Beta Test Carbonite Online Backup for Mac
10:43 pm, September 10th, 2007, Pete Mortensen
UPDATE: Another online back-up solution to consider is Mozy, which gives out 2 gigs for free and charges for any additional storage. You can check them out here.
Backup remains the most elusive and under-appreciated form of computer technology. Though everyone knows we should, no one actually backs up other than the most diligent among us. I have a huge external hard drive, but I manage to put things on it maybe once every few months, if that. Good thing I did that at all, of course, as my hard drive just died on my Powerbook.
Anyway, until Apple unleashes Time Machine in Leopard to change back up forever, there are other things to try. One such as Carbonite, an online backup service that’s got some decent buzz on the PC side and now has a Mac client in beta. I haven’t given it a shot myself yet (will report back soon), but hey, free software!
If you’d like to get in on the beta, send a note over to beta@carbonite.com and mention Cult of Mac. The old high school friend who tipped me off claims that’s all there is to it. Let me know how it goes — he’ll hear about it if there are any troubles.
Posted by Pete Mortensen in Software | Comment on this article
I think it depends very much on what you’re trying to back up. My impression is that a lot of people are going to find on-line backups impractical. When I looked at the numbers I found it would take weeks to backup and restore my main disk: http://www.zx81.org.uk/computing/opinion/backup.html
Stephen Darlington, on September 10th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Can’t say that I could compare the two, but while we are talking about online backups, is it worth mentioning Mozy (mozy.com)? I have been using Mozy since about May, and really like it. They are in beta as well, but it seems to be moving rapidly — which is good. I sleep better at night knowing my music collection is safe.
As I said, I don’t really know the pros and cons of each, just thought I would toss this one out there.
whatknows, on September 11th, 2007 at 3:37 am
From what I can understand, the Carbonite beta is only free for 15 days, then you have to pony up. Mozy.com has a similar online backup service (with a Mac client) that allows for 2GB for free and you pay for any more capacity. I use Mozy to backup some of my documents and it works seamlessly in the background. Just sayin’.
Larry, on September 11th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Hi, I’m Carbonite’s CEO. With regard to Larry’s comment, Mac beta is free until we end the beta which could be as little as 4 months but likely longer. In any event, we don’t do the “free 2GB forever” business model. Paying customers wind up footing the bill for all that extra disk space. Most of the people who try Carbonite for a few weeks end up buying because it is solid, easy, and the best value for the dollar. If you’re a kid looking to save a few bucks, a free 2GB offer is fine. But if the contents of your PC are really worth something to you, you ought to buy a real subscription from us or one of our competitors.
David Friend, CEO
Carbonite Online Backup
David Friend, on September 11th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Mozy, meh. Worked fine for a while, then decided that my backup profile was too large for the free service (which it wasn’t). I decided – like a fool – to pony up for the unlimited deal and add all my photos and stuff, but the client keeps crapping out after building the database. At this point, I am not a fan!
Martin, on September 12th, 2007 at 6:17 am
Carbonite for MAC – how many more years does the community have to wait? Does Carbonite have a contract with Microsoft? Promised nearly one year ago – that the version for MAC is near finish …
HS, on June 20th, 2008 at 2:48 am