4 ms·

The killer feature of this over rsync or rclone (which I love and use almost daily) is pre-run inspection and conflict resolution for each individual file. You

The killer feature of this over rsync or rclone (which I love and use almost daily) is pre-run inspection and conflict resolution for each individual file. You know when you need it, and when you do, FreeFileSync shines. For those mentioning WSL enabling using rsync on Windows: have been using it with Cygwin for years, zero issues. So, WSL wasn't a hard requirement.

orev 5y ago
I can also recommend Cygwin, and I really don’t understand why so many people seem to have either completely overlooked it, or outright dislike it. It’s so much better than having to keep a full blown WSL “VM”/container just to get access to basic tools.
- smarx007 5y ago
  I have a happy setup of Cygwin + Bash script invoking find/mv and a Windows Scheduler cron job to run it every 5 minutes. But to be honest, FreeFileSync is my first choice, but it was not viable for my use-case (moving files in Dropbox without downloading them, FFS and rsync do copy/delete).
- Ajedi32 5y ago
  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 with it.
  - theandrewbailey 5y ago
    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.
    - ReactiveJelly 5y ago
      I've only had to stop the terminal if I'm updating cygwin.dll, not if I'm just installing more packages
    - nijave 5y ago
      There's a script somewhere called "cyg-get" I think that works like apt-get for Cygwin.
    - Isthatablackgsd 5y ago
      I want to try out Liferea (RSS Reader) for my Windows. Let say it been a pain trying to get it to compile in Cygwin. I reinstalled Cygwin 4 times because I keep missing the dependencies that Liferea needs. I haven't start again because I'm worried that I have to go through this again. That's what happened today. I want to install a full package but people warned not to do it since it will balloon the size.
- nsonha 5y ago
  I think WSL1 sound like it's better than cygwin because it's native and made by MS. I also preferred babun and cmder for occasional scripting/dev needs (the Windows machine is only for entertainment to me), but WSL has an upper hand for easier integration with VSCode, Docker and other tools
canistel 5y ago
You can use the --dry-run option in rsync, with which you can do a pre-run inspection.
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  That's only a fraction of it. This is an interactive tree view of all the files and all the pending transfers, with the ability to exclude or change sync settings on specific selections or directories, either temporarily or permanently into a saved configuration. It's extremely convenient, and a place where a GUI really matters.

orev 5y ago

I can also recommend Cygwin, and I really don’t understand why so many people seem to have either completely overlooked it, or outright dislike it. It’s so much better than having to keep a full blown WSL “VM”/container just to get access to basic tools.

smarx007 5y ago
I have a happy setup of Cygwin + Bash script invoking find/mv and a Windows Scheduler cron job to run it every 5 minutes. But to be honest, FreeFileSync is my first choice, but it was not viable for my use-case (moving files in Dropbox without downloading them, FFS and rsync do copy/delete).
Ajedi32 5y ago
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 with it.
- theandrewbailey 5y ago
  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.
  - ReactiveJelly 5y ago
    I've only had to stop the terminal if I'm updating cygwin.dll, not if I'm just installing more packages
  - nijave 5y ago
    There's a script somewhere called "cyg-get" I think that works like apt-get for Cygwin.
  - Isthatablackgsd 5y ago
    I want to try out Liferea (RSS Reader) for my Windows. Let say it been a pain trying to get it to compile in Cygwin. I reinstalled Cygwin 4 times because I keep missing the dependencies that Liferea needs. I haven't start again because I'm worried that I have to go through this again. That's what happened today. I want to install a full package but people warned not to do it since it will balloon the size.
nsonha 5y ago
I think WSL1 sound like it's better than cygwin because it's native and made by MS. I also preferred babun and cmder for occasional scripting/dev needs (the Windows machine is only for entertainment to me), but WSL has an upper hand for easier integration with VSCode, Docker and other tools

canistel 5y ago

You can use the --dry-run option in rsync, with which you can do a pre-run inspection.

Dylan16807 5y ago
That's only a fraction of it. This is an interactive tree view of all the files and all the pending transfers, with the ability to exclude or change sync settings on specific selections or directories, either temporarily or permanently into a saved configuration. It's extremely convenient, and a place where a GUI really matters.