Just as stable as version 2 for me. Stopped using Devon around a week ago, but had nothing to do with stability or support.
As did @ryanjamurphy, I switched to local network sync only. I sync a lot of databases and data to my iPads and iPhone. As a result, I shove a lot of data back and forth. In the past, due to “slow sync” I had a single database whose purpose was to sync and that’s the only thing I synced for several years. When I no longer needed to sync off-network I switched to local sync only and then added the rest of the databases. My point is – the amount of data synced is usually user choice and can be managed downwards if necessary.
(While sync has improved, it still seems to start over and churn through several cycles – I notice that DEVONthink sync will sync even when nothing changed, so there’s still room for improvement.)
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This is of course is different for every user, but I really prefer instant sync. With cloud first options, it syncs to the cloud and then down to devices. DT is just way slower (though more secure) than the other options. I do love DT, but because I need to be able to sync a document immediately and then move move on, I mostly stick to cloud first choices.
This is an example of different needs … me, I spend most my time with DEVONthink: sending it stuff, searching for stuff, doing and experimenting with “smart” groups and rules to make life simpler, and (most importantly) reading and thinking from reading the content I find.
While sync important to me only due to multiple devices, it’s behind the scenes and I frankly can’t tell you how slow or fast it is. My focus is elsewhere.
Example of different people have different needs and everyone should remember that.
Wag ner with a “W” sound, not a V sound.
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While time is limited I do enjoy fiddling with apps!
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As I mentioned this weekend, I started work today on a project that would allow DevonThink to show its strength and help me decide whether to stay with it. It’s a feature article assignment.
So far I like what I’m seeing:
- I use DT to easily store multiple file types, in this case, Markdown notes and web page archives. I may get some PDFs, PPT slides or Word documents later in the research process; I know from experience that DT can easily manage those.
- Later on I will mark up the web pages.
- Using search, I quickly found a few articles I’d saved over the years, which will provide useful background for the current project.
I’ve been using syc to the iPad and iOS. I’ve found it a little flaky in the past but I have reset my sync stores to their factory condition, deleted and reinstalled DevonThink on the iPhone and iPad, and set it to sync to iCloud (previously it was syncing to Dropbox). If sync does not prove reliable following these measures, I will try syncing using Bonjour, after researching potential issues with multipe sync methods (Bonjour + iCloud).
On the downside, “See Also” proved useless.
It may be possible for me to duplicate the elements of DevonThink’s capabilities that are useful to me in other, easier to use, and less expensive software. But having gone this far into DevonThink, why change?
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FWIW I sync using my own WebDAV server and it worked flawlessly until I tried to change the sync on my iPad Pro. That is now all fixed but it took a while to get it back as I had to reload the sync store on my server.
et al:
I am not German, except by heritage.
US - Midwest, born and raised.
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Over the years, I’ve used sync via Dropbox, Bonjour, and my own WebDAV server. Always works flawlessly. Now on Dropbox exclusively.
iCloud’s probably not as good, probably through no fault of DEVONthink, as it appears not as reliable for many things, including some apps say “don’t use it”. I’ve not tried to “bend it to my will” and wish to make it work (as some try).
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I tried a couple of approaches and am currently using iCloud to sync between iMac,MBP,ipad,iphone. I haven’t had any reliability problems — but I agree it is not blazingly fast (probably not DT’s fault). 99% of the time syncing DT is a background thing for me so I really dont care if it takes 1 second or a couple of minutes.
The biggest issue I have is that if I clip items to DT on iOS (my routine is to peruse things on my ipad or iphone over breakfast and clip bookmarks to DT to read later), they don’t get sync’d unless I explicitly open DT (even though I have background refresh turned on). I get to my iMac to start reading articles and there is nothing in my inbox. I go back to the my iPad and open DT … and wait a few minutes … and voila they are there. I don’t know if this is DT, iOS, or iCloud, but it is my only real sync annoyance.
The Background App Refresh option is controlled entirely by iOS not DEVONthink To Go and only allows approximately a 30 second window, when it allows it to happen. This means we can’t control if, when, or how long it happens.
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