There's a strong case to be made for a utility that will convert Apple's Time Machine backup disk formats between what's used for direct attached and network attached volumes.
The format used for a direct attached volume is simply one that Finder can be used to navigate. TM creates a special Backup folder in which another folder named after the computer's name is created and within this one sees a series of folders representing the hourly backup snapshots.
The format used for a network attached volume such as for the Apple's Time Capsule or a Time Capsule's connected USB2 HDD is a sparse bundle disk image. This isn't easily navigated as described above for the direcxt attached volume unless it get's mounted - and then it's very similar if not identical.
As the Time Capsule has only recently been released (Feb 29) there are many people who have been using direct attached volumes since Oct 26 2007 for their TM backups and who are contemplating buying the Time Capsule or in fact have bought one. These people are frustrated as they can't simply attach this volume (especially if a FW device was being used) to the Time Capsule's USB2 port (known as AirDisk) and have TM recognise the history of their TM backups. Of course, over time the opposite will also be true if people want to take the AirDisk and connect it directly to their Mac.
It sure would be nice if SuperDuper! could be used for converting these formats to allow moving the volumes between being direct attached and network attached.
I would also expect such an enhancement to SD! to include converting the direct attached TM backup format to the Time Capsule's internal HDD as well.
...and also the opposite way.
