FreeFileSync: Open-Source File Synchronization and Backup

Post by willis936 » Thu, Dec 23, 2021, 8:59 PM UTC

huhtenberg wrote: post #49

NelsonMinar wrote: post #41

I've used FreeFileSync to keep two Windows machines in sync for years. It works incredibly well. It's very fast too; copying lots of files in Windows is often bafflingly slow. Whatever this tool does is not. I finally quit using it because I got Starlink at my house and now have enough bandwidth to just let Syncthing keep the machines in sync. But if you need to sync through a hard drive you carry around FreeFileSync…

> It's very fast too This is due to parallel (threaded) copying, which is a paid-for feature in recent versions. If you need fast copying, "robocopy" comes bundled with Windows and it has /mt option that allows spawning multiple copying threads. This is as fast as gets, beating even this tool with ease.

Post by nerdponx » Thu, Dec 23, 2021, 10:11 PM UTC

chaosite wrote: post #40

eps wrote: post #7

There is apparently also a "Donation Edition" - Everyone who donates is eligible to download a special version of FreeFileSync without any advertisements, including a few of bonus features. It is built from a different source, so it's neither free or open source. Not that anything wrong with it, but it should probably not be distributed under the same name - https://freefilesync.org/faq.php#donation-edition

This project is kinda wonky from a free/open-source perspective. It's ostensibly licensed under GPL-3 (i.e., there's a source zip which has a License.txt that's GPL-3), but it otherwise acts like freeware with a single developer. It has a history of bundling file-droppers/malware; there's a donation edition with a different feature set, with some extra features (including removal of arbitrary limitations on the regul…

Post by ktm5j » Thu, Dec 23, 2021, 11:11 PM UTC

nerdponx wrote: post #54

chaosite wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This project is kinda wonky from a free/open-source perspective. It's ostensibly licensed under GPL-3 (i.e., there's a source zip which has a License.txt that's GPL-3), but it otherwise acts like freeware with a single developer. It has a history of bundling file-droppers/malware; there's a donation edition with a different feature set, with some extra features (including removal of arbitrary limitations on the regul…

That's a hard pass from me. I will keep using Seafile and supporting FOSS by paying for hosting.

Post by Isthatablackgsd » Thu, Dec 23, 2021, 11:49 PM UTC

theandrewbailey wrote: post #44

Ajedi32 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's been a long time since I've used it, but I seem to recall Cygwin having a lot of minor but annoying "gotchas" with things like package management, file paths, etc. that you don't have to deal with in a more complete environment like WSL. The fact that software needs to be specifically compiled for Cygwin is a big enough hassle on its own that I'd rather just use a "real" Linux environment and not have to deal wi…

I tried to use Cygwin a handful of times, but having to stop, close, and re-run the installer every time I forgot some package was overbearing. WSL was much easier to get running (it's a part of Windows!), and since it's a real ubuntu/debian/etc. installation, it behaves like one, too. Far and away much better UX with WSL.

Post by KennyBlanken » Thu, Dec 23, 2021, 11:51 PM UTC

eps wrote: post #7

There is apparently also a "Donation Edition" - Everyone who donates is eligible to download a special version of FreeFileSync without any advertisements, including a few of bonus features. It is built from a different source, so it's neither free or open source. Not that anything wrong with it, but it should probably not be distributed under the same name - https://freefilesync.org/faq.php#donation-edition