It’s definitely (devonitely?) a good thing that PKM, OCR, search and sync solutions all have more specialized and/or cheaper options available now. Obsidian, for example, meets a real need and I’m glad to see a lot of people using it that wouldn’t have had time, ability or budget for the DT learning curve, or would’ve had some other objection to it. And funnily that applies to some who’ve already put in the time to learn DT because needs and preferences change and DT doesn’t really ever become effortless.
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If I’m guessing your old username rightly, then I’m still using some of the scripts from years back you contributed to DT (particularly the ones integrating Keyboard Maestro and AppleScript for bespoke annotations.)
Very helpful, thanks!
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Well, I would like to thank you for the scripts and posts re using Devonthink you have provided in the past.
Apart from independent people like you, I have been impressed at how quickly Bluefrog and even cgrunneman (?) pop up with answers and suggestions but I do recognise “tetchy” for sure.
Anyway, thank you for all your contributions over there (as well as here).
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I also use it as a tool, not as a full on repository (tried that, didn’t like it). It proved especially helpful when writing a term paper for example. I created a database and pulled in (usually indexed them) the lectures, supplemental PDFs, my text notes, and highlights. OCR’d anything that needed it, and then when I sit down to write I can start to put together my paper using searching. After I’m done, I get rid of it. Utilizing the searching and related items helps to make connections on the material I have not created.
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Maybe I’m misunderstanding you, but if your data is missing even from 2-year-old backups, I don’t think DTTG 3 could possibly be responsible, seeing as how it just came out a few months ago.
DEVONThink has said that they believe the problem and data loss happened in some previous rev and that it was only DTTG3 where it became obvious.
Which only makes the issue worse.
The files lost were archive files, as in you rarely need to get back to them but when you do you kind of expect that they will be there. The files appeared in DT but the contents were empty.
I have no idea when the error occurred. Many of the missing files were only identified after the user supplied tools to search for zero length files were posted on the DT forums.
DT itself then made changes to identify those ghost files sooner so that you had a chance to recover them but still no info on why or how or any updates on progress at the actualroot cause or any real fix. .
A file storage system like DT has 1 primary job. Storing files safely. That is the task it failed at.
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Ah, ok, that makes more sense. Yeah, it’s a bit disconcerting that data loss to that extent could occur silently, with no sort of database integrity checks noticing the sudden change. I suppose it’s a mark in DTTG3’s favor that it made plain what the rest of the suite could not.
for that and other reasons, I somewhat distrust internal/opaque databases, so in my planned DT deployment, most of my important files will just be indexed in place rather than hoovered into DT’s own structure. I still need to learn about how between-computer syncing works for indexed files, but if that’s fully supported, then I think I’ll be good to go—with confidence in my data’s long-term integrity.
DEVONthink provides a terrific explanation of indexing and importing above on pages 50-53 (version 3.6.3) of the DEVONthink Handbook.
I import the vast majority of my stuff, and only “index” stuff that for use with other apps or people the files must reside in the operating system of the device or a server.
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Is that a separate document from the DEVONthink manual and the “Taking Control” ebook?
It’s the user guide (also available through the in-app Help)—so, yes, it’s the manual (which is superbly comprehensive).
Stephen
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See DEVONtechnologies | Handbooks and Extras for the ver 3.7.2 “DEVONthink Handbook”. Same text in DEVONthink’s help file.
Be forwarned that some people have experienced the SAME sort of data loss in indexed files. So leaving them out of DT does not guarantee you won’t get hit by the bug.
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This talk about data loss makes me nervous as I had intended to move my file cabinet from Evernote to DEVONthink 
. I have never experienced anything like data loss or syncing problems with Evernote since 2008 (granted, others might have had) and reading about potential problems here with DEVONthink gets me questioning my decision 
.
I recommend spending some time on the DEVONThink forum for a reasonably balanced view. I’m not suggesting that comments here are not balanced but a few members do seem to post quite often about data loss (which, of course, is clearly concerning for them) and I (and others) have never experienced it with DEVONThink. Take advantage of the generous free trial, experiment and see for yourself how you get on with it.
Stephen
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As I’m writing this I see some recommend visiting the forum. Great idea! I have found support to be amazing. Tone wise, like anyone I assume they are coming from a good place. If it is in a manner that I think is a bit harsh I assume it may be a cultural thing. Early on in my career I used to think some of my colleagues outside the US were rude. Turns out it is there culture to not make small talk or be defensive in situations that didn’t warrant it.
I have 18 gig spread over 4 thousand files spread over 7 databases in DT. I sync between a desktop, laptop, iPhone and iPad.
While I haven’t experienced data loss, I run an AppleScript once a week to verify and zip up the databases. Those are stored on an external drive and then Backblaze.
I love DT because of its sync capabilities and search capabilities. Far beyond the offering of any other app I have tried. Pre-pandemic I would travel to places without an internet connection and I could sync between devices just fine. The DT databases are not even real databases but done in a way that I can access the files in an emergency using just the file system. The syncd data can be stored encrypted!
Cons for me are the antiquated PDF annotator on the MacOS compared to the iOS versions. Usable but just not as easy to compared to something like Highlights app.
Lots of pros but like any software I have multiple archived backups.
Just sharing my experience.
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Thank you @Stephen_C , I’ll do that. Guess I’m just a bit baffled by the seemingly complex nature of DEVONthink and it’s Sync - in Evernote it was basically a fire and forget solution for me in all those years. DEVONthink is definitely a different beast and at the moment I feel a bit intimidated I guess and wonder if I took the right solution …
More research needed I guess
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Thank you for your insights. To be honest when reading at DEVONthink Forum and asking a question I was actually irritated because the answer seemed cold and harsh to me - even as a German 
. Well if course that is completely subjective…
Personally I can only compare DEVONthink to Evernote (with my 7000 notes and files) and it never let me down either since 2008 and I miss some features in DEVONthink it seems; also the concept of having to “maintain” my databases and check for integrity or 0 size entries is confusing and new to me - besides the item counts being different and inconsistent on all devices 
.
I tried to make Devonthink work like Evernote I’m terms of sync and I just didn’t like it. It’s so different in my mind. I ended up switching back so I didn’t have to think about it. It was a luxury I could mostly afford as most of the stuff I stored wasn’t super sensitive (if it was I put it somewhere else). I am settled now on Craft and iCloud for documents, but would likely switch back to Evernote if they add backlinking and iCal support.
Some of the sync discussion here is confusing. Evernote and DEVONthink are completely different animals from a sync point of view. Evernote is a cloud system. Everything syncs through their server and they have access to that data. This is one of several reasons that I left EN. DEVONthink is not a cloud service — the sync storage is yours. Nobody else gets to see your data.
I like DT but that is not the point. Trying to make DT look like EN from a sync point of view — doesn’t seem like a useful exercise.
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I understand that now, but not when I first started. Evernote sync, for the most part just works and that is nice. When I first tried Devonthink, I had a lot of difficulty getting sync going. It was very frustrating. I only mention it because when I switched I didn’t find it as clear as it needed to be.
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