After posting https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/915689/ I ended up "wasting" days figuring out the best setup to live with two Macs.
I wanted to leave one MBP (call it MBP15") at home always plugged into a 24" LCD and I wanted to be able to walk out the house with my other MBP (call it MBP17") and I wanted to ensure that both are in sync. In fact I wanted it so that if I change something on one machine, I can walk to other end of the house and use the other machine with the same files.
Below are my rough notes
BACKUP
====================
MBP15" to Time Machine (running on NAS).
MBP15" cloned to portable drive using SuperDuper weekly.
MBP17" cloned to portable drive using SuperDuper weekly.
SYNCING
====================
Sync OmniFocus Between Macs
--------------------
Don't use DropBox as they have their own sync which is
conflict aware (I think it's because OmniFocus supports WebDav and DropBox still does not). I opted for Bonjour but they also support MobileMe for others. You can't change the default storage location.
Test-> Yes, made concurrent changes, inc. block Internet access from one machine during concurrent changes and found a robust quick sync.
Conclusion-> Built-In Sync and use say Bonjour over LAN
Sync DevonThink Between Macs
---------------------
Database based not file based so needs some awareness from the app. However MobileMe sync is under development. In the meantime a third party tool is available called DevonSync (http://www.woodenbrain.com/products/devonsync/devonsync.html). I read some problems with DevonSync so I decided just to put up with closing the database on one machine before opening up on another and also the fact that a small change will cause the entire database needing to be copied.
Conclusion->Use Dropbox (note close your database file before moving into or out of Dropbox) or Chronosync and use Bonjour over the LAN (just be sure you close the database on one machine before opening up on another). This is probably the program that most needs a sync service to be in place due to it's database structure so it's disappointing that something is not in place yet. The large the database the slower it gets and having to have the whole database copied each time sucks, combined with having to ensure you close
on one machine before opening the other.
Sync Curio Between Macs
---------------
No WebDav support. You can sync the .curio files, but you'll need to make sure you close
the app on one machine before opening on another to avoid potential
data loss (or use Chronosync to help with conflict resolution)
Test-> Yes using DropBox. Sync really is just automated copy of last machine that made edits, so quite basic, thus a bit disappointing.
Conclusion-> Chronosync and use Bonjour over the LAN or use Dropbox (ensure you close on one machine before opening on another)
Sync 1Password Between Macs
--------------------
No support for WebDav but allegedly coming (sync between Mac and iPhone/iPad). However because they use bundles syncing is fast and you don't have to close the app on one before you start on another machine. It seems because of the ways bundles are used you should
not run into a sync conflict by leaving 1Password open and editing on two machines at the same time.
http://help.agile.ws/1Password3/sync_solutions.html
For Mac to Mac sync I could stick with using Chronosync via Bonjour however I want to use 1PasswordAnywhere so outcome
is to use DropBox
http://support.agilewebsolutions.co...eneral-question-about-how-sync-works&p=117626
I'll assume the bundle notion in the context of 1Password has nothing to do with this I read about sparsebundles "I have had a big enough consistency catastrophe with one of my big sparsebundles, though, that I've sworn off them for now. The problem I had basically stems from the fact that even when the sparsebundle is mounted, its band files are not all always marked as busy. So, they'll sync in real time, and if something happens (like the computer crashes, or a gremlin touches one of the band files on another computer), you can quickly wind up with an inconsistent image that is very difficult to repair."
Test-> Yes, made concurrent changes, inc. block Internet access from one machine during concurrent changes and found a robust quick sync.
Conclusion-> Chronosync and use Bonjour over the LAN (or a single machine with containing a copy, use Bonjour access from other machine and no Chronosync), or use Dropbox (the latter is their preferred method)
Sync Contacts and Calendars
--------------------
MobileMe (uses WebDav).
Test-> Yes. Fairly shoddy service, sick of entering support requests past year because calendars don't show up proper on iPhone or some don't show up on other Mac.
Criminal that Apple keep getting people to pay over the odds for a service that does not appear to improve and was not good in the first place. Forget iDisk, far too unreliable and very slow.
Conclusion-> Next time my subscription for MobileMe comes around I'll look at doing this using Chronosync+Bonjour over LAN rather than pay (highly) for a fairly crap
service.
Sync iTunes
--------------
Decided to move the library to a NAS (QNAP 639-pro) and point each Mac's iTunes at it on first launch of iTunes by holding down Option then selecting the library.
(just Google "move iTunes library"). No sync as both Macs are pointing at a network stored iTunes library.
Sync All Other Files
--------------
Simply use Chronosync (bi-directional sync) and Bonjour over the LAN, once a day or whenever I know a lot of files have changed. Need to ensure the DropBox folder is not synced (i.e. excluded) plus all the Apple "dust" (.Trashes, .fseventsd, .TemporaryItems, .DS_Store) is excluded.
