add support for multiple backends

[Dave Crossland]

Since I use 3 computers (home pc, home laptop, work pc) daily, it would be essential to be able to sync them over SSH, just like TomBoy Notes SSH Sync - http://automorphic.blogspot.com/2007/07/tomboy-note-synchronization.html

[Lionel Dricot (ploum-deactivatedaccount)]

We don't follow the tomboy approach for this, we have "backend". Currently, the only available backend is "localfile" but It would just be a matter of writing another "sshfile" backend. An "httpfile" would be better but we need to write the server code then.

[Dave Crossland (davelab6)]

http://basiscraft.com/Collaboration%20Framework%20Project/Towards%20a%20True%20WebOS.xml explains how it might work collaborative over HTTP with WebDav....

Collaboration - team organisation - is kind of another feature though :)

[Lionel Dricot (ploum-deactivatedaccount)]

It is already planned but, well, we better have to got the fundations right before ever thinking about that ;-)

[Keith Hughitt (keith-hughitt)]

I also think this would be a really useful feature to include. I think the ideal solution would be to create a central server that can be used to sync across computers- this way users won't be required to leave their computers on just to sync.

[Bertrand Rousseau (bertrand-rousseau)]

On Tue, Mar 10, 2009 at 12:31 PM, Keith Hughitt <email address hidden> wrote:
> I also think this would be a really useful feature to include. I think
> the ideal solution would be to create a central server that can be used
> to sync across computers- this way users won't be required to leave
> their computers on just to sync.

Building a centralized server for tasks storage is not (and should not
be) an objective of GTG, however the "backend" abstraction should
enable the elaboration of such approach using other technologies
(e.g.: webdav, rsync, etc...)

> --
> network backup/syncing
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/336605
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of Gtg
> developers, which is the registrant for gtg.
>
> Status in Getting Things Gnome!: Confirmed
>
> Bug description:
> Since I use 3 computers (home pc, home laptop, work pc) daily, it would be essential to be able to sync them over SSH, just like TomBoy Notes SSH Sync - http://automorphic.blogspot.com/2007/07/tomboy-note-synchronization.html
>

--
Bertrand Rousseau
Place communale 1, 1450 Chastre, Belgium
e-mail : <email address hidden>
tel : [phone]

[Dave Crossland (davelab6)]

I think that integration into the UI of centralised storage/syncing is very important; ideally each instance of GTG on each computer would always be editing the server copy, and so the user never has to be conscious of backup or syncing in as much as possible. using GTG to boost productivity isn't fulfilling that aim if I have to make daily tasks to keep the laptop and desktop synced. This is the appeal of proprietary webapps...

[Lionel Dricot (ploum-deactivatedaccount)]

Just give us time ;-)

[Jeff Fortin Tam (kiddo)]

This would seriously be the killer feature that makes me switch from Tasks. I guess I'll have to be patient. Go go power rangers!

[Paul Natsuo Kishimoto (khaeru)]

Just to draw undue attention to myself: I've started a branch for a bazaar backend, but stopped because it doesn't seem like the core bits of GTG are ready yet :)

I currently use Bazaar for Tomboy (actually now Gnote) notes like this:
* On my DreamHost account: a repository.
* On my netbook, work desktop, home desktop: branches bound to the repository.
* A shell script that adds any new notes then commits a new revision.
* SSH keys set up properly everywhere so the shell script doesn't need to prompt for passwords.
It is only semi-automatic because I have to remember to run the shell script before and after I edit notes on a computer. However it works quite well and quickly.

To do this in GTG, I think I would need to add something to a preferences GUI (none yet!) to specify the repository location. The backend will need to 'bzr update' any changes on opening, and 'bzr commit' on exit. It will also need to handle various cases for when the backend is enabled: repository {exists|doesn't exist}, local branch {exists|doesn't exist}.

Maybe I should publish a blueprint for all this...but anyway for people with the right infrastructure, hopefully this could suffice for network sync.

[Bert Van Vreckem (bert-vanvreckem)]

An alternative (and I think trivially easy) way to set up synchronisation could be to allow users to choose where the GTG user data resides. That way, a user could combine GTG with a file synchronisation service like Ubuntu One or Dropbox. Put the data somewhere in the synched directory and all changes will be visible on the other computers... No need to set up a backend, or a synchronisation protocol.

[Lionel Dricot (ploum-deactivatedaccount)]

Could someone write a page on the wiki to explain how to simply change
your xdg folder for GTG ?

[Jeff Fortin Tam (kiddo)]

2009/7/15 bertvv <email address hidden>

> a user could combine GTG with a file
> synchronisation service like Ubuntu One or Dropbox.

But then this has three problems:
- The user has to know of yet another trick to do synch while the app should
already be smart enough to do it (perhaps using Conduit?); ie, the user has
to know that such services exist and are used for that
- A lot of people (including me) do not ever want to use the Cloud. I
personnally don't trust them with my data and I don't want to be
artificially limited, etc.
- This doesn't solve the problem of concurrent access, AFAIK. If you have
two GTG running on separate computers at the same time and they sync, you
are fscked.

[Paul Natsuo Kishimoto (khaeru)]

Lionel — do you have a branch/spec/other thing tracking progress on this issue?

I am working on bug #342955, and I wanted to implement the idea I posted at bug #336623...but of course it should interface with whatever backend code exists.

[Luca Invernizzi (invernizzi)]

Code is ready to be merged (and the core part of it is already in trunk)