Sandbox Advantages vs Full Backup?

[nkhester]

Originally Posted by dnanian

No, that's not the case. To evaluate 'questionable software' or even a software update, it might require you to run from that for a week, perhaps more. Which means you'll have a week's work that you've done to your files.

If you then restore a week-ago's backup, you'll have lost the work you've done.

Hi Dave,

You may be able to appreciate the quandary your response instills... It appears that I'm not fully cognizant of the operational relationship between Macintosh HD and Sandbox!

During the week (or longer) while I'm booting from the Sandbox, is any new e-mail (just as an example) that is exchanged during this period going to be accessible from both Macintosh HD and the Sandbox?

Your response above seems to suggest that as long as one boots from the Sandbox, all significant internet transactions will be saved on Macintosh HD, but accessible from the Sandbox. If the answer is "yes" (and I truly do not know), should I understand that this would not be the case if the Full Backup had been utilized for the experiment?

[dnanian]

Yes, your email is stored in your Home folder, which is shared. And, yes: if you had used a full backup, the email would be on the backup, not on the original. (Or, if you're running from the original, the backup wouldn't have your latest material on it.)

[nkhester]

Originally Posted by dnanian

Yes, your email is stored in your Home folder, which is shared. And, yes: if you had used a full backup, the email would be on the backup, not on the original. (Or, if you're running from the original, the backup wouldn't have your latest material on it.)

Dave:

OK! And thanks for clarifying this issue for me. I now appreciate the advantages offered by the Sandbox over a Full Update (and I also see why it is important to maintain both).

Just one more question, then:

It would seem to follow that a corollary to the way the Sandbox behaves is that there is absolutely no advantage to making any Smart Updates to the Sandbox if there have been no intervening application downloads/updates to Macintosh HD. If this is correct, I think I've finally succeeded in grasping the logic behind the Sandbox.

[dnanian]

In *general*, that's right. But updating it won't hurt anything, because if there's nothing to do, it won't do anything.

[postjosh]

dave -

this post has been very helpful to me. since i don't have a background as a system administrator, i was confused by the concept of a sandbox. i think many superduper users are similarly confused. the super duper manual explains how to make a sandbox but it doesn't devote enough space to the explanation of how specifically it is used in a backup strategy. you may want to go into more detail in any future updates to the manual. i plan on updating my backup strategy to include a sandbox soon. thanks once again for your great product and fantastic customer support.

- josh

p.s. a couple of thing that might be of interest to other users:

1) i don't intend to use time machine in my backup strategy. i just don't see how the rare occasion that i would use it justifies the hard drive space or the waste of cpu power necessary to maintain it.

2) in fact, i don't plan on updating to leopard on my dual core g5 at all. the advatages of leopard over tiger are inho outweighed by tiger's ability to run classic. i do like leopard on intel based machines but i've been pleasantly surprised at hell well my g5 continues to work.

[dnanian]

Thanks for the feedback, josh!