Out of interest people speak of DropBox conflict resolution but AFAIK it does not have any. Certainly it does not support WebDav (unlike Box.net). Also not mentioned elsewhere Dropbox supports LAN Sync which is handy https://www.dropbox.com/help/137 (note Dropbox seems the better choice if not needing to do a lot of granular sharing)
I wanted to leave one MBP (call it MBP15") at home always plugged into a 24" LCD and I wanted to be able to walk out the house with my other MBP (call it MBP17") and I wanted to ensure that both are in sync. In fact I wanted it so that if I change something on one machine, I can walk to other end of the house and use the other machine with the same files.
Below are my rough notes
BACKUP
====================
MBP15" to Time Machine (running on NAS).
MBP15" cloned to portable drive using SuperDuper weekly.
MBP17" cloned to portable drive using SuperDuper weekly.
SYNCING
====================
Sync OmniFocus Between Macs
--------------------
Don't use DropBox as they have their own sync which is
conflict aware (I think it's because OmniFocus supports WebDav and DropBox still does not). I opted for Bonjour but they also support MobileMe for others. You can't change the default storage location.
Test-> Yes, made concurrent changes, inc. block Internet access from one machine during concurrent changes and found a robust quick sync.
Conclusion-> Built-In Sync and use say Bonjour over LAN
Sync DevonThink Between Macs
---------------------
Database based not file based so needs some awareness from the app. However MobileMe sync is under development. In the meantime a third party tool is available called DevonSync (http://www.woodenbrain.com/products/devonsync/devonsync.html). I read some problems with DevonSync so I decided just to put up with closing the database on one machine before opening up on another and also the fact that a small change will cause the entire database needing to be copied.
Conclusion->Use Dropbox (note close your database file before moving into or out of Dropbox) or Chronosync and use Bonjour over the LAN (just be sure you close the database on one machine before opening up on another). This is probably the program that most needs a sync service to be in place due to it's database structure so it's disappointing that something is not in place yet. The large the database the slower it gets and having to have the whole database copied each time sucks, combined with having to ensure you close
on one machine before opening the other.
Sync Curio Between Macs
---------------
No WebDav support. You can sync the .curio files, but you'll need to make sure you close
the app on one machine before opening on another to avoid potential
data loss (or use Chronosync to help with conflict resolution)
Test-> Yes using DropBox. Sync really is just automated copy of last machine that made edits, so quite basic, thus a bit disappointing.
Conclusion-> Chronosync and use Bonjour over the LAN or use Dropbox (ensure you close on one machine before opening on another)
Sync 1Password Between Macs
--------------------
No support for WebDav but allegedly coming (sync between Mac and iPhone/iPad). However because they use bundles syncing is fast and you don't have to close the app on one before you start on another machine. It seems because of the ways bundles are used you should
not run into a sync conflict by leaving 1Password open and editing on two machines at the same time.
http://help.agile.ws/1Password3/sync_solutions.html
For Mac to Mac sync I could stick with using Chronosync via Bonjour however I want to use 1PasswordAnywhere so outcome
is to use DropBox
http://support.agilewebsolutions.co...eneral-question-about-how-sync-works&p=117626
I'll assume the bundle notion in the context of 1Password has nothing to do with this I read about sparsebundles "I have had a big enough consistency catastrophe with one of my big sparsebundles, though, that I've sworn off them for now. The problem I had basically stems from the fact that even when the sparsebundle is mounted, its band files are not all always marked as busy. So, they'll sync in real time, and if something happens (like the computer crashes, or a gremlin touches one of the band files on another computer), you can quickly wind up with an inconsistent image that is very difficult to repair."
Test-> Yes, made concurrent changes, inc. block Internet access from one machine during concurrent changes and found a robust quick sync.
Conclusion-> Chronosync and use Bonjour over the LAN (or a single machine with containing a copy, use Bonjour access from other machine and no Chronosync), or use Dropbox (the latter is their preferred method)
Sync Contacts and Calendars
--------------------
MobileMe (uses WebDav).
Test-> Yes. Fairly shoddy service, sick of entering support requests past year because calendars don't show up proper on iPhone or some don't show up on other Mac.
Criminal that Apple keep getting people to pay over the odds for a service that does not appear to improve and was not good in the first place. Forget iDisk, far too unreliable and very slow.
Conclusion-> Next time my subscription for MobileMe comes around I'll look at doing this using Chronosync+Bonjour over LAN rather than pay (highly) for a fairly crap
service.
Sync iTunes
--------------
Decided to move the library to a NAS (QNAP 639-pro) and point each Mac's iTunes at it on first launch of iTunes by holding down Option then selecting the library.
(just Google "move iTunes library"). No sync as both Macs are pointing at a network stored iTunes library.
Sync All Other Files
--------------
Simply use Chronosync (bi-directional sync) and Bonjour over the LAN, once a day or whenever I know a lot of files have changed. Need to ensure the DropBox folder is not synced (i.e. excluded) plus all the Apple "dust" (.Trashes, .fseventsd, .TemporaryItems, .DS_Store) is excluded.
Out of interest people speak of DropBox conflict resolution but AFAIK it does not have any. Certainly it does not support WebDav (unlike Box.net). Also not mentioned elsewhere Dropbox supports LAN Sync which is handy https://www.dropbox.com/help/137 (note Dropbox seems the better choice if not needing to do a lot of granular sharing)