Daily Giz Wiz 668: Cucku Backup
Episode 668 of the podcast
| Subject: | Review of Cucku Backup |
| Released: | Wednesday 1 October 2008 |
| Length: | about 17 minutes |
| Download file: | dgw0668.mp3 (8 MB) |
Listen to the episode
Short info
Back up files to your friend's computer via Skype with the Cucku Backup.
(source: twit.tv/dgw668)
Detailed information
Link: cucku.com
cuckuCucku, an online or remote backup application with a difference, enables you to back up your data files both locally and remotely. The main feature is that you store your remote backup not with the service provider (who may go out of business), but on the hard drive of a friend of yours (your backup partner). Cucku calls it "Social Backup".
Install the software on your and your partner's computers (with support for Windows XP and Vista, 32-bit and 64-bit version), set up your respective accounts with Cucku to create your usernames and passwords, and the software will automatically select important data files to back up for you (although naturally you can configure what to back up). The software will back up your files in the background, while the computer is idle or has extra capacity, both locally on your own computer, and remotely on your partner's computer.
Your remote backup is encrypted with 256-bit AES both during transmission on the internet and at the endpoint where it resides on your partner's computer, so that no one, including Cucku itself and your backup partner, can read any of the data, not even file names. The backup can only be decrypted with your Cucku username and password.
Any files can be backed up (including open files), but operating system and application files are by default excluded. You can choose where your local backup should be stored (which includes external and network drives), and data on external and network drives can also be backed up. The only limitation is that the files cannot be larger than 4GB. Once an initial file has been backed up, subsequent backups, if a file has been changed, are done incrementally. Restoring a backup is by selecting individual files (with a file index to choose from), and where different versions exist, you can choose which version to restore.
Both you and your partner can set the maximum capacity of the remote backup storage. The remote backup is done via Skype, so that both you and your partner must have Skype installed and running to enable remote backup. Cucku uses Skype's peer-to-peer technology to do the file transfer (the developers of Skype were also the developers of the peer-to-peer file sharing application Kazaa). Cucku at the moment works only on the Skype network, but Cucku may in future extend the service to other networks. The service is entirely free and although Cucku will introduce a Pro paid version later in the year, it promises to keep the free version always available.
Little Golden-Hood
The children's audible book that Leo recorded is now available for download for free at Audible, as long as you have an account. You can sign up at audible.com/gizwiz. Leo says listeners will be sorely disappointed with the download. Traffic Mike from the Chatroom says not al all - he doesn't expect much from Leo.
A Question for Leo
Ben Cravey and Dick have a question for Leo. Are chargers for mini-USB connectors interchangeable? The answer is no, according to Leo. Even though mini-USB ought to be a universal standard, the manufacturers have through their shenanigans made changes to the connections so that the devices can only be charged via proprietary chargers.
(source: insidedgw.vox.com)
