Ubuntu Tips n Tricks

TimeVault: A Smart Linux Backup Software

Posted: 23 May 2011 10:05 AM PDT

For anyone who has owned a Mac in the past few years, it is unlikely that you are not familiar with the wonderful Time Machine backup system that Apple has implemented on Mac OS X. The beauty of this backup software is that the backups are taken in a differential manner rather than backing up the entire system with every backup. This means that you use your backup storage more effectively. This also means that you have more versions of your backed up data available for restoration.

In TimeVault, the developers have tried to create a similar system for Linux-based machines. Because Mac OS is based on a system similar to that of Linux, this is quite possible. Tools such as rsync allow you to do this. However, TimeVault wraps all the fine tools with a nice looking graphical front end. Let's take a look at TimeVault and take it for a test drive to see what it's capable of.

Installation:

As TimeVault is a pretty recent project, it has yet to make it into the RPM and DEB repositories of the popular distributions of Linux. However, you can still install it with ease. You need to download the latest binary release of the application from HERE. Once downloaded, double click the icon for the installation to begin. All the necessary dependencies can easily be fulfilled by your system's installer program.

So, as you can see, the installation process is pretty straightforward. It would be nice to be able to install the application using a tool such as the Synaptic Package Installer. I think it's a matter of time before it makes it to the mainstream repositories.

Configuration:

The next step after the installation is to launch and configure TimeVault. The configuration panel comes with four tabs. There are a number of options that are available for you to customize your backup process. In the General tab you can configure things like where you want to store the backups, and the upper limit for the backup size. The next tab, "Include", is where you tell TimeVault what to backup. The third one is where you configure what files or folders it should "Exclude". The last tab is titled "Expire". This is where you can define the retention period of different files.

The choice of options is great, however, I felt that this could be quite overwhelming for users who are not very technically advanced. It would have been nice if Time Vault came with a simple and an advanced configuration panel. Or perhaps, if it used a wizard tool to help users run through this process.

Launch Your Backup:

The way you operate TimeVault is using a notifier icon, which sits in the bar at the top of your screen. To begin your first backup click on this icon and ask it to begin the backup process. As the backups happen you will be notified by a pop up from the notifier. This bit is pretty simple.

One of the shortfalls of the method used to backup in TimeVault is that you have little or no control over its scheduling. This means that you could be in the middle of important work, or a presentation when TimeVault decides it's a good time to run its backup. There is no way to schedule or postpone a backup. All you can do is exit the application to stop the backup. This is a big drawback with using TimeVault on a computer you use on a daily basis.

Restoring Your Data:

Once you have backed up your data, it is critical for any good backup solution to allow you to restore it with ease. TimeVault comes with a fine graphical tool that allows you to browse your backups and then restore sections of your backup when you want to. The tool is called the Snapshot Browser, and it is quite handy. Another nice feature of TimeVault is its integration with the Nautilus file browser.

The Restore procedure works well, but it has certain limitations. However, TimeVault is one of the few GUI Linux backup system with a well thought out and functional restoration system in place. So kudos to the TimeVault team for that.

Verdict:

Overall TimeVault is a fine backup solution. It mostly worked correctly every time I used it. Although it's not packed with features, there are several useful ones. However, there are a few deficiencies such as the lack of scheduler that could be a deal breaker for some people. All in all, time Vault makes for a good application that is bound to improve as time goes by.

You may also check out: Déjà Dup: a Simple Backup Solution for Linux

Written by: Sukrit Dhandhania, FOSS advocate and regular contributor for TechSource.

Top 5 Social Media Applications for Linux

Posted: 22 May 2011 07:57 PM PDT

We've covered a lot of applications for Linux, but we haven't really touched upon the social media applications out there for this platform. When the whole tweetmania started, there were only a handful of social media apps for Linux, and those too were mostly Adobe Air-based. However, quicker than expected, a large amount of social media applications started coming out for this often ignored platform. But, despite there being a myriad of such applications, we have chosen to cover only the best ones.

Here's a look at the top 5 social media apps for Linux:

1. Gwibber

This is the default social media application as far as the Ubuntu desktop is concerned. Quite deservingly, this feature-loaded application has managed to gain quite a lot of popularity in the Linux community. The application is written by Ryan Paul who writes articles for Ars Technica, and is distributed under the GNU GPL license. The Python-powered application supports almost all the major social networks including Twitter, identi.ca, Facebook, Friendfeed and Digg. The upcoming version, which is Gwibber 3.0 will add even more features including Google Buzz support and Reddit. Being a default application, Gwibber is being actively developed and is constantly updated. If you're not using Ubuntu, you can get Gwibber by visiting the project's homepage HERE.

2. Choqok

If you use KDE4 and you haven't heard of this app yet, then you must be living in a cave. Choqok is one of the most popular microblogging clients out there for Linux, to be more specific, for KDE4. It has all the features any modern social media application should have including support for translations, photo-uploading and lots more. Choqok can be used for Twitter, Identi.ca, and self-hosted status.net networks, and it integrates perfectly with KDE 4 desktop. Considering how great this application is, it totally deserves to be included as a default social application in KDE4. To download Choqok please visit their homepage HERE.

3. Hotot

Hotot is the coolest new app in town. The application is so amazingly beautiful that you'd rather start believing in pink unicorns with glittering tails. Despite being a native application, its design is so polished that it might make an Apple snob jealous. And, even though Hotot is in beta, it has managed to gain quite a lot of fans already. One thing that makes the application so awesome is the amount of animations and reflections it has in the UI. For people who are used to the plain old GTK+ applications, Hotot may look like the Eiffel tower sitting in the middle of a desert. Despite being in beta, Hotot works perfectly for twitter and identi.ca. Moreover, it comes with all the features a twitter application should have.

Hotot is available for Ubuntu and Debian via a PPA and can be installed by pasting/typing the following commands in the terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:hotot-team

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install hotot

Meanwhile, Fedora users can download the application from HERE. For information on how to get Hotot on other distros, please visit this page. On a side note, the application is also available for Google Chrome browser and can be downloaded from the Chrome Webstore.

4. Tweetdeck

As far as desktop is concerned, Tweetdeck is undoubtedly the most popular social media client out there. Its familiar dark environment and distinct notifications style has fetched Tweetdeck quite a lot of fans on desktop and mobile platforms alike. Tweetdeck, despite being hugely popular, doesn't have a native desktop application yet. However, the Adobe-AIR one works perfectly well on almost all Linux distributions. All you have to do is install Adobe-AIR on your desktop, and then grab the Tweetdeck application from their website. Tweetdeck supports many social networks including Twitter, Identi.ca(beta), Facebook and Google Buzz. You can get Tweetdeck HERE.

5. Spaz

Spaz is an open-source, cross-platform social media client for Linux, Mac, Windows and mobile platforms. It is written in pure Javascript, XHTML and CSS, and uses the Jquery framework. Spaz supports social networks like Twitter, Status.net and identi.ca along with third-party services like ping.fm and bit.ly. The User Interface looks clean and fresh and allows support for user-created themes. Spaz also supports user-defined CSS overrides, which might be great for people who love to tweak every application they use. Spaz's official website can be found HERE.