Software

I've had my issues with Acronis True Image. It fails running backup, restore or consolidate existing backups to reduce storage. See my earlier posts about that (1 and 2).

Then they send this automated e-mail about eligibility of an upgrade with reduced price. I need backup, that's given, but have been unable to find anything reasonable as replacement. After a short pros/cons-weighing type of thinking, I decided to go for the update and got an Acronis True Image 2014 Premium.

Pros:

• I know them and their product
• I'm "pot committed" to them already 
• When I know what not to do, I manage go produce restoreable backups
  

Cons:

• I know them and their product
• I'm "pot committed" to them already
• Consolidation does not work
• Stupid restore errors on raw disks
  

There were no real issues during the update. They still don't support HTTP-proxying and simply assume that everybody can connect to their servers anytime, all the time. I manage to get past that, increasing number of software vendors make that assumption. What about us who'd like to know what goes on in their networks. They completely forget us.

Anyway, my backups run fine after the upgrade. During my consolidation experiments I managed to delete some backup-files from my storage. Now TrueImage wants to see them. When I get rid of that problem, I should be running smoothly.

I'll report here if something nasty happens.

My weapon-of-choice for storing passwords has been SplashID for ages. I cannot even remember which version was the first I installed into my Nokia running a S60 operating system.

Yesterday SplashData went into version 7. I've been wondering what they have been doing, since there has been no minor updates for a year or so. Couple of weeks ago they informed that version 7 is coming out and hang tight to wait it to be released.

For an existing user like me, the news was pretty good. It was a free upgrade! Yes. I could get new stuff without paying anything for it. To tell you the truth, I was mighty sceptical. Their track-record of getting things right is not the best one there is. Back in the days, Elcomsoft did a study about password management software, and SplashID wasn't in the winning side there. It is generally a very bad idea to store everybody's passwords using password "g.;59?^/0n1X*{OQlRwy". Sure it is very difficult to guess, but what would happen if you don't have to guess. All you have to do is get somebody's password vault, and it pops open using that password with a blowfish. The end result is unencrypted SQlite-database.

People at SplashData did listen. They did fix the issues pointed out by those nice white-hat guys. That is a very good display of morale from the company's side. Still today, there are so many corporations who simply laugh at security investigators. For example this is one of the recent ones, the Japanese toilet manufacturer Lixil ignores Trustwave's findings, so there is nothing else to do than go public with the findings.

Fortunately my scepticism (read: pessimism) didn't pan out. I upgraded my Desktop-edition on my Windows, it activated using my existing credentials. iPhone-edition upgraded automatically from the App Store, and also activated after my Desktop-edition was activated. My iPad-edition didn't upgrade automatically, I used the normal iTunes sync and clicked there to install the already existing app into my iPad also. On version 6, there were separate versions for iPhone and iPad, now there is only a single app, which is a much better way to go on user perspective. So, no glitches there. Everything works, WiFi-sync works.

Now they offer an option to sync to cloud. To my mind, that's insanity! It is the popular way of today, but I'd never do that. Ever. The inquisitive minds already are questioning Google and their mobile platform Android about password storage. There is no difference between KeePass or Firefox Sync to mention few of those password storage providers. You'd be handing them all of your most valuable items, your passwords, to store and use. When it comes to Google and Android, they don't encrypt your data, with Apple's iOS you at least have the option of doing so.

My final words to people at SplashData: Keep up the good work!