I know I promised this new version back in 1993 (wow! has it been that long?) All I can say is, I've done the best I can, and I believe it will prove to have been worth the wait.
Microsoft was late with Windows 95, and Apple is late with Mac OS 8, and they have *teams* of people working on their software full-time. MacUpdate is not nearly as complicated as an operating system, but I am only a single person, with a "day job" working part-time as a programmer in my spare time. I am dedicated to the Mac, though, and to the concept of file synchronization. As I have said before, this is a labor of love. I use this program every day on my source code files, which change on a daily basis, and get worked on from multiple Macs. (Wow, talk about recursion! I use MacUpdate to manage MacUpdate's source code). Eventually, I'd like to see MacUpdate grow to become a "file version management" product, in addition to having the backup / synchronization features currently implemented.
There have been a lot of changes in the time since MacUpdate 3.x was released: we saw System 7, then another few versions of System 7 as the Power Macs came out. Each revision added new features (Drag and Drop Manager was a big one, for example). A new compiler vendor, Metrowerks, replaced Symantec's venerable THINK C product, and C++ and Object Oriented programming came into the fore-front and replaced the old "Procedural" C thinking and design paradigms. I don't mean to make excuses, only to point out that writing software is like trying to hit a moving target.
Thanks to all registered users of the older versions. You're support is very much appreciated. Thanks especially to those who provided suggestions and feature wish-lists.
Registration
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If you are currently a registered user of MacUpdate 3.x, then you are entitled to, as promised, an upgrade to MacUpdate 4.0 for $10.00, which is 50% off the regular asking price.
If you are *not* a registered user of MacUpdate 3.x, don't try to fool me: it is very easy for me to check my registration database, and I will... Just send in your $20.00.
What's New?
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(0) Everything! Seriously, this is a total re-write, with virtually no re-used code from MacUpdate 3.5.
(1) Completely re-written foundation, supporting native PPC and classic 68K Macintoshes. Support for non-modal dialogs, and implementation of taken-for-granted features like cut/copy/paste of text, and window printing (yes, you can print ANY window -- hold down the option key and the Print... command changes to Print Window...). The new foundation is very powerful, and designed to accomodate change for the future, and rapid implementation of new features.
(2) Multiple Pairs of folders/files to update. You can store as many Pairs of folders/files to be synchronized in a single Settings File as you desire. You can synchronize file-to-file, file-to-folder, folder-to-file, or folder-to-folder. This was by far the most requested feature to be added.
(3) Criteria. Many registered users asked for some way to limit or restrict which files are processed by MacUpdate (for example, "I want to back up my System Folder, but not those 600 Netscape Cache files"). Criteria lets you specify which items to process, or which items to ignore based on file name, dates, size, label, comments, or file kind. Criteria is very flexible and very powerful.
(4) Loners. Actually, Loners existed in MacUpdate 3.5, but were not called Loners. A Loner is a file (or folder) that exists in one of the "to-be-synchronized" Pair Items, but not in the other, i.e., it is alone in one of the Pair Items to be synchronized--it doesn't have a "partner" in the opposite Pair Item. MacUpdate 4.0 adds much greater control over what to do with Loners from either side: auto-create, auto-delete, ask before create, ask before delete, ignore, and ask what to do.
(5) Graphical Folder Comparison and Synchronization Preview. Compare a Pair of folders in a Finder List-like window. Lets you see what will be updated, created, and deleted before actually committing to a Synchronization. Useful for "testing" Criteria and Loner Settings options, as well as for being a tool to do content comparison of two folders.
(6) True Drag-and-drop. Of course, you can drag and drop a Settings File onto MacUpdate to open the file, but now, once the Settings File Window is open, you can directly drag items from the Finder to the staging area of the settings document window, bypassing all those confusing and time-consuming standard file dialogs. The staging area is at the very bottom of the window.
(7) Auto-Connection lets you by-pass the Chooser if you're synchronizing networked folders. You can set up MacUpdate with your Chooser User ID and Password, and let it do the work of connecting for you.
(8) Now you can decide whether or not you want folder information synchronized, just folder custom icons updated, or no folder information synchronization.
(9) You can explicitly allow or deny updating of the Desktop Folder, Trash Folder, and Temporary Items Folder.
(10) You can store settings files anywhere -- MacUpdate 3.5 required it's settings files be placed in the same folder as the MacUpdate application. This restriction is no longer applicable for MacUpdate 4.0.
(11) Much improved error/exception checking. MacUpdate now checks for folder/file mismatches, type mismatches, files whose size differs even though they have the same modification date, locked files, locked volumes, modification dates "in the future", currently open files that cannot be updated (because they are open), and whether or not the item will fit on the destination disk.
(12) Automatic synchronization is now controlled by an application extension, named MUDDeaemon, and a "Control-Panel"-like program name MUDControl. You use MUDControl to specify when to auto-synchronize, and which settings files to synchronize. MUDDaemon just quietly runs in the background waiting for those specified times to occur, and when they do, MUDDaemon starts up MacUpdate, and tells MacUpdate which Settings Files to open. Note that for proper operation, the Settings File should be configured to "Synchronize All when Document is Opened".
(13) MacUpdate needs at least 768 KB of memory allocated to it in the Finder's Get Info window. It is currently set up to prefer 1280 KB. This prefered memory setting is probably more than enough for 90% of MacUpdate's users, but you may need to increase it under extreme circumstances, for example, if you do a folder Compare on a Pair of folders with many items in them. MacUpdate will take up approximately 600K on your hard disk. The good news here is that the new foundation will make it easy to add new features at a small storage overhead, and in a short amount of time. MacUpdate 4.0's memory and disk requirements are substantially greater than MacUpdate 3.5's; this reflects the increase in power of desktop computers over the last few years, and the desire of users to have features that take advantage of that power. MacUpdate 4.0 is an order of magnitude more powerful and flexible than MacUpdate 3.5. The cost for this additional power is an increase in system resource requirements.
What's Missing?
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The following features were available in MacUpdate 3.5, but are not implemented in MacUpdate 4.0:
(1) Copy verification is not an option. It will be soon.
(2) Reports/Log files are not available. They will be soon.
(3) No way to "Skip all Error Messages". Plan to add an option to "Collect and Defer Error Messages Until Synchronization is Completed". Coming soon.
(4) No support for System 6. If you are still using System 6, you'll have to stick with MacUpdate 3.5. No plans to implement System 6 support.
(5) There is no option to Move files (Delete Original from Source). This option will be implemented soon.
(6) No progress bar is displayed while synchronizing. MacUpdate will need to "count and compare" files and folders in a Pair in order to utilize a progress bar. This will probably be an option. After all, it takes time to count and compare. For those interested in the fastest speed, the way MacUpdate 4.0 currently synchronizes is definitely faster than counting and comparing first, it just doesn't provide feedback on how much time is left. The progress bar method will be coming soon.
