iPad – Page 2 – Dan Passaro

Scrivener comparison: Dropbox vs OneDrive

Dropbox vs. OneDrive

I recently upgraded my laptop’s hard drive, swapping out the stock 5400rpm spinner for an SSD. Despite the 3Gb SATA motherboard connection, vs the SSD’s own 6Gb SATA capability, the new setup flies in the Dell 3531.

About a 30% improvement in battery life too, quite noticeable.

What does this have to do with Scrivener? Like most I’m sure, I use a cloud synced project file between two computers.

New hard drive means reinstalling the operating system, Windows 8.1 in this case. It’s kind of grown on me, enough to bide my time for the free Windows 10 upgrade. (Win 7 still my fave so far :D)

So let’s get to it, Dropbox vs. OneDrive:

– Both are cloud based and save files locally on the computer, in a folder, just like all Window’s users know. There’s an important OneDrive setting concerning Windows 8.1 but we’ll ignore it and you’ll see why.

– Both are cloud synced. A change to a file on Computer 1 will migrate to all other computers housing that same file, under the same profile/login.

Here’s where it detonates, specifically with Windows 8.1, and, I strongly anticipate, with Windows 10. (this is not actually an issue with Win 7)

You need to LOGIN to your computer with your Live account. It’ll be that info, that profile, that cloud sync across multiple computers.

“Hey, all that sounds great, what’s your malfunction dude?”

Simple, the damn re-install absolutely REFUSED to accept the correct password, insisting that it was wrong. So what did I do? On another computer I logged into my Live account, using the password the login kept rejecting, to change the password. Done.

Does it accept the new password? Nope. I even created an entirely new Live account as a form of getting past the login stage. Right? Nope.

Oh, new install too, did I mention that? Yeah so there are no other profiles to log in with. You have to restart in Safe Mode, use the root Admin to log in, create a ….. forget it, not germane to this discussion.

But, as you’re guessing, without that PARTICULAR login there is no access to your current OneDrive on Windows 8.1. There is no standalone OneDrive program (like there is for Dropbox), to THEN login. OneDrive is built in to 8.1 and that’s just how it is.

With Windows 7 there IS a OneDrive install and you can use it just like DropBox.

“Well just apply the solution that Microsoft has posted.” Good luck finding it.

There is no solution folks, I looked, and I knew it was terminal when I tried that brand new profile.

You’re probably wondering why it worked with the original install but not the re-install. I still wonder that as well.

Anyway, once I used the Cheater Pipe of Victory to force a new profile into Win 8.1, the same sort of profile one would use with Win 7 and before, I set up Dropbox and migrated my stuff onto it. Even after applying the various Windows updates I haven’t even bothered to try to login again with the Live account. I’m not going to risk losing access to my Scrivener projects, even temporarily.

Dropbox is still set up to have it’s own login, making it entirely independent of the computer profile login.
The second reason is that Scrivener’s forthcoming iOS app syncs through Dropbox.

Those two reasons alone are why Dropbox is better.

Essentials for your laptop bag

I have three basic groups I carry in my laptop bag; aka My Writing Kit:

1. Computer Group.
The laptop, THIS ONE, and the wall charger. I do plan on adding a spare battery.

2. File Group.
Literally files and perhaps a notebook.

3. Goodies Group.
This is the group we’ll focus on here.

So what does the well stocked laptop bag hold within it’s Goodies Group?
The Comfort Kit.
The Charger Kit.
The Food and Drink Kit.

In the Comfort Kit we have:
* Flents ear plugs, purple. 33db noise reduction on these babies.
* One of those thin fleece caps, for those really cold coffee shops lol. A regular baseball cap should hold in enough heat.
* Nose drops, Afrin regular. Much better than desiccating yourself with allergy pills or the like.
* Pack of tissues.
* Headphones. I just have the latest Apple earbuds and figured out how to (re)pack them in that case they come in.
* First Aid kit. Just a little pocket one which has Ibuprofen and a band-aid. Basically one of THESE, plus one or two Alka-Seltzer Plus in Citrus. I think the Cold and Cough version. I just use it in case of over-eating lol.
* A new blush brush. Yep, you read that right. I use it to clean off the keyboard and the screen.
* A Swiss Army Knife, like the Classic, is useful. Jut remember it’s there when flying. I have a SAK Bantam on my keychain.

The Charger Kit:
* Laptop charger
* Portable battery pack with USB out, at least 1 amp. I still have an Eneloop KBC-L2 pack rated at 5,000mAH. It’s roughly the size of a deck of cards.
* USB cable for iPhone
* Wall charger for iPhone. Naturally it will charge through any USB cable.

The Food and Drink Kit:
Just one or two 16oz water bottle and one or two food bars or Snickers. I also sometimes use a 16oz Pilot’s Flask since they are flat-ish and easier to pack.

It all fits into a Targus laptop bag most similar to THIS ONE. This is the only bag I have right now that accommodates this laptop (the Dell is a full 15 inches wide) and as you can see the interior pockets are empty. I don’t want anything to scratch up the laptop or crack the lid.

Not the perfect bag which is why I’m looking at the Netpack Comp Brief I and the Solo Urban 17 😀

Front flap stuff (and things) in the laptop bag

My Dry Tortugas article has been published

Remember to Twitter and comment, thanks!

Article header, QST Magazine, March 2015

Alright 😀

Here is a PDF link to the draft version: QST Dry Tortugas article

Three months of prep to get over to Dry Tortugas; specifically Garden Key, home of Fort Jefferson.

My view from the bow of the ferry on approach to Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, Dry Tortugas

Fun fact:
I wrote the article BEFORE heading over. 😀
I used it to create my plan of action in getting to the Key, setting up and operating my ham radio station and developing goals for each day.
Then I edited the article accordingly. I was about 90% on with my article. 😀

==========

Posing next to the 1/4 wave vertical antenna on the North Coaling Docks at Fort Jefferson, Garden Key, Dry Tortugas

Posing at the entrance to Fort Jefferson on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas

The One Thing I truly despise about my iPhone

It’s just the one, I promise. My Blackberry 8310 had this as well.

The thing that bothers me so much about it on the iPhone though, like my 6 Plus, is due to the way I use the iPhone.

So you’re there on your phone: composing an email, prepping a tweet, editing a photo, taking video … and a text message comes in.

What happens?

Not much. The banner comes down with a preview of the text. Then it goes away.

Unobtrusive.

Same thing with email alerts, app alerts, etc.

No. Big. Deal.

But if the phone rings?

BOOM! YOU ARE COMPLETELY BLOWN OUT OF WHATEVER YOU WERE DOING!

Video gets killed, edits lost on a photo, etc.

I’ve had the iphone since the 3. I still get furious when the ******** thing goes off in my face.

“Well dude, it’s called an i’PHONE’ dude.”

Yeah, but it’s not ‘just’ a phone quite frankly. It never was. The iPhone was always a multi-function tool.

With the Blackberry it wasn’t bad.

What I don’t understand is why the damn iPhone phone function can’t just give a half screen dropdown with the number/label and Decline/Accept right underneath WITHOUT nuking the app you were in.

It really does irritate the hell out of me lol.

Ok, rant off 😀

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