Re: .Mac backup software

In article <slrnf3940m.m2.justin.0704@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Justin C
<justin.0704@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Anyone using .Mac for backup? Is it any good?
I have just started using it. So far it is excellent

I notice from the .Mac page on the Mac web site that you can set more than
one backup destination for backups, is it able to backup the critical stuff
(keychain, address book, etc.) to places other than iDisk?
Anywhere you like. A shared iDisk is a bit crippled for large backups.

Does the software require a .Mac account? What I mean is, once the free trial
has ended does the backup cease to work unless you subscribe to .Mac?
Not sure. I don't see it phoning home
Thanks for any help you can give with this.
Mini review:
I'm doing daily incremental backups of selected folders, including
~/Library and ~/Documents from various machines including my Boko and
Pro to an 'external' disk and monthly full backups to DVD. DVD is a bit
of a chore. It currently takes up about 10 DVDs and will only use one
of my DVD drives at once, but a restore has tested OK.
The backups happen automatically, except for playing postman once a
month. The incrementals are quick enough - about 5 minutes - and
scheduled for ungodly hours when even I'm likely to be in bed.
Depending on what you do each day, and what folders are included in
your backup plan, the incrementals and full start guzzle a fair bit of
disk by the end of the month. Here it's 30GB for the starters and about
1GB/day. And that's with keeping music, movies and Aperture out of it.
That stuff is way too big to back up with Backup.

If I had a wish, I'd rather the DVDs were encrypted. I'd feel happier
about storing them offsite. I know I could split my own encrypted disk
image but it is a bit of a faff.

It will do till the Time Machine arrives with Leopard. Now, if only
there were a Tardis disk drive (bigger on the inside).

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