4 ms·

Suppose I create appointment A on my phone's calendar, and appointment B on my laptop's calendar. After syncing, B shows up on my phone, and A shows up on my la

Suppose I create appointment A on my phone's calendar, and appointment B on my laptop's calendar. After syncing, B shows up on my phone, and A shows up on my laptop (as I would expect). Who is the source and who is the target in this case? According to your definition, this is not 'syncing'. But for most people, it is.

lutusp 12y ago
All synchronization depends on either the user, or a program, deciding which is the source and which is the destination. Such a choice is always made. Consider this example: 1. Device A has a list of 9 contacts. 2. Device B has a list of 10 contacts. 3. According to your thesis, the sync program doesn't need to be told which is the source and which the target. 4. If so, and if the user intentionally deleted a contact from device A, shall the sync program: x. Restore the contact missing from device A from device B, or y. Delete the contact missing from device A from device B? The answer is that the sync program cannot know what to do without being told which is the source and which is the destination. This is how iTunes decides what to do -- the user tells it which is the source and which is the destination. > According to your definition, this is not 'syncing'. But for most people, it is. Yes, and to prove this point, and of the ascendancy of human instinct over logic, the OP lost his music collection. This is a classic example of people's inability to think logically. How on earth could a computer program know what to do in the above example without being told what to do by the operator? There's one exception, which ironically proves the point. In the example of real-time contact list synchronization, a sophisticated system would automatically assume that the device the operator is using at the moment, that he is editing, is the de facto source, and make other synchronized devices have the same content (this is how Google Contacts works). But in this example, as in all examples, the sync process cannot proceed until a decision is made about the meaning of "source" and "destination". In this example, the decision is automatic, but it has to be made. In the case of syncing two music collections, the operator has to specifically identify which is the source and which the destination. I cannot tell you how often I've heard stories of people buying a new iPhone, then running iTunes, then erasing their music collection by misidentifying the source for the transaction.
- Flenser 12y ago
  If it happens that often then iTunes isn't communicating clearly enough to the user what is about to happen. I'm reminded of this advice: > The principle is simple: it's not your fault. (Side note: if you don't understand this reference, then do yourself a favor and watch this video[1].) It's not your fault. It's not the user's fault. It's not the designer's fault. In fact, it's nobody's fault. What's crystal clear to you might be confusing to me, and no one is to blame for that. It's just something we have to work with. — Source: http://moz.com/blog/5-lessons-learned-from-100000-usability-studies http://moz.com/blog/5-lessons-learned-from-100000-usability-... [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfXpRn8uFL8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfXpRn8uFL8
  - lutusp 12y ago
    > If it happens that often then iTunes isn't communicating clearly enough to the user what is about to happen. Yes, I agree completely. But given that, I have to say I hear regularly from people who (a) buy a new iPhone, and then (b) wipe their music collections later on the same day. Many people assume that an apparently sophisticated, polished program like ITunes will "do the right thing." But no.
- icebraining 12y ago
  4. If so, and if the user intentionally deleted a contact from device A, shall the sync program: x. Restore the contact missing from device A from device B, or y. Delete the contact missing from device A from device B? Stop thinking in files and start thinking in actions, and the answer is obvious. The delete action is being synced, therefore the contact should be deleted from B. If the file is merely missing (e.g. due to filesystem corruption), it should be created from B, since you are syncing the create action. There's no directionality needed or implied, it's a merge of two trees.
  - lutusp 12y ago
    > The delete action is being synced, therefore the contact should be deleted from B. Yes, and that is exactly what I said in my post, the one that got downvoted -- there are special cases where the context can be used to decide which is the source and which the destination. But a source and a destination must always be selected. > There's no directionality needed or implied, it's a merge of two trees. Not in the general case, because there is no general case. How do you merge two directory trees having different file sets without knowing the operator's wishes? Does he want files missing from one tree to be deleted from the other, or does he want files missing from one tree to be restored from the other? The answer is that you ask him -- the operation cannot proceed automatically. And for this obvious, technically correct insight, my posts get downvoted with perfect reliability.

lutusp 12y ago

All synchronization depends on either the user, or a program, deciding which is the source and which is the destination. Such a choice is always made. Consider this example: 1. Device A has a list of 9 contacts. 2. Device B has a list of 10 contacts. 3. According to your thesis, the sync program doesn't need to be told which is the source and which the target. 4. If so, and if the user intentionally deleted a contact from device A, shall the sync program: x. Restore the contact missing from device A from device B, or y. Delete the contact missing from device A from device B? The answer is that the sync program cannot know what to do without being told which is the source and which is the destination. This is how iTunes decides what to do -- the user tells it which is the source and which is the destination. > According to your definition, this is not 'syncing'. But for most people, it is. Yes, and to prove this point, and of the ascendancy of human instinct over logic, the OP lost his music collection. This is a classic example of people's inability to think logically. How on earth could a computer program know what to do in the above example without being told what to do by the operator? There's one exception, which ironically proves the point. In the example of real-time contact list synchronization, a sophisticated system would automatically assume that the device the operator is using at the moment, that he is editing, is the de facto source, and make other synchronized devices have the same content (this is how Google Contacts works). But in this example, as in all examples, the sync process cannot proceed until a decision is made about the meaning of "source" and "destination". In this example, the decision is automatic, but it has to be made. In the case of syncing two music collections, the operator has to specifically identify which is the source and which the destination. I cannot tell you how often I've heard stories of people buying a new iPhone, then running iTunes, then erasing their music collection by misidentifying the source for the transaction.

Flenser 12y ago
If it happens that often then iTunes isn't communicating clearly enough to the user what is about to happen. I'm reminded of this advice: > The principle is simple: it's not your fault. (Side note: if you don't understand this reference, then do yourself a favor and watch this video[1].) It's not your fault. It's not the user's fault. It's not the designer's fault. In fact, it's nobody's fault. What's crystal clear to you might be confusing to me, and no one is to blame for that. It's just something we have to work with. — Source: http://moz.com/blog/5-lessons-learned-from-100000-usability-studies http://moz.com/blog/5-lessons-learned-from-100000-usability-... [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfXpRn8uFL8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfXpRn8uFL8
- lutusp 12y ago
  > If it happens that often then iTunes isn't communicating clearly enough to the user what is about to happen. Yes, I agree completely. But given that, I have to say I hear regularly from people who (a) buy a new iPhone, and then (b) wipe their music collections later on the same day. Many people assume that an apparently sophisticated, polished program like ITunes will "do the right thing." But no.
icebraining 12y ago
4. If so, and if the user intentionally deleted a contact from device A, shall the sync program: x. Restore the contact missing from device A from device B, or y. Delete the contact missing from device A from device B? Stop thinking in files and start thinking in actions, and the answer is obvious. The delete action is being synced, therefore the contact should be deleted from B. If the file is merely missing (e.g. due to filesystem corruption), it should be created from B, since you are syncing the create action. There's no directionality needed or implied, it's a merge of two trees.
- lutusp 12y ago
  > The delete action is being synced, therefore the contact should be deleted from B. Yes, and that is exactly what I said in my post, the one that got downvoted -- there are special cases where the context can be used to decide which is the source and which the destination. But a source and a destination must always be selected. > There's no directionality needed or implied, it's a merge of two trees. Not in the general case, because there is no general case. How do you merge two directory trees having different file sets without knowing the operator's wishes? Does he want files missing from one tree to be deleted from the other, or does he want files missing from one tree to be restored from the other? The answer is that you ask him -- the operation cannot proceed automatically. And for this obvious, technically correct insight, my posts get downvoted with perfect reliability.