Users sound off on synchronization software

For the past week, several dozen readers weighed in with their opinions about disk synchronizing software in our MacFixIt Forums QuickTopic. Here's the bottom line: Throughout the discussion one issue stood out above the rest: dismay at Connectix for not updating Speed Doubler to work with Mac OS 9. The Smart Replace functionality within Speed Doubler, while not central to Speed Doubler’s main purpose, was perfect for a good many users and will be sorely missed. Unfortunately, no other product offers the Smart Replace function’s elegant interface. Among the alternatives that do work with Mac OS 9, Qdea’s Synchronize! and its big brother Synchronize Pro! garnered the largest positive response. Both are feature rich, frequently updated applications. The Pro version is geared toward servers and extremely large sets of files, while Synchronize! is aimed at individual users who need to keep folders on a laptop, an iDisk, or a couple of desktop Macs in step with one another. PowerMerge has its fans, too. It works with Mac OS 9, and a couple of users have reported flawless performance over the past few years. One user noted that the application has not been updated in several years, and the only documentation is a HyperCard stack. Both Synchronize! and PowerMerge have demo versions available from their respective Web sites. Four shareware offerings, Synk, MacUpdate, SwitchBack, and Simple Backup, also collected a number of positive comments for being quick, easy, and simple to use. One user pointed out that SwitchBack could handle invisible files, a feature that some shareware offerings lacked. Rounding out the list of applications that received accolades were traditional backup programs that can also perform file synchronization: Retrospect, Retrospect Express, and the free Redux 2.6.2. Quite a few other programs were suggested briefly as well, including FoldersSynchronizer, File Buddy, Personal Backup, DiskTop, and more. Some of these programs have other functions, and some do just one thing, yet all of them appear worth considering. One program did find itself called "truly terrible" by a user, Apple’s File Synchronization control panel. Aside from that and the aforementioned Speed Doubler issue, very few users mentioned any sort of problems or complaints about any of the programs, suggesting that most of these programs work well within their respective design limitations.