
options, at $10, though SuperDuper is "cheaper" if you already own 
it, of course. I don't use CCC, but it looks like if you have the 
patience to "unclick" all the items you do NOT want to synchronize, 
leaving just the ones you do, then it would act as the synchronizing 
utility you want. Once you do make the selections you want, you can 
"Save Task" so you don't have to do the selecting again in the future.

Ah, after all this writing, I just re-read your comment that 
SuperDuper and CCC don't seem suited for synchronizing. What is about 
them that makes them unsuitable?

Daly
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