Backing Things UpPosted on 2002/10/09 20:51:16 (October 2002) by john. Come on, sing along with me: "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone...."
Due to a freak server error or something, all of the templates for the 'Maison weblog were lost today. Thankfully, all of the actual entries were still intact, but the definitions for the layouts of all of the pages included in the 'blog had completely vanished. Just a week or two ago I had put the finishing touches to the templates, to get the archive and search bits working nicely too.
One can guarantee when a file is lost, it will occur at a very inconvenient moment. The slides that mysteriously disappear just before your presentation. The essay that vanishes minutes before it has to be handed in. The source code that has been inexplicably lost on the day of your big product release. The account details that have sat quite happily, unused and untroubled for years in a folder somewhere until about an hour before you actually need them again. Usually, the unfortunate individual is then plagued with guilt and frustration for not having backed it all up in the first place. In fact, more often that not, you actually thought about backing it up at some point in the past and just never quite got round to it. Or like me, you think of yourself as one of those people who just doesn't need to back things up - only idiots make that sort of mistake.
In this particular case the inconvenient moment was simply that I was in a very bad mood at the time. The thought of having to redo all that donkey work again tipped my state of mind from accute frustration to near murderous fury. However, after that eventually subsided I decided to turn the situation on its head, and use the unfortunate accident as a prompt to redo everything. Well, I didn't have any choice, there were absolutely no traces of the original templates left behinf, but I mean specifically to redo everything better. I hope you'll agree all the weblog pages now look just that little bit neater and better. If you don't agree I may be forced to shout at you.
Anyway, that aside, the moral of the story is, after you've read this article, go and back something up. You know, that important file that has been niggling at you for a while, and you keep putting off backing it up. Well, go and do it now!
Comment 1
I took your advice. I was just backing stuff up and I accidently deleted it by mistake. And it's your fault.
Posted by rowanboy at 2002/10/10 15:07:14.
Comment 2
Seriously? Oh well, as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Posted by john at 2002/10/10 16:00:36.
Comment 3
No. A joke, thank God! But I am backing stuff up as we speak.... It's always good to have a reminder.
Posted by rowanboy at 2002/10/10 20:31:44.
Comment 4
Smugly I use source-safe to archive everything. Except itself. Hmmm... migh go and back it up. Thanks John.
Incidently, in a third-gear tone, the same applies for vehicle registration documents that disappear before your MOT and tax renewal deadlines.
Posted by dsp at 2002/10/11 15:12:26.
Comment 5
Smugly I use source-safe to archive everything. Except itself. Hmmm... migh go and back it up. Thanks John.
Incidently, in a third-gear tone, the same applies for vehicle registration documents that disappear before your MOT and tax renewal deadlines.
Posted by dsp at 2002/10/11 15:12:44.
Comment 6
Shiiit
Posted by dsp at 2002/10/11 15:12:58.
Comment 7
Tim even backs up his comments.....
Posted by rowanboy at 2002/10/13 13:32:11.
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