Synchronizing Folders and Files in Ubuntu One Creates a Mess

A key functionality of Ubuntu One is synchronizing folders and files between two or more different PCs. For example, an office desktop workstation and a netbook or laptop used away from the office.

However, currently, the sync functionality seems limited to adding folders and to simply merging the contents of these folders as they appear over time on the different PCs.

Consequently, when, over time, the contents of a sync'ed folder starts diverging between PCs through deleting or moving files on one or another of the individual PCs, sync'ing in Ubuntu One simply means re-adding obsolete and/or mis-located files.

Proper sync'ing requires that Ubuntu One maintains local status and transaction (update, move, delete) records for the files in the folders that are designated to be sync'ed. The sync'ing operation then must process these divergent local status and transaction records in a transparent, reliable and failsafe manner.

For flawless operation, PC clocks, too, must be properly sync'ed (eg, using internet time servers).

And when Ubuntu One in its current state of development cannot safely resolve conflicts, for the time being manual intervention may be called for. Complete manual intervention, in addition to auto-sync'ing, must be an option anyway.

Further, at present, the GUI tools to manage the structure and contents of the cloud itself are extremely limited. For example, deleting a folder in the Ubuntu One cloud requires a sequence of manual terminal commands using u1sdtool command line instructions. And it is unclear whether the user can actually move a cloud folder, and whether it is possible to move and delete individual files within the Ubuntu One cloud.

The end result is that the current simple merge of the divergent contents of sync'ed folders on local PCs through Ubuntu One creates an awful mess of obsolete and mis-located folders and files, both in the Ubuntu One cloud itself and on all the sync'ed PCs.

Consequently, sorting out the individual PCs after a sync-merge operation can be an incredible headache. Committing even just a miserly 2GB (GMail offers over 7GB) of documents and data for sync'ing to the Ubuntu One cloud can leave the user in perpetual uncertainty about whether or not the end result actually reflects the proper status quo.

In fact, compared to simply transferring folders and files between PCs using a USB flash drive, Ubuntu One sync in its present form has few benefits.

Can proper status and transaction based sync'ing be made an urgent priority in the further development of Ubuntu One?