Constructive feedback regarding v9

[1DumSpark]

Hi! First, I want to sincerely thank you for SyncBackFree. Being a disabled person with very low income, I cannot afford the paid versions. Thus I appreciate the free version very much (more than you probably know!).

I'm sure you're going to get a lot of nasty feedback regarding v9. This post won't be like that at all. I'm going to keep all feedback constructive, with the understanding that I'm sure you worked VERY hard on this release and dedicated much time to it. To be helpful (and not just critical), I'm also going to propose possible solutions.

The big issue is the UI. Let's break it down:

1. Much less data is now visible per screen. Let's break that down even further:
A. The top menu now uses a ribbon UI, occupying significant real estate. Two possible solutions:
i. Include an option to not use the ribbon UI. Some tools (like the popular PDF-XChange Editor) have this option.
ii. To the Profiles ribbon, add all the items from button panel. This way, the Profiles ribbon will show all the interface buttons used most of the time, and avoid needing a separate buttons panel. The items in the button panel all relate to Profiles, so this actually makes a lot of sense. This way users will have quick access to most functionality, while maximizing screen real estate. I strongly recommend this!
B. The tree itself is laid out more loosely now, permitting fewer items to be displayed. Tighten it up.
C. The tree's grid lines take up a lot of room. Allow toggling the grid lines on/off.
D. The version number occupies an entire row. Remove that row and add the text to the title bar, or just have users use the About dialog box.
E. Colors are not allowed in the free version. Considering that less is available per screen now, consider adding that functionality to the free version.
2. Speed. I'm sure you'll get a lot of feedback regarding speed. Let's also break that down even further:
A. Time to load application. The application takes much longer to load, and there is no visual feedback that it is loading. Obviously, you'll try to improve loading speed, but if you're not successful, you can add a progress indicator while it loads.
B. Scrolling speed within application. Now that much less is available per screen, the user needs to scroll much more than before. I'm hoping you can rectify how much is available per screen, as I had everything set up so that I could see on a single screen what was backed up. If that can't be rectified, try to improve scrolling speed and rendering performance. Right now, each screenful renders in pieces, and it looks somewhat confusing.

Overall, once again, I want to thank you for SyncBackFree and for supporting it so well. I'm sure you'll receive a lot of not-so-nice feedback regarding v9. Keep your chin up, and try not to let it get your down. You've done a great job, and it just needs a little fine-tuning!

Best wishes to you,
1DumSpark

[R_P]

Ha! I just finished composing a post on the same topic. I agree with your comments 100%. All of them.

[Swapna]

Hi,

Thank you for your suggestions. I will forward them to our development team.

Thank you.

[KnottyMan]

If nothing else, can we get a skin/theme option to have the previous UI? If people want to use the new ribbonesque style, great. The people that like the v8, here's that interface.

For me, v9 is too great a departure from the tried and true interface that has worked great. There is something to be said about if it ain't broke...

[7chervet]

Hi,

I registered to be able to react on new version 9. I am a fan of syncbackfree : I use and promote it for more than 10 years. It is really the best of its category. I 100% agree with 1DumSpark and his first post : all is said. I really hesitated to downgrade to previous version . It would be very nice to give access to more or less previous UI (or to give the option to use smaller icons and to compress profils list)

However, I want also to give 2 positive items in the new version :
- the ability to directly filter the difference windows when executing a profil : it is really a good thing I requested previously by mail
- the progress circles are a better way to show the progression of the execution of a profil

And many thanks for this software

[mickyj]

Hi, first I want to thank you for giving constructive feedback calmly

1A. It's not an easy change, but we'll look to see what we can do.
1B. This is something we can and will change.
1C. We'll take a look at this. This may well be because the font is larger.
1D. The status bar at the bottom? But this is the same as in V8.
1E. We'll consider that.
2. We've released V9.0.1.1 which has a big impact on the load time.
2B. We're going to reduce the window sizes. For scrolling, can you tell me which window is not scrolling smoothly?

Thanks again!

[7chervet]

Hi, syncbackfree is really at the top and I do appreciate this free version : there is absolutely no reason to be agressive. It is really a very powerfull and nice piece of code.

