Does .Mac really sync or just copy?

[chorizo]

I have a trial .Mac membership and am using it to sync my Macs and iPhone. I'm stumped on what happens when I try to sync Safari bookmarks between macs. In system preferences, under Sync, I can choose manual or automatic sync. Under Advanced, I'm given a choice of uploading data or downloading data. I seem to remember when I first set it up, I may have had a choice of merging vs copying. But now these are the only choices I see. I've read the documentation in Help and on the Apple website, and it all refers to "sync" but I don't see the data merge option. What am I missing?

 

[MisterMe]

Synchronization is a tab on .Mac preferences pane. There may have been special choices when your first setup your .Mac synchronization database. Quite frankly, it sounds like you are confusing .Mac with something else that you did back then. Currently, the Advanced tab does not work as you described. It selects the computers which are registered on your .Mac account. The types of data to be synchronized are listed under the Sync tab. Whenever you synchronize data, the newer version between your computer and .Mac is used. Deletions are also synchronized. If you delete an iCal task or Safari bookmark, then it will be deleted in your iMac database and in any subsequent synchronization on any other computer.

 

[chorizo]

Under the Sync tab, you only have choices of which data you want to sync. Under the Advanced tab, you can "Reset Sync Data" which opens the window I've attached. The choices seem to be to replace the computer's data with data from .Mac or vice versa. I thought a sync was a merging of data, based on the most recent changes.

 

[MisterMe]

Synchronizing with .mac is like synchronizing with anything else. The first time, you establish a database in your .mac space. In subsequent synchronizations, the most recent files, settings, etc. replace older versions. Additions are added. Deletions are also synchronized. This is not a difficult concept to understand.

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Under the Sync tab, you only have choices of which data you want to sync. Under the Advanced tab, you can "Reset Sync Data" which opens the window I've attached. The choices seem to be to replace the computer's data with data from .Mac or vice versa. I thought a sync was a merging of data, based on the most recent changes.

Yes: if you "reset sync data" for a device, then you are presented with the option of choosing where the new data will come from.

If you "reset sync data" then choose to sync from the computer to .Mac, then all sync data on .Mac will be replaced with the data from your computer.

Conversely, if you "reset sync data" then choose to sync from .Mac to your computer, all sync data on your computer will be replaced with the data from .Mac.