Backing Up, Lossless Audio and Genealogy Programs
September 16, 2009
by Walter S. Mossberg
My daughter left for college and I am worried about her backing up her computer. Is there a backup service that is offsite and automatic? What about campusbackup.org?
I haven’t tested campusbackup.org, whose Student Backup service copies an unlimited quantity of word-processing, spreadsheet, presentation and PDF files, once nightly, to a remote server for $50 a year. But there are other, more versatile options I have tested that, unlike Student Backup, copy photos and music and other types of files. These include MozyHome ($4.95 a month for unlimited storage, at mozy.com) and Carbonite ($55 a year for unlimited storage at carbonite.com). All three work with either Windows or Mac computers.
I read that importing the newly remastered Beatles CDs into iTunes and listening to them on a computer or portable player is like buying a masterpiece and staring at a photocopy of it. Any truth to this? Does importing really lose that much quality?
It depends on how sensitive an ear you have. In most cases, when you import a CD into iTunes or any other software jukebox program, you are converting the songs into a compressed file, such as an MP3 or AAC file. This saves a ton of space on your hard disk, but at least subtly diminishes quality. To an audiophile, that can make a big, negative difference, especially when you add the insult of listening to the music through iPod headphones or small computer speakers. To most of the rest of us, though—especially with rock, pop, urban or country music—it’s no big deal.
However, there is a compromise. If you don’t care about the songs taking up lots more space on your hard disk, iTunes will allow you to import them in a much less compressed format called Apple Lossless or an uncompressed format called WAV. You can choose which format to use in the iTunes Preferences settings. In the latest version of iTunes, called iTunes 9, this particular option is found under the General tab in Preferences, by clicking on the button called “Import Settings.”
Previously I had a Dell and Windows and used Family Tree Maker for genealogy records. Now that I’m an Apple owner, I find that Family Tree Maker does not work on an Apple, only Windows. What can I do about this?
It seems to me that you have three obvious options. If you still have your old Dell, you could crank it up again just for the purpose of running Family Tree Maker. Or, you could buy a boxed copy of Windows and install it on your Mac, which is fully capable of running Windows and Windows programs (assuming it’s an Intel-based Mac). Finally, you could switch to one of the native Mac-based genealogy programs and import your data from Family Tree Maker via the standard GEDCOM file format used in genealogy. One such program, called Reunion, includes specific instructions on importing data from Family Tree Maker on its “Top 10 Questions” page, at leisterpro.com.
You can find Mossberg’s Mailbox, and my other columns, online for free at the new All Things Digital web site, http://walt.allthingsd.com.
Comments
You write:
” iTunes will allow you to import them in a much less compressed format called Apple Lossless or an uncompressed format called WAV.”
You need to explain that Apple Lossless, while compressed, is lossless and therefore importing them as WAV or AIFF files is redundant. I would stress that saying something like ALAC is kind of like .zip for music, while MP3s/MP4s (AAC) are like .jpeg for pictures. You would never expect that you would uncompress a .zip and not end up with the exact original, although you would expect that a .jpg has a quality parameter that affects its accurate representation of the original.
An interesting note – it seems ALAC was created to allow lossless streaming to the Airport Expresses. Anything sent to the Airport Express from iTunes is first encoded using ALAC.
Posted by Eytan Bernet at September 16th, 2009 at 4:32 pmWalter,
What about FLAC?
Not dependent upon Apple’s largesse.
I use MAX to rip simultaneously to FLAC and 320 kbps MP4.
One goes into the archive and the other into iTunes.
,dave
Posted by Dave Barnes at September 16th, 2009 at 7:11 pm“Previously I had a Dell and Windows and used Family Tree Maker for genealogy records. Now that I’m an Apple owner, I find that Family Tree Maker does not work on an Apple, only Windows. What can I do about this?”
A better solution would be to use one of the many free web based geneology sites, such as http://www.geni.com
Instead of one person in a family maintaining one set of records, the entire family can collaborate. Each cousin, aunt, uncle, etc. can add data and merge their ‘trees’ with yours.
In addition, every family member can see the tree. I sent a link to 50+ family members and almost all were joyed to see the tree. I’m sure if I offered them a GEDCOM file they wouldn’t have known what to do with it.
Finally, there are thousands of other people working on their trees. With sites, suce as geni.com you will invariably trip across a second or third cousin whose tree will intersect with yours.
Simply put, my tree has far more data, the accuracy of it has improved significantly and now every member of our family has their own ‘tree’.
Again, it’s free, it works with Mac and Windows computers, is extremely easy to view and is available on any computer you access, since it’s web based.
You can easily import your GEDCOM file to start up.
Don’t waste your money on installed software. If your computer is damaged (and your not backed up, 100% of your work will vanish). With a web based solution, you’re always backed up.
Posted by Larry Dant at September 17th, 2009 at 3:22 ameveryone wants a backup solution but no one wants to invest the time and work to get one, till their HD crash.
you can get one of those netapps, a wired/wifi harddrive and plop it on your lan, u see it as a netshare in windows, and copy or automate the coping to it.
or.. u can just get a cheapie pc, install linux, and copy your files to that as well, without having to mess with M$ licensing, and still be able to view docs.
Posted by mike Diaz at September 17th, 2009 at 4:58 am