1D. True, the status bar was in V8. But it was not "annoying" because the number of lines displayed in the list was bigger : all my groups and profils were available in one screen, which is no more the case in V9. If you reduce height of lines, you can keep it of course (or show the entire version in the title or in the help "tab", ...)
2. I downloaded V9.0.1.1 yesterday of course but I didn't take care about loading time. I use it every day more than once. Thus, I monitored more precisely and it seems to load more quickly.
2B. The differences window, which is shown after launching and calculating a profil, is not rendered quickly for its first display and you wonder during 1 ou 2s what's happening. Once the window is displayed, I didn't notice any problem with scrolling.

Regards

[Moxa33]

Hi

There is a page with the list of old versions to download an old one ?

Best regards
Alain

[mattb5906]

There is a page with the list of old versions to download an old one ?

https://www.2brightsparks.com/downloads-legacy.html

[Moxa33]

Hello Matt

Yes, I find this link but it is only for SE or PRO version, not syncbackfree. I have tried and I have no licence .

Have a nice day
Alain

[bhenshaw]

@moxa33

At the top of this forum is a pinned message which has a link to SyncBack Free 8.6.7.6.

Bill

[mike_chag]

Bill,

That link in the pinned message for v 8.6.7.6 just links to the most released version. Presently it is v9.0.1.1.

[bhenshaw]

Oops... sorry about that. I thought it was specific to 8.6.7.6. The only other option I can think of is that there are web sites that specialize in having older versions of programs to download. Maybe one of those has an older version of SyncBack Free.

[1DumSpark]

Hi, first I want to thank you for giving constructive feedback calmly

1A. It's not an easy change, but we'll look to see what we can do.
1B. This is something we can and will change.
1C. We'll take a look at this. This may well be because the font is larger.
1D. The status bar at the bottom? But this is the same as in V8.
1E. We'll consider that.
2. We've released V9.0.1.1 which has a big impact on the load time.
2B. We're going to reduce the window sizes. For scrolling, can you tell me which window is not scrolling smoothly?

Thanks again!

Hi Micky! You're welcome.

I think the most important thing for everyone to remember is that we all share a common goal: To ensure SyncBackFree/SyncBackPro/SyncBackSE are the best!

Regarding the items above:
1A. Thanks! I think 1Ai would take significant effort, but 1Aii should be easy to implement. We can discuss specifics, if you like.
1B. Great!
1C. After completing 1B, we can evaluate if 1C is still needed.
1D. With v9, every mm of screen real-estate has become more valuable. Does the status bar ever display anything besides the version number? If not, the space is too valuable for just showing a version number.
1E. Thank you Micky.
2A. Congrats on v9.0.1.1! It definitely loads faster. It is still noticeably slower than v8. It's right at edge of whether a progress indicator is warranted. If it can be sped up a little more, I think we can avoid a loading progress indicator.
2B. The main window (Overview tab) is the most noticeable one that draws/redraws very slowly. When SyncBackFree is first loaded (or restored from being minimized), it is drawn piecemeal in rectangular sections. It takes about 1-1.5 seconds to draw the window. That's not horrendous or anything, but it makes the application feel slow and cumbersome. Scrolling within that main window (Overview tab) is also slow. You can almost see each section of the redraw as it is performed. It's also not horrendous; it just makes SyncBackFree feel slow. I noticed that the differences window is also rendered slowly. Overall, the rendering engine used in v9 is significantly slower than v8.

Since I last wrote, I performed my first backup using v9. It was a great experience! I really appreciate the new "slide-out" UI when the backup is being performed. And the differences window improvements are great. Most importantly, from what I can tell, the backup went smoothly and accurately.

If you would like any assistance with design or testing of v9, let me know, and I'm sure we can quickly find an arrangement that we both find beneficial.

[mickyj]

Hi, we'll be releasing an update very soon which fixes the slow main interface and reduces the size overall (everywhere). The progress bar has had a major change, which I hope people will like. It's a lot like V8 now, but you can use even less space by having it drop down to just a single line. The menu at the top now auto-hides. Basically, you'll have as much space in V9 as in V8 (but obviously with a slightly bigger font size, which has been reduced by 1 point in the new release).

For the status bar, that's useful for when debug output is enabled. It also helps with the Upgrade Assurance details (not something available in the freeware).

Thanks!