Software recommendation for file syncing?

I dont know if you can use a networked folder as a screen saver image, but it seems absolutely ridiculous to have 1 copy of every image for every computer. So you have 5 computers you have 5 copies of the same image??

Network the computers so every computer could access the one central computer's picture folder. Then you should be able to connect to that particular folder for the image screen saver.

 

Can you not use iPhoto sharing across these computers?

Put all the photos on one computer. Share that photo library to all others.

 

If he's that much of a moron then he's enough of a moron where you can server the files from one computer and he won't know the difference.

Let me also tell you that your two back to back comments don't make much sense to me. First you say that serving the files is not an option and then go ahead to ask how to do it and that it might work..

Can you serve the files over a network and get away with it or is there another reason he wants a million copies of every photo? What else does he want done with these photos aside from just screensavers??

In order to serve the files:

You just need to network all of the computers to be able to access the one computer that is serving the files. Then you turn file sharing on for the folder in question (containing the photos). If you have wifi in the office or even just a basic wireless router and no internet access this is easy. The computer that is sharing will pop up in the other computer's finder window and you access it.

Then you can create a shortcut to his pictures on that one computer in the finder. He will think its a link to the folder on the computer but in fact is is a link to the other computer's folders

 

Ok in order for this to make sense to you, you need to understand what file SHARING is and what networking does.

There is only ONE folder that contains all of the file on ONE computer. Imagine a tube that goes from your computer to the main central computer and when you peek through that tube you can see into the folder and see all of the images on that computer's server.

As you would assume, you can see these files on the other computer but you don't own these files. It;s like a window into the other computer.

Since you are peering into another computer's file system, every time a new picture is added you will see it because you are looking directly at that computer's folder.

You will also see any changes made to the pictures, so if someone does some editing to them and resaves them you will see the changes.

Since there are no copies of those images, you are all working with exactly the same folder and exactly the same files. One copy of the photo being seen by multiple computer..

I guess its kind of like when you look at a web page. You view the web page and it's pictures.. If the website owner changes the pictures on the website you see it, but you are only looking through a window, you do not own those files unless you copy them to your computer

You still didn't explain exactly why he wants all computers to see all photos except for the screen saver.. If there is another reason (like he wants everyone to be able to pull them up and show them when needed) you need to tell me.

 

I am telling you do NOT put the images on every computer. I am telling you that if the guy is stupid enough to think that is the proper way to do it, then he is stupid enough to believe that they ARE on the computer when you set it up that way.

I really don't understand what people can not educate people around them. You know that is the wrong way to do it, you have been told how easy and safe it is to do it the other way, so why wouldn't you work on truly explaining it to him?

I find that people are only adamant about stupid things because they really dont know any better. They only can change their mind if someone takes the time to really explain why they are wrong.

Apple remote desktop does nothing for what you want to do. Apple remote desktop essentially does the same thing as networking but instead of a window to the file system you have a window to the entire computer, seeing everything that the central computer sees.

All you have to do is say "i am the IT professional (or whatever you are) and you hired me because you know that I have experience beyond the average user on how best to deal with these types of problems. If you do not trust my judgement as a professional in my field then you should not have hired me"

 

possible solutions include:

Dropbox

ChronoSync

SuperFlexible

 

one advantage of having all the images on all the computers is that it provides a pretty good backup should one computer die.

I'd use rsync

i.e. something like

rsync -avzE --delete /Users/name/Pictures/ \
remotehost:/Users/name/Pictures/

only changed or new files will be copied.
see man rsync