Re:OS X 10.5: Time Machine (Score 3, Informative)

I'm not about to say that Time Machine is going to be the end all be all of rocking backup solutions, but having sat infront of it and watched it do it's buisness, it will allow the majority of mac users to go out and get that piece of mind with nothing more than the minimal expense of a external firewire or usb hard drive. Thats not to say that it won't be relativly flexible in a home or small to medium buisness environment depending on how things are run. I would have to hazard a guess that the new version of Mac OS X Server 10.5 will have some sort of additional integration for the time machine functions that goes beyond the scope of what we saw in CEO McDramapant's Keynote. What time machine does/is : 1) you can backup to a locally connected volume (yes, it seems to allow FAT32 volumes as a option) OR a network volume AFP, SMB, etc. (cheap but large NAS anyone?) 2) it can be setup to backup on schedules, at the push of a button, or automatically. 3) it allows immediate access to backup contents through a interface that is moderately accessable to the end user at a moments notice, directly from their console with no other legwork necessary. 4) configuration and setup is easy beyond belief. 5) it's a free part of the OS. (goodbye retrospect express, goodbye .mac backup weirdness, goodbye annoying cloning tools, etc) 6) the 10.5 install discs have a built in function to restore a macintosh's apps & data from a time machine backup during the installation process (easy failed-hd recovery for the end user) it's doesn't seem to be as robust as other solutions, nor as inclusive. but damn, it will automatically come with everything, and it's relativly easy to use it. Worlds above anything else that will probably be avalable in half a years time. go figure. From the perspective of a small buisness IT support tech, this software will be a godsend. Every other day I have to explain to a user that I can't recover their (insert precious file here) and the only option is a expensive recovery company. It's a decent solution to the problem at hand. It doesn't fit every keyhole, but it will fit most of them.