This is a first. I get done posting my previous post, and I then later (45 minutes or so) proceed to search Google for more information on Leopard Filevault features, which answered some of my previous questions such as Filevault handling via TimeMachine (which it does store it encrypted) and some other details. But low and behold, one of the search results that came up was my OWN POST. My GOSH, I tell you, I write for the bots not the humans.

Click the image to see an expanded view. I am in “new user” interface on Tiger install while a backup is being performed of my FileVault sparseimage in prep for tomorrow.

FedEx is set to deliver Leopard 10.5 tomorrow morning to my doorstep. While my excitement level does not compare to the excitement of getting my iMac, it is definitely a noteworthy day to blog about. I figure I will be spending my time working and playing with the new features, and too busy to blog so why not just blab about it before it comes.

I am really looking forward to “Spaces”. While I have had this functionality with 3rd party applications on the Mac prior, it seems since Spaces was announced way back when, that existing developers abandoned their own versions and as subsequent updates and releases came out for 10.4, those older applications became unstable and I ended up just having to stop using them and wait ever so patiently for tomorrow to arrive.

I am curious to how Time Machine deals with security, if at all. Will it have the option to encrypt your backups or to backup to an encrypted DMG. It would be nice if it was a built-in functionality. How will/well it work with FileVault? Will it store your FileVault contents unencrypted on the backup drive? Not so cool. I am not a “go back in time” type user of backups. If I need multiple copies or versions of files, I keep them. I rarely lose anything or desire to retrieve something from a week or month ago. Keeping current backups is essential in my book, if my hard drive fails, I can be back in business with a current backup.

Speaking of backups, I have recently been testing out two software/services for both Mac and Windows. One is called Mozy, which allows you to backup an unlimited amount of data to a geographically distant location for $4.95/month. While it takes a week or two to upload 60GB of data, once that is done, then just the changes to your system are backed up and not a big deal or time consuming task. This is great if a fire destroys your home or office, perhaps where your backups are stored as well. A tornado comes through and re-distributes your goods to some other state for some farm boy to turn into yard art. Or a thief breaks in, and takes your system and your backups as well. Whatever the reason, off-site backups are desirable.

Another application I have been testing, but still waiting on a newer software release is called CrashPlan. I believe CrashPlan has the most potential. While they offer a $5/monthly option, much like Mozy, they will start charging you 10 cents per GB stored beyond 50GB. But, what separates CrashPlan from Mozy is the ability to backup to other systems not only on your local network, but other systems on the Internet that you may either own, maintain, or know… like a friends system. The data is store encrypted, and once the license fee is paid for the software, you don’t have to maintain monthly maintenance fees. Of course, a good friend desiring to harbor their data in your castle, would supply you with a separate external hard drive to store those backups on. CrashPlan supports more customized features on the number of revisions to store and how long to store deleted files, with the option to store it indefinitely, for which Mozy’s only setting is 30 days.

In other news, I sure wish I could plug a 3rd monitor into my iMac. That would be the bomb.

Boo!