Since you admittedly lack the skills and competency to install and use this software on your own, your best bet may be to offer to pay somebody to do it for you. Or to choose an alternative paid backup product that comes with the expectation or even rights of support and quality.
Bitching about quality of documentation is probably about the last thing that will motivate someone to help you for free. Indeed, almost by definition, anybody who could help you here has managed quite well regardless of the "misleading documentation" and thus would not personally benefit from improved documentation -- so why would they want to contribute their free time to help someone with an attitude like yours? BTW, whenever I see "free" open software, I come with a sense of awe and gratitude for those who have freely contributed their time and skills to donate to strangers -- I don't come with an attitude of entitlement and free support -- whether the product is labeled 0.0001 beta or version 1 million. On the contrary, when I need help, request enhancements, or even find bugs, I try to show gratitude, check my attitude and frustrations, and offer to help in any way I can -- as "honey attracts more flies than vinegar". Good luck! dcmoel...@gmx.de wrote at about 17:04:39 +0100 on Wednesday, March 2, 2022: > Hello Mr. unknown, > > couple of answers: > > - I've paid hours trying to install the software - without success due > to misleading documentation and software package not suitable for > painless installation. If I find software version 4.X, I expect > documentation of working installation procedures. Otherwise how should I > ever appreciate this bit of software if I fail installing it in a > suitable/easy/reproducible way? Are you able to "show some appreciation > for this awesome piece of software" without successfully installing it? > > - I'm sorry, I'm not able to program Perl software. > > So according to your statement OS software should get used only by > people wanting to offer money or progamming/other support? And if this > software fails in installation, they should stay calm? This is the first > time I have to apologize to Windows users I've recommended using OS > software in general: Your attitude in OS software community is new to me. > > To me software is about solving user's problems the easiest possible > way. Nothing else. > > Regards > > Christian > > PS: I think we agree on the vital role backups play. How much confidence > would you have with software to fulfil this important role if its > installation/setup is not as easy/successful as possible? > > > Am 02.03.22 um 05:45 schrieb backu...@kosowsky.org: > > Couple of questions: > > 1. How much did you pay Craig for a license to BackupPC? > > 2. How much code did you contribute? > > > > Pretty sure the answer is zero. > > This is open source (aka free software) done by volunteers and > > contributed out of the goodness of their heart. > > > > If you think there are areas for improvement you are more than welcome > > to: > > 1. Make and contribute the changes yourself > > 2. Pay Craig or someone else to make the changes for you. > > > > Until then, I suggest you tame your indignation and show some > > appreciation for this awesome piece of software and the community that > > makes it possible. > > > > I have in my own small way contributed many hundreds of hours to > > debugging errors and writing helper routines as well as answering > > questions for others. But I wouldn't spend a second helping someone > > with an attitude like yours. > > > > Christian Möller wrote at about 20:45:58 +0100 on Tuesday, March 1, 2022: > > > Thanks Johan for your reply and time. > > > > > > > > > Hello, BackupPC community, > > > > > > sorry, to me this sounds like the following: > > > > > > There is BackupPC software with documentation how to install it from > > > scratch ... but this documentation is wrong or at least misleading! > > > > > > One of the benefits of using Linux-based machines is the ease to > > > install/upgrade software. I don't know who is responsible for > > > preparation of BackupPC's Debian package, but in essense it seems to be > > > useless (at least for initial installation)! > > > > > > So please > > > - wipe out this chapter from documentation, > > > - fix DEB package. > > > > > > Fiddling around with scripts is not acceptable to me! I want to apply > > > BackupPC for backing up my computers, not to train my ability typing > > > commands. > > > > > > Christian > > > > > > Am 23.02.22 um 14:50 schrieb Johan Ehnberg: > > > > Hello Christian, > > > > > > > > If you prefer not to install manually, the BackupPC Wiki has an > > > > installer script that works on Debian-based distributions: > > > > > > > > > > https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki/Installing-BackupPC-4-from-tarball-or-git-on-Ubuntu > > > > > > > > The script source can also be of use for you to identify where you > > got > > > > stuck when installing manually. > > > > > > > > Another option is to build your own packages or download premade > > ones: > > > > > > > > https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki/Build-Your-Own-Packages > > > > > > > > Best regards, > > > > > > > > Johan Ehnberg > > > > > > > > > > > > On 23/02/2022 13.39, Christian Möller wrote: > > > >> Hello, > > > >> > > > >> I've tried to install BackupPC v4 following your documentation at > > > >> > > > >> https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/BackupPC.html > > > >> > > > >> on a Debian 11 machine. > > > >> > > > >> Starting with "Step 1" > > > >> > > > >> > > https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/BackupPC.html#Step-1:-Getting-BackupPC > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> everything works fine, both packages "backuppc" and "rsync-bpc" get > > > >> installed smoothly (as far as I can tell). > > > >> So according to the recommendation, I skip to Step 3 ... which gets > > me > > > >> lost in transition, because: > > > >> > > > >> > > https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/BackupPC.html#Step-3:-Setting-up-config.pl > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> states > > > >> > > > >> "After running configure.pl, browse through the config file, > > > >> __CONFDIR__/config.pl [...]" > > > >> > > > >> Well, which "configure.pl" to ran (and when)? What is > > "__CONFDIR__"? The > > > >> same as with v3, so "/etc/backuppc"? I recognized that this folder > > is > > > >> created freshly during installation (be aware of the file's > > timestamps), > > > >> but contains NO "config.pl" file: > > > >> > > > >> $ ls -al /etc/backuppc > > > >> total 20 > > > >> drwxr-xr-x 2 backuppc www-data 4096 Feb 23 11:42 . > > > >> drwxr-xr-x 130 root root 12288 Feb 23 11:57 .. > > > >> -rw-r----- 1 backuppc www-data 47 Feb 23 11:42 htpasswd > > > >> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Feb 23 11:42 pc -> > > /etc/backuppc > > > >> > > > >> So my attempt stops at this point unfinished. > > > >> > > > >> Any help appreciated. Thanks. > > > >> > > > >> Christian > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> PS: A little bit of background info: I'm using BackupPC v3 for many > > > >> years now. Prior to my attempt to install v4, I've uninstalled v3 > > and > > > >> moved away the "old" folder /etc/backuppc by renaming it. > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> _______________________________________________ > > > >> BackupPC-users mailing list > > > >> BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > >> List: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users > > > >> Wiki: https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki > > > >> Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/ > > > > -- > > > > Signature > > > > *Johan Ehnberg* > > > > > > > > Founder, CEO > > > > > > > > Molnix Oy > > > > > > > > > > > > jo...@molnix.com > > > > > > > > +358 50 320 96 88 > > > > > > > > molnix.com <https://molnix.com> > > > > > > > > > > > > /The contents of this e-mail and its attachments are for the use of > > the > > > > intended recipient only, and are confidential and may contain legally > > > > privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or have > > > > otherwise received the e-mail in error, please notify the sender by > > > > replying to this e-mail immediately and then delete it immediately > > from > > > > your system. Any dissemination, distribution, copying or use of this > > > > communication without prior and explicit permission of the sender is > > > > strictly prohibited./ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > BackupPC-users mailing list > > > > BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > > List: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users > > > > Wiki: https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki > > > > Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/ > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > BackupPC-users mailing list > > > BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > > List: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users > > > Wiki: https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki > > > Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/ > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > BackupPC-users mailing list > > BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > List: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users > > Wiki: https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki > > Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > BackupPC-users mailing list > BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net > List: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users > Wiki: https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki > Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/ _______________________________________________ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki: https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/
