luckyBackup

luckyBackup is the third backup listed in Ubuntu Software Centre when you search for backup. luckyBackup looks similar to File Backup Manager.

File Backup Manager failed to please because it stopped at an error with a useless error message. If luckyBackup can avoid the error or produce a useful message to help me fix the error, luckyBackup will replace File Backup Manager.

luckyBackup is just a graphical interface for a utility, in this case rsync. So many programs are fancy user interfaces for rsync that rsync must have some advantage over the alternatives.

The following paragraphs are the information presented by the Ubuntu Software Centre.
luckyBackup is an application that backs-up and/or synchronizes any directories with the power of rsync. Its main features are: backup, safety, synchronization, exclude/only include options, allows custom rsync options, remote connections, restore and dry-run operations, scheduling, profiles and command line mode.

It is simple to use, fast (transfers over only changes made and not all data), safe (keeps your data safe by checking all declared directories before proceeding in any data manipulation ), reliable and fully customizable.

The download is 4.7 MegaBytes and the space used on disk is 12 MB before you start defining backups. There is additional information and documentation at http://luckybackup.sourceforge.net/.

Start the application

Select Applications, System Tools, then luckyBackup (super user). You are asked for your password. The application then starts with the following screen.

Tests

The luckyBackup user interface is primitive, the help information almost useless, and there are so many problems I will delete luckyBackup from my computer.

Modern computer screens are short and wide because they are designed to show movies, not information. Modern application interfaces are flexible to work with the distorted screen shapes. The luckyBackup user interface only works on screens with lots of vertical space. I cannot use luckyBackup on one of my computers.

I tried to access a share across a network. Linux can access the share but luckyBackup will not access the share. I do not want permanent shares for daily backups so I do not mind not using a permanent share.

luckyBackup has a spot to define a remote destination but I could not make it work. There is a place to specify a user but not a password. There is a verify button that says the connection works then the connection fails.