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IMHO, 3D navigation in Time Machine is more of a UI gimmick than actually necessary. I think I would prefer a calendar view at the top, with dates/times that h

IMHO, 3D navigation in Time Machine is more of a UI gimmick than actually necessary. I think I would prefer a calendar view at the top, with dates/times that have snapshots highlighted, and a file manager view at the bottom. Kind of like Wayback Machine. The name “Time Machine”, however, is genius.

ape4 7y ago
Is there a GUI to just get the previous version of a file without the fancy z-axis scrolling
- addicted44 7y ago
  I would simply dig into the backup locations using Finder. The backups are (or at least used to be) simple files, with deduplication provided by hard links.
  - skoskie 7y ago
    FYI. This only applies to unencrypted backups.
mattkrause 7y ago
The Time Machine mental model is more like "I want my computer to be exactly as it was at 2pm on March 17, 2020." Your suggestion is closer to "I want to see the revision history of this particular file, never mind the rest." It would be great if they had a way to do both.
- jedieaston 7y ago
  This feature already exists in OS X (since 10.7, I believe?): https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/view-and-restore-past-versions-of-documents-mh40710/mac https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/view-and-restore-pa... I don't know how many third-parties implemented it though.
- chipotle_coyote 7y ago
  I've only used Time Machine to restore individual files, actually, so that capability is definitely there.
  - mattkrause 7y ago
    Oooooh. Tell me more, please. I mostly use it for individual files too, but I end up "restoring" from a few different time points until I find what I'm looking for. Is there a way to see in the Time Machine view that one particular file ("Figure_1.pdf") was changed on February 6th, March 1st, and March 10th?
    - saagarjha 7y ago
      I don't think so, but for stuff like that I just use shell scripts to search the Time Machine Backup database.
    - skoskie 7y ago
      QuickLook works from the Time Machine GUI.
- metafunctor 7y ago
  I wouldn't say my suggestion changes the concept of Time Machine at all. Instead of scrolling through time using a 3D animation on the Z axis, I'd like to use a calendar instead. I said nothing about individual files.

ape4 7y ago

Is there a GUI to just get the previous version of a file without the fancy z-axis scrolling

addicted44 7y ago
I would simply dig into the backup locations using Finder. The backups are (or at least used to be) simple files, with deduplication provided by hard links.
- skoskie 7y ago
  FYI. This only applies to unencrypted backups.

mattkrause 7y ago

The Time Machine mental model is more like "I want my computer to be exactly as it was at 2pm on March 17, 2020." Your suggestion is closer to "I want to see the revision history of this particular file, never mind the rest." It would be great if they had a way to do both.

jedieaston 7y ago
This feature already exists in OS X (since 10.7, I believe?): https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/view-and-restore-past-versions-of-documents-mh40710/mac https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/view-and-restore-pa... I don't know how many third-parties implemented it though.
chipotle_coyote 7y ago
I've only used Time Machine to restore individual files, actually, so that capability is definitely there.
- mattkrause 7y ago
  Oooooh. Tell me more, please. I mostly use it for individual files too, but I end up "restoring" from a few different time points until I find what I'm looking for. Is there a way to see in the Time Machine view that one particular file ("Figure_1.pdf") was changed on February 6th, March 1st, and March 10th?
  - saagarjha 7y ago
    I don't think so, but for stuff like that I just use shell scripts to search the Time Machine Backup database.
  - skoskie 7y ago
    QuickLook works from the Time Machine GUI.
metafunctor 7y ago
I wouldn't say my suggestion changes the concept of Time Machine at all. Instead of scrolling through time using a 3D animation on the Z axis, I'd like to use a calendar instead. I said nothing about individual files.