View this article at: http://dev.macnn.com/articles/08/03/03/time.machine.no.fuss
Monday, Mar 03, 2008 7:05pm
Time Machine: a "no-click s...
Apple's Time Machine software, which serves as part of the company's recently-shipped Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' operating system, is a "no-fuss backup system" according to one review. Glenn Fleishman in the Seattle Times says Time Machine's "no-click solution" is key for average consumers who don't want to spend hours setting up a complicated backup system. "Time Machine doesn't have a button and doesn't occupy your attention while operating," Fleishman said. "It just backs up."

Setting up Time Machine under Mac OS X Leopard includes plugging in a hard drive, opening Time Machine under System Preferences, and clicking the large virtual switch to 'On.' Users then select the drive they just plugged in and don't have to think about backups again. Time Machine silently and automatically tracks each version of every file, allowing users to metaphorically go back in time to retrieve any version of a document desired. Apple's software performs incremental backups to ensure all changes are saved between backups, and includes a Time Machine menu in the System menu bar that allows users to see the backup status or elect to back up on the spot. Restoring requires users to select the desired files or folders and click restore, causing Leopard to place the files exactly where they were prior. Apple's latest release of Mac OS X Leopard fixed numerous bugs and added various options to turn off some of the operating system's "most annoying" features. "After using Time Machine on two of my computers, I can finally recommend Leopard, in part, to take full advantage of Time Machine's backward thinking," Fleishman concluded.