Re: [Gramps-users] Opening database

[Billie W. <bil...@sw...>]

On 06/14/2011 02:05 AM, Benny Malengier wrote:
>
>
> 2011/6/14 Martin Ewing <mar...@gm...
> <mailto:mar...@gm...>>
>
>
>
>     The problem with having different machines working with different
>     versions of the database is that there's no good way to
>     resynchronize or merge the results if you do some editing on one
>     machine and then on another.
>
>     When I go on a research trip, I will export a Gramps db to my laptop
>     and work on that for the duration, and then export it back to my
>     desktop machine later.  You have to be careful to label the db's
>     with their "epoch" or confusion results.
>
>     A database sync/merge function would be nice, but I don't think it
>     would be easy to automate.  Perhaps if all db variables were
>     time-tagged with time and source of last change?
>
>     Solving the problem with cloud storage (Dropbox) might seem like a
>     winner, but only if Gramps is aware of the other possible accesses
>     and has appropriate locking.   If you're offline and use Dropbox
>     data, Dropbox tries to resynchronize when you come back online, and
>     there can can have been conflicts generated in the mean time.
>     Headaches all around.
>
>     Programmers solve such problems by having code "checked out" when
>     you're working on it so that other programmers can't step on you
>     before you check it back in.  Something like that could be done for
>     Gramps data, I suppose.
>
>
> Yes, but a lot of work for probably few people that use it. The easy
> lock we use now does the trick in a simple manner (lock icon in family
> tree manager).
> Instead of dropbox, a real share (samba eg) would allow real concurrent
> data access (not configured in Gramps, but possible with again quite
> some work overhead).
>
> Anyway, what it all means is that dropbox works fine if you work alone
> on your database and you know what you are doing (allow time for dropbox
> sync, use same python and gramps versions on the different computers).
> So, test your setup, and then stick with it, and keep some automated
> backup running. You should be fine then (if you have enough GB dropbox
> account, the database can be big).
>
> For the future, we are playing with allowing an sqlite database backend.
> Not sure it will come through, but that is a real portable database
> format (at least they claim so). The database we use now is not, but on
> the upside, we have a lot of experience with it.
>
> Benny
>

I can see where multiple people using a single database at the same time 
could be a major issue.

My own needs are just for a single user with several machines. I have my 
desktop at home that I use Gramps on for online stuff that I find and 
other sources here at home. When we go out of town I take along my 
laptop, netbook and tablet. The laptop takes the place of my desktop in 
the hotel room while the netbook and/or tablet can be used for any 
research done away from the room. If I go to a local research center or 
records repository I take a netbook or tablet. This is much easier than 
lugging around that briefcase I use to take when I was at the library. I 
have all my information available at the touch of a finger and can add 
information directly into the database and not take notes and transcribe 
when I get home.

Having a completely transportable database in this instance is a HUGE 
advantage. Today more and more people are using multiple devices for 
just about everything. You really can't take a desktop computer to a 
research library. Why lug around a ten pound laptop when you can carry a 
two or three pound netbook or a one or two pound tablet. Even the iPhone 
is just a hand held computer with a cell phone built in. The world is 
changing. The needs of people that use Gramps are changing. We are no 
longer dependent on one single computer for everything.

Technology is bypassing Gramps.

-- 


"A good moral character is the first essential in a man." George Washington

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