Comodo Backup 2 Wishlist (Rev. 1)

HarpGuy · October 3, 2009, 2:30am

Umm… gosh… with all the really GOOD suggestions in this thread, I feel kinda’ dumb about making this very simple, nearly totally (and the operative word, here, is “nearly”) aesthetic suggestion…

…but at least on MY copy of version 2.0.108800.9 running on 32-bit Vista SP2, the “Help” button, and the minimize, maximize, and close buttons in the upper-rightmost corner of the interface are out on their own like islands, with no real connection to the main interface window.

If that’s intentional, then I guess to each his/her own as far as good design goes, I guess…

…but, seriously, it looks really bad. REALLY bad.

Please. The Windows API exists for a reason. If Comodo insists on this highly graphical, “cool” look and feel, then fine; but please at least make the darned thing so that it doesn’t look TOO stupid.

Moreover (and this is why I stressed the word “nearly,” above), it’s more than just aesthetics. If one opens Comodo Backup 2 atop an opened browser window displaying the Comodo forums itself, all the gray makes it so only a visually careful person can even notice the “Help”, minimize, maximize and close buttons out there on their own like that.

C’mon, developers… what’re ya’ doin’, here. Don’t stray too afar from what has been known to be good, solid, professional-looking and -behaving user interface design for many, many, many years. Please. Some wheels should just not be re-invented.

Also, let’s not forget how despised the Avast! anti-virus software was for so long because of its oddball media-player-like interface. When its latest version came out which more easily allowed that to be turned off, reviewers tended to mention that feature FIRST when they wrote about it.

Please. Some things should just not be fooled with… and user interface, which just is so, so terribly important in good software, is one of them. I applaud the desire for “slickness” of interface, but be careful not to wander too far from what university and usability study after study after study has found makes the most sense.

Comodo Backup 2 doesn’t really, in my opinion, qualify as “good” user interface design. Don’t get me wrong… it doesn’t “suck,” per se. But it’s not “good.” It’s just not. I don’t hate, mind you… but it could just be so, so much better.

And the very first place to start is extending the topmost part of the main interface window upward so that what’s between it and those buttons in the upper-rightmost corner is no longer completely transparent. Make it pale/semi-transparent grayish-red or something if you like; but please just do whatever you have to do to make the “Help” and the minimize and the maximize and the exit/close buttons so that the look and feel like they’re part of the user interface and not little islands out in the middle of nowhere.

Please. I’m begging you. Do this.

Thanks.

HarpGuy

Downy · October 3, 2009, 4:22pm

Not sure if already mentioned, but currently backup window stays open after backup has finished. So please add an option to

close main window after backup is finished
don’t show main window at all, just perform backup in background

Thanks a lot for this really execellent programm!

clemo · October 3, 2009, 4:44pm

ewen, i tried your “shutdown -h” suggestion, but could not get it to work. am i missing something?

clemo

Downy · October 3, 2009, 4:54pm

A batch file containing this line should do the job:

“taskkill /IM CBU.exe” (without " of course)

But thats of course more a workaround than a real solution, so I hope this feature will be included in one of the next versions.

clemo · October 4, 2009, 3:32pm

I’m afraid that only shut down CBU if opened. It did not work after running a schedule task. I also tried adding the schedule reference taken from Windows Task Scheduler (taskkill /IM CBU.exe S number reference) and that just popped up a box asking if i wanted stop the scheduled task from finishing i think. I’m writing at the start of an migraine, so my memory is a bit fudgy.

I’ll wait for this feature to be included in one of the next versions as well.

Many thanks

clemo

emanuels · October 5, 2009, 10:07am

Version 2.1 will include autoclose feature.

Thank you

Budda · October 5, 2009, 2:55pm

I know its coming; I will just add a +1 to this.

astral_cyborg · October 5, 2009, 10:34pm

Please, add an option to add or remove comodo backup context menu entries from Windows explorer.

Thank you.

zombie · October 23, 2009, 10:49pm

one interesting suggestion for manual backup under scheduled task:
people very often like to have more generations of one back up, so if I set job.cbu for manual back up, I would like to have job01.cbu, job02.cbu…job0n.cbu if am enough clear…

emanuels · October 25, 2009, 3:13pm

Please use “Add macros” option an select ‘revision number’ macro, which will help you keep the last revisions (job_01.cbu, job_02.cbu, etc).

Arkangyal · October 25, 2009, 11:02pm

There might be similar posts, so some can be duplicates:
[1] Built in ZIP/7Z (and RAR, but i guess that’s not possible, not free /only unpack modul is/) support, here are some datas for different methods:

ISO file:

COMODO-GHOST-CD.cbu	15 408 000
COMODO-GHOST-CD.rar	1 537 100(!)
COMODO-GHOST-CD.zip	15 486 268

JPG files:

gazora.cbu	5 662 464
gazora.rar	5 668 490
gazora.zip	5 659 043

Access MDB files:

mdb.cbu	2 280 000
mdb.rar	160 186(!)
mdb.zip	239 730(!)

As you can see, we shouldn’t care what’s up with the already compressed JPG files (JPG is a compressed image file itself), but check out the two other types, HUGE difference. Also, i know that i can run a BATCH file at the end of the compression to pack/unpack/etc. the files but a built-in wizard would be nice, easy to use, more user friendly.
You can also ask the user to specify paths to archivers he got installed on the system (or read out from registry hives, but users can use portable archivers as well…) and if the file exists, CB would offer other supported extensions (not just .CBU).

[2] Put the special characters in front of the ABC in the list. (e.g. you see the _ character after the Z letter, not a general method…)

[3] Make it possible to copy&paste directory/drive paths into a field when i select source/target paths. Multi-rows (e.g. “Add line” button) would be nice.

[4] Delete one backslash() at History, there are two backslashes before the file name.

[5] “Click here to add description” → ADD DIFFERENT BACKGROUND COLOR! It’s not good, even if you can see you can add the description to the file there. Would be nice to see a “Specify description file…” button somewhere there, too.

[6] Suggest some general volume split sizes at splitting (e.g. floppy, cd, dvd, double dvd, blue ray, etc.). There should be an active drop-down list if i’m not typing in any values, disabled drop-down if i type in st.

[7] Update settings pane with thesel:


 My external archivers:          
     RAR archiver: ... (specify path)
     ZIP archiver : ... (specify path)
     Other archiver: ... (please specify - other arhivers are not supported)
(end of archivers line for now, maybe add 7z to the list :P)

 CB's CPU priority: (use a drop-down list or a slider to change values)
          [ real time    ]
          [ high         ]
          [ above normal ]
          [ normal       ]
          [ low          ]
          [ below normal ]

 Security settings:
          [ ] Use the following user credentials with the jobs:
               Login:    [                                  ]
               Password: [                                  ]
          [ ] Password protect the user interface:
               Password: [                                  ]

 Misc. settings:
          [ ] CB in the context menu;
          [ ] Search for updates upon startup;
          [ ] Start CB with Windows;

 Language:
  Please, select your language: [ default ] (languages in the drop-down list)

I also don’t like the window resizer/close/help buttons on the island…

rehart: 2: incremental backups-> you mean to use the macros (date, time, etc.), which is already implemented?

Use normal windows so when i move the ftp re-login (~reversing backup) window, it won’t be strange :P. Please, also display what server i’ve clicked to log in.

RogerC52 · October 27, 2009, 2:44pm

I have had success with PTFB (Push The Freakin’ Button), a free utility. I program it to watch for the Finish button to appear, wait 5 seconds, then push it. I have multiple backup jobs scheduled at different times during the night and this approach gives me a crude but usable workaround.

I’ll also +1 on autoclose.

http://www.tlhouse.co.uk for PTFB.

metalforlife · October 31, 2009, 4:00pm

Program updates should automatically install instead of having the user manually click through the options, unlike in a new installation. The updater should be able to detect the folder where the previous version has been installed and upgrade the data in it by itself.

Edit:

And, it should also not create desktop and start menu shortcuts for upgrades.

metalforlife · October 31, 2009, 5:29pm

I would like to be able to directly access the help-file from the program.

clemo · November 2, 2009, 7:43pm

Would it be possible to have some sort of indication that “Service and Silent” back ups are running. Something along the lines of the CBU icon in the system tray.

Is there any indication when the rescue CD requests will be implemented?

clemo

Cone79 · November 6, 2009, 8:31pm

I’m not sure if this has been suggested, but adding a box below the selection of the source/destination of a backup where you can manually type the address would really help, I don’t mind much the tree selection option, but some times it’s just easier to type the address then go through all the folders and sub-folders to get to what you want to backup. For example I want to backup from a network location but not a mapped drive (\server\admin-share$\folder\sub-folder) and how it’s setup right now this is not possible or it would take for ever to go though the network to find the server and then admin shares are not visible normally so no help there. Version 1.0.4.337 that I’m using for this backup does have this option, so I will continue to use it until a version has Manual Source/Destination selection, incremental backup and editing scheduled backup settings available.

Thanks for a great product, but V2.X lost many good features that 1.X had.

gerald6g · November 11, 2009, 5:45pm

Hello,
I would like to suggest an improvement for Comodo Backup for FTP usage.
I’m using an FTP server with a port 3321 (regular port is 21).
Please, can you add a port selecting for writing on a server which not use the regular 21?

Thank you.

Maybe this request was already done.

Gerald

Tu9a2 · November 16, 2009, 8:47am

Can you please bring the Service Backup back?

Thanks.

emanuels · November 16, 2009, 8:50am

Hi

The ‘Service backup’ is available in Schedule tab (backup step 5)

Tu9a2 · November 16, 2009, 9:02am

Sorry, I’ve just finished reading the new User Manual, and recognized my favourite function. Thank you soooo much :-*