Re: [Evolution] Starting Evolution from backup

[Pete Biggs <pete biggs org uk>]

> I have yet to meet any long time Linux user who goes into their email
> client to "make a backup." And oddly Gnome-based backup software does
> not suggest doing this either; it just backs up files. You'd think if it
> was important someone would have integrated it as a backup feature.

The backup was originally designed to allow you to move Evolution data
from one machine to another. It is a convenient way of combining
together all the information and files in one place. (It's not just a
straight tar ball of files - it includes a dump of the configuration of
Evolution in a format that can be reconstructed.)

FYI The backup/restore feature was introduced in 2.12 (in 2008) because
there were various homebrew scripts around that did similar things and
users were asking for an official way of doing it.

> If a home directory tarball isn't enough 

It is sufficient.

> Evolution
> should drop the silly "backup / restore".

It may be "silly" to you, but there are people who use it in a none
"silly" way. 

> Perhaps replace it with an Import feature which could be pointed at a
> directory to retrieve user accounts and stored/cached email from any
> previous version of Evolution. Now that would be useful.

You can't point at a single directory and retrieve everything. Things
are held in multiple locations. If, when you start Evolution it sees
old account information it *will* use that account information in the
newer evolution version, updating schemas and file locations as it does
so. It can do it over multiple versions, including major versions, even
converting mail store into Maildir (from MBOX) and so on.

The only time I've seen Evolution offer to restore a backup is when
there is no old Evolution data in the users home directory.

> Often by the time I need to set up my email the previous system hardware
> is unrecoverable. There's never going to be an Evolution "backup."

The backup/restore was never really meant as a DR tool. Yes, you may
quibble about the name, but that is the most succinct way of describing
 what the tool does.

P.