With the dmask/fmask fix now applied in gdonf-editor, I've verified that
unison-gtk will properly sync files and folders back and forth to a vfat
drive. But the fix only works if all files and folders being synced
have permissions like "-rw-r--r--" and "drwxr-xr-x", respectively.
Plus, if there are any symlinks or other such funky unix-only file
types, then the sync will fail ("Operation not permitted").
But this isn't so bad. This fix should cover the needs of 98% of all
Ubuntu users, who just want to make backups of their "user files" (let's
call them) such as documents, pictures, mp3's, etc, which all will have
the default permissions of "-rw-r--r--". That is to say, most users do
not use any special permissions on their "work" or personal files. They
almost always just go along with the default umask set in /etc/profile.
This is because they are almost always the only user on their computer,
having no need to worry about group permissions, or sharing files (at
the filesystem level) with other Ubuntu users. Also, most Ubuntu users
probably do not know what a symlink is, or if they did, they would not
have reason to create any. (What's the point when Tracker finds these
"user files" so easily now?)
This fix will NOT cover that last 2% of Ubuntu users who might want to
manually back up "system files" (let's call them) such as dotfiles,
symlinks, and anything else not under /home. In these far-less-common
circumstances, you might want to use my suggested workaround above (ie.
by storing any files and folders with funky permissions and other "UNIX-
ness" inside .tar files, using "File Roller"/"Archive Manager"). Or
even better yet, by using a more proper system-wide backup solution,
like say BackupPC, when it comes to backing up these "system files."
So I'm not sure if this bug should be closed, since this dmask/fmask fix
doesn't "just work" in all circumstances. The end user still needs to
be aware if there are any special permissions or "unix-only" file types
(like symlinks) that they will try to include amongst the files they
want to sync, and if so, then don't use unison-gtk.
Subharo Samanera
My Blog: http://tinyurl.com/3xsa9x
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"The serene and peaceful mind is the true
epitome of human achievement." -Ajahn Chah
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can't easily use unison-gtk to sync a local folder to my VFAT USB drive
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/118283
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