Currently, I’ve found no other app that promises to back up my Blogger, and Google Docs information using the server-side schedule method I described in my last post.
But, alas, Google has provided hope. There is a Python client library for available to access data on Google’s servers. Check it out; I’m gonna grab the files and see what I can whip up to back up my items.
So, today I decided to set about the task of backing up my Gmail to my home server. I pay Google for 99% uptime, and really don’t expect their service to fail, but I have to account for more likely scenarios. For example, I may conceivably delete a message and find out I need it later; or, I may not want to keep a message on Gmail anymore but still need to retain it.
The players in this setup are a server running CentOS 5.2 and Gmail itself. My plan is to create a cron job that backs up the email at some fixed interval (daily) and saves it to a folder. At some point, I will back that up to DVD in case I or Gmail lose everything one day.
Gmail Backup runs on Windows and Linux. Gmail Backup does something that fetchmail or other solutions fail to provide: your Gmail labels are actually stored. This made it appear to be a better solution overall, so I decided to give it a whirl.
It is written in Python and requires Python to run on Linux (the Windows version is compiled). Unfortunately for me, the Python that comes with CentOS 5.2 is Python 2.4.3 and Gmail Backup requires Python 2.5.
I could just rip out the Python 2.4.3 libraries and replace them with Python 2.5 libs, but that would create problems for some of CentOS’s native utilties. So, I’ve installed Python 2.5 and wxpython in a different directory on my server and pointed Gmail Backup at the correct Python files.
According to the documentation, I just needed to run:
gmail-backup.sh backup my-backup-directory gmail-username gmail-password
The first attempt at running Gmail Backup met with failure:
Error: IMAP: [ALERT] Invalid credentials (Failure)
which I realized was because the shell was not escaping the ! in my password, so I changed the password.
Then I got:
ValueError: time data did not match format: data=XXXXX fmt=%Y%m%d
The XXXXX was the last half of my new password, which had a space in it. I consider this a bug in the implementation of Gmail Backup. I’ll contact the author with a fix later. So, I removed the space from my password.
That did it. Off I went. Gmail Backup nicely put my email into a directory. Each message is stored as a text file in directories indexed by year and date. All of the labels are stored in a text file.
Restoring to Gmail is as easy as:
gmail-backup.sh restore my-backup-directory gmail-username gmail-password
With a little scripting and a cron job, now I can automate Gmail Backup with a script, having it create periodic backups of all of my messages, then compressing the backup directory into one big file for storage and offloading.
Thanks Gmail Backup for making this so much easier!
I have a Hotmail account that I use for sending test emails. I also use it as a SPAM trap, preferring to use it when someone I don’t care about absolutely has to have an email address.
Every once in a while I access it to clean it out or run some tests. I’ve got one with Yahoo also.
Hotmail crashes my Firefox browser. Whenever I try to view my Hotmail Inbox, Firefox locks up as if it were greatly offended that I visited the site.
I figured I wasn’t alone, and, in fact, I’m not alone. A quick search on Google revealed that changes to Hotmail caused just that.
The response to Cathycook on Windows Live:
“Cathycook, the new update of Windows Live Hotmail should work perfectly on the latest version of Firefox. I suggest that you optimize your browser first. Check your browser documentation to see how it’s done.”
I’m so glad that Jeffry D from Windows Live took it upon himself to examine the actual problem and tell us that we just need to “optimize” our browser. Good job Jeffry D. Way to direct us to a solution there.
So, it looks like Palm has been busy since I thought it had abandoned it’s users.
The Palm Pre debuted this week to happy audiences. According to PC Magazine, the phone comes with a QWERTY keyboard just like the Treo of old, but also comes with a 3.1 touch screen. The slide out keyboard design has been done before, but I like the Palm chiclet keyboard better than the Blackberry one.
I would love to make use of the 8GB of internal user storage, which seems a bit much for what I use my Treo for. This makes me wonder how well it plays music.
Just like the iPhone, the system will rotate the perspective of web pages based on the angle you hold the phone.
The new Palm webOS is Linux based and offers and interface that has intrigued reviewers. From the screen captures it doesn’t appear to be that spectacular, but is evidently far more responsive than PalmOS or the Treo’s Garnet OS ever was. The gestures that one can use to control the interface could take some getting used to, but I learned the Palm alphabet long ago, so I’m thinking I can tackle the gestures if they’re worth the time.
The web browser is quoted as “desktop class” by Palm. Reviewers have noted that it is far, far better than the existing Treo Blazer web browser. Having suffered at using the Blazer browser, I have to agree that anything would have been an improvement, so it’s almost like comparing something to nothing.
The Pre can charge via USB, or though an induction device called the Palm Touchstone. I’m cooled out that I don’t need to plug it in. The only other device that I have that charges this way is my electric toothbrush. I just question how long it takes to charge via this method.
My personal question comes to: how well will Google Calendar and Google Contacts sync with this device? I realize that webOS should let me look them up online any time, but what about when I can’t get online? I still need access to the information. Blackberry and Android are still the only device types that Google Apps supports. Unless someone writes a third-party application, this leaves the Palm Pre out of the running for my next smartphone.
I’ve asked Sprint to let me know the instant this phone comes out.
Reference:
http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/9668/palm-announces-the-palm-pre-smartphone/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0%2C2817%2C2338482%2C00.asp
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/08/palm-pre-in-depth-impressions-video-and-huge-hands-on-gallery/
Palm, the once proud leader in mobile personal information managers has fallen far from grace.
So, of course, I’m looking for a replacement, and now Google Apps has put new requirements into my hands.
A year or more ago, I remember reading somewhere that Google was working on an environment for cell phones. So, I started checking up on Android, Google’s cell phone environment. T-Mobile offers the G1, but I hear it doesn’t have all of the kinks worked out and
I’m also a Sprint user.
A look at the Google Apps web site reveals an application called Sync which is designed to work with Blackberry smart phones. That indicates that Blackberry is also an option.
Switching to Verizon for an Android phone doesn’t seem to be an option, as Ars Technica reports they’ve ditched Android for LiMO.
So, I appear to have the following options so far:
I’m attempting to make an informed decision and don’t want my impatience to get the best of me. Any suggestions?
More information:
