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UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users
Why is editing a file by renaming the new one safer?
Post 303042600 by Neo on Wednesday 1st of January 2020 03:17:37 AM
01-01-2020
Administrator
I agree.
For many non-critical files, where I am making small, incremental changes, I often do not make a fresh backup copy, especially because I have off-platform backups as well; and edit the file directory and save it, as normal.
Like zxmaus, I cannot recall every losing a file due to a system crash while editing a file, in over 40 decades of working with computers.
However, I do recall making a lot of "simple human mistakes" and have learned to be "saved by backups". This leads me to always recommend people make and maintain filesystem backups, based on their risk management model (criticality, vulnerability, threats).
These days, more-often-than-not, for a increasing majority of my file edits, if they are significant, I will sftp the file to my desktop, open the file in Visual Studio Code (or cut-and-paste into VSC if a small file) , edit the file using all the available syntax and formatting tools and plugins, and save the edited file with a different name, preserving the original file on my working directory on my desktop, and then I will either sftp or cut-and-past into the remote server over an ssh terminal.
I cannot count the number of times VSC has been helpful to spot a syntax error which missed my tired, overworked eyes. The formatting is also useful (indentations, consistent formatting, etc) is also very useful in VSC. These kinds of tools are really time savers, especially for syntax checking.
It goes without saying, I use vi every day to edit files; but I also use vi in conjunction with VSC, more and more; for the syntax checking and formatting for code (programming languages) and JSON files, etc. But as I am quick to confess I do edit files with vi and do not make make a backup copy, but not often; but if it is some small change which i can easily revert-back based on "memory", then I am guilty. I also push files to private GIT repositories as well, when my work on critical files are done. GIT is Good for backups
For many non-critical files, where I am making small, incremental changes, I often do not make a fresh backup copy, especially because I have off-platform backups as well; and edit the file directory and save it, as normal.
Like zxmaus, I cannot recall every losing a file due to a system crash while editing a file, in over 40 decades of working with computers.
However, I do recall making a lot of "simple human mistakes" and have learned to be "saved by backups". This leads me to always recommend people make and maintain filesystem backups, based on their risk management model (criticality, vulnerability, threats).
These days, more-often-than-not, for a increasing majority of my file edits, if they are significant, I will sftp the file to my desktop, open the file in Visual Studio Code (or cut-and-paste into VSC if a small file) , edit the file using all the available syntax and formatting tools and plugins, and save the edited file with a different name, preserving the original file on my working directory on my desktop, and then I will either sftp or cut-and-past into the remote server over an ssh terminal.
I cannot count the number of times VSC has been helpful to spot a syntax error which missed my tired, overworked eyes. The formatting is also useful (indentations, consistent formatting, etc) is also very useful in VSC. These kinds of tools are really time savers, especially for syntax checking.
It goes without saying, I use vi every day to edit files; but I also use vi in conjunction with VSC, more and more; for the syntax checking and formatting for code (programming languages) and JSON files, etc. But as I am quick to confess I do edit files with vi and do not make make a backup copy, but not often; but if it is some small change which i can easily revert-back based on "memory", then I am guilty. I also push files to private GIT repositories as well, when my work on critical files are done. GIT is Good for backups
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LEARN ABOUT DEBIAN
bup
bup(1) General Commands Manual bup(1) NAME
bup - Backup program using rolling checksums and git file formats SYNOPSIS
bup [global options...] <command> [options...] DESCRIPTION
bup is a program for making backups of your files using the git file format. Unlike git(1) itself, bup is optimized for handling huge data sets including individual very large files (such a virtual machine images). However, once a backup set is created, it can still be accessed using git tools. The individual bup subcommands appear in their own man pages. GLOBAL OPTIONS
--version print bup's version number. Equivalent to bup-version(1) -d, --bup-dir=BUP_DIR use the given BUP_DIR parameter as the bup repository location, instead of reading it from the $BUP_DIR environment variable or using the default ~/.bup location. COMMONLY USED SUBCOMMANDS
bup-fsck(1) Check backup sets for damage and add redundancy information bup-ftp(1) Browse backup sets using an ftp-like client bup-fuse(1) Mount your backup sets as a filesystem bup-help(1) Print detailed help for the given command bup-index(1) Create or display the index of files to back up bup-on(1) Backup a remote machine to the local one bup-restore(1) Extract files from a backup set bup-save(1) Save files into a backup set (note: run "bup index" first) bup-web(1) Launch a web server to examine backup sets RARELY USED SUBCOMMANDS
bup-damage(1) Deliberately destroy data bup-drecurse(1) Recursively list files in your filesystem bup-init(1) Initialize a bup repository bup-join(1) Retrieve a file backed up using bup-split(1) bup-ls(1) Browse the files in your backup sets bup-margin(1) Determine how close your bup repository is to armageddon bup-memtest(1) Test bup memory usage statistics bup-midx(1) Index objects to speed up future backups bup-newliner(1) Make sure progress messages don't overlap with output bup-random(1) Generate a stream of random output bup-server(1) The server side of the bup client-server relationship bup-split(1) Split a single file into its own backup set bup-tick(1) Wait for up to one second. bup-version(1) Report the version number of your copy of bup. SEE ALSO
git(1) and the README file from the bup distribution. The home of bup is at <http://github.com/apenwarr/bup/>. AUTHORS
Avery Pennarun <apenwarr@gmail.com>. Bup unknown- bup(1)