KDE @lemmy.kde.social ian @feddit.uk 10 mo. ago

Sync to Samba Share via GUI [ unsolved ]

I’m looking for a way in Plasma to backup and sync my data from PC to a LAN Samba share on my NAS, using a GUI program.

The many sync apps (Grsync, Unison, Lucky, RealTime, Kup etc.) I’ve tried over many years, don’t let me set a remote/samba target. Most navigate locally only. I would mount the share, but nobody I’ve found knows of a GUI way to permanently mount it.

Everything else I need on Plasma has a GUI solution. Just a sync fails. I’d be grateful to hear of a GUI solution

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You're right, there probably should be a GUI way to do this but the GUI is literally going to do exactly what you described as a 'magic spell'. All GUIs in Linux just run commands like the one above in the background. Everything starts out as a command and sometimes people make a GUI that run it. Naturally not every command has a GUI yet.

Framing this as a hack or magic spell is the wrong way to think about it.
- For what I use Linux for, Inkscape, Blender, web browser etc. do you think they send text commands from the GUI to another UI, the CLI? Sounds like an inefficient, legacy irrelevance to the user.
  
  Remember this a usability issue, so for non IT users, incoherent text strings or commands are indeed magic spells. Any inappropriate UI is bad usability. They have put a lot of effort into usability on Plasma. So it's quite a shame that they got this so wrong.
  
  @ian @Lem453
  
  > do you think they send text commands from the GUI to another UI, the CLI? Sounds like an inefficient, legacy irrelevance to the user.
  
  This is literally what programs do in one way or another.
  
  @ian
  I still don't get how this is a plasma issue. It's more of a "linux mindset" issue.
  
  I just meant that, as a Plasma user, there is a missing function. And backing up is quite important too.
  
  @ian @Lem453
  
  They didn't get it "wrong". There's a million ways to do it, no matter what system you're using and none of them is zero effort. If you don't test your backups somewhat regularly, you don't have backups.
  
  Your kids shouldn't need to worry about backups. Script them.
  
  If you're scared of a cli and you're not willing to step out of your comfort zone, go for MacOS with Time Capsule, which is the only fully integrated solution that brings you zero involvement.
  
  It doesn't have to be zero effort. But it's good to have commands available for non IT specialists too. Where they don't have to learn IT or memorise complex commands or use an unfamiliar type of UI. Usability.
  
  My kids need to learn about backups. Backups should be easy. They are easy on Windows or Android. It could be easy on Plasma too.
  
  Script them? That sound like a lot of IT skills are needed for that. I've never seen or used a script. Nor have my kids. Telling non IT users to do that is going to scare people back to Windows.
  
  You might be into IT tools, and not in to usability. But this is a usability issue. If I can find a GUI way that you haven't heard about because you are not interested in the GUI, then that is a benefit to Plasma non IT users, as I can share it around. Telling Plasma users to use another OS because Plasma can't do it is quite bad. Especially if it turns out Plasma 'can' do it.
  
  I'm not 'scared of the cli'. I'm scared of wasting my time. I'm scared other people being told to use inappropriate tools and end up dropping Linux thinking it's a nerds OS. I'm prepared to put effort in, to try out lots of methods to find appropriate solutions. And share the results.
  
  @ian
  
  > That sounds like a lot of IT skills are needed for that. I’ve never seen or used a script. Nor have my kids. Telling non IT users to do that is going to scare people back to Windows.
  
  You might be surprised, but you could have both learned scripting and already have a working solution in the time you spent replying to this thread.
  
  Windows is a good solution to people who don't care how something works.
  
  > I’m scared of wasting my time.
  Learning something useful is never a waste of time
  
  already have a working solution
  
  The solution, as I posted at the start, is to do it with a GUI. So a script could never have helped.
  Solving this and sharing it, will also help everyone who uses a GUI. Not just me.
  Also, you might also be forgetting that I would have a whole lot more to learn as a non IT user. So a script would be a massive investment. And I will have forgotten it all again if I ever need to do another one in the future. I think that is unlikely. So a lot of effort for a one-off. Also I'd need to have the script in the App launcher. Even if that is possible, it's yet more to legacy crap to learn.
  
  Learning something useful is never a waste of time
  
  Sure. I will happily spend my time learning useful stuff. I don't want to waste time using bad UX because something is broken in a strange domain. I want to discover and share a good solution.
  
  If you are not in to usability that's OK. But this is a usability issue. A different world from yours. Software is there to help people. Never change the user to help the software.

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