iphoto and other syncing files between two computers

[mrklaw]

hi

I have an imac 24" and have just bought a macbook. I'm not sure yet whether to just keep the macbook lean and access files directly over the network, or whether to copy some of the files over and store them directly. I don't know if the hassle in keeping both sets of docs in sync is worth it.

For basic documents it should be quite simple. I only have about 100MB so idisk or a file syncer should be fine. Chronosync I think I was looking at.

But what about something like iphoto 08? It has all my photos in one great big package file. Are file sync apps intelligent enough to dig into the package, or will they try and resync the whole 8GB everytime I add one photo or make one edit?

If so I might just do a manual copy now and then - I don't plan on doing any major importing/editing on the macbook, just viewing/maybe some slideshows, so it doesn't have to be up to the minute

[Maui]

I have used various versions of Super Duper, Chronosync, and Sync Plus to sync my Mac Pro, MacBook Pro and, now, MacBook Air. None of these programs can go into a database on two different systems and produce one sync'd version of that database. Instead, whichever version of the database has the more recent time stamp will be copied to the other system. In other words, if you have unique photos stored on both systems, in iPhoto, you will lose them through the syncing process.

There are still other ways to do this, though. If you keep all of your photos in projects or folders (depending on what software you use), then when you put unique photos on your laptop, you can later export the unique project and re-import it onto your desktop computer. This is a simple process when both computers are on the same network. Another option is to never delete photos from your flash cards until you load them onto your "main" computer. That way, whatever is on your "secondary" computer is just a copy or junk, and you can mess with it as much as you like. Another option is just to always put your new pictures on your "main" computer, and then always sync from your main to your secondary computer.

There was a long thread here a few months ago, in which people posted other ideas.

[mrklaw]

thanks. I'm expecting to use the imac as the 'main' computer, and only need the macbook to be a copy. But I don't want whatever software I use to copy nearly 10GB of iphoto package across the network every time it syncs - just because I've made a single edit, or added one photo.