deja-dup Ubuntu One folder is unfortunately named

[Chris Wilson]

When the user chooses to synchronise their backups on their desktops via Ubuntu One, the name of the directory they are given to keep them in is not user friendly. While deja-dup is indeed the name of the backup application shipped with Ubuntu, no reference is made to this anywhere whithin either the software or documentation. I propose that this folder be renamed 'Backups', or a variation on a theme.

I'm not sure if this issue needs to go upstream. Does anyone know if it does?

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: deja-dup 20.1-0ubuntu0.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-14.23-generic-pae 3.0.9
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-14-generic-pae i686
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: i386
Date: Thu Jan 12 01:10:35 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release i386 (20111012)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: deja-dup
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Michael Terry (mterry)]

I sympathize, but there are some problems with a sensible name like "backups":
 * It would need to be translated
 * Translation means if the user changes their language, their default backup location would change (do we offer to rename the remote folder? Keep using old translation?)
 * Translation means it would be harder in the future to automatically detect a backup folder to restore from [1]

And the problem with 'deja-dup/' is somewhat mitigated by introducing the name the first time the user uses the program and in the help documentation. Though admittedly, that is not much branding (intentionally).

In summation, I'm not sure how to fix this or whether we want to.

[1] There are other solutions for this, like scanning for folders two levels deep that contain duplicity-*.difftar.gz files or some such

[typo (gnomeuser8)]

Here's my idea:

Do it like Microsoft did it with Windows Vista.

The technical folder names are standardized names like "Programms" and "Users", but the visible name of the file is automatically translated into the language of the user.

In previous operating systems Microsoft used different technical folder names. Any software which wanted to use the files had the use environment variables like "%ProgrammsDirectroy%" (a spontaneously invented name). The problem was: Software developers who only developed for one language, e.g. only for English or only for french directly used the translated names like "Programme", "programo", "programma", "কম্পিউটাৰ প্ৰ’গ্ৰাম " etc. Because of that if you used software from different countries they all used different folders.

If the folder is only called "deja-dup" then it's easy for any other third-party software to detect the folder. But Nautilus should show the translated name. In order to provide such a service it should read a file which might be called "/etc/translated-folder".

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Brian Ealdwine (eode)]

Here's a better idea:
Let the user name the folder.

[Brian Ealdwine (eode)]

..instead of being named deja-dup, the folder can contain a file called:
.deja-dup

..with some basic info about the backup. This allows other software to fine the folder without much difficulty.

in pseudocode, instead of:
if folder_exists('deja-dup'):
    #do stuff

..it would be:
for folder in folder_list():
    if file.exists(folder + '/.deja-dup'):
       #do stuff

..which isn't significantly more difficult.
..also, during setup, you could prompt the user for a name, and have a default like "backup".

..plus, this has the benefit of being self-contained, and doesn't put pressure on other projects (nautilus) to handle the naming.

[MoHcasLu.H (braunsvillevibez)]

<email address hidden>

[Vej (vej)]

I propose this to be closed, because backing up to Ubuntu One is not available anymore.

Does anyone see this to be a problem somewhere else?

Best regards

Vej

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Déjà Dup because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for One Hundred Papercuts because there has been no activity for 60 days.]