Retrospect 1.3

Dantz Development
1400 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 1
Berkeley, CA 94709
415/849-0293
415/849-0372 (tech support)

Rating:

9 Penguins out of a possible 10

Summary: -- Retrospect is possibly the most powerful backup and archiving program available for the Mac. It is relatively easy to set up, and once set up, a breeze to use. Powerful features like custom file selectors, a flexible calendar for automated backup, numerous views of the file listing, and the ability to work with many popular backup devices add to its appeal. A separate add-on, Retrospect Remote, provides powerful network backup capabilities for networks that have no file sharing software already in use. I highly recommend Retrospect, especially for networks and for people who like to have a lot of control over what gets backed up.

User Evaluation: (on a scale of 0 to 10)

Number of responses: 15
Ease of installation: 9
Ease of learning: 7
Ease of use: 8
Power & usefulness: 9
Documentation: 7
Technical support: 8
Overall evaluation: 9

Hardware Requirements: -- Retrospect works fine on any Mac with a minimum of 1 MB of RAM. It will be slow on the older Macs, though, and prefers 2 MB or more under System 6. Under System 7, 2 MB is the minimum, and Retrospect will probably run much faster with 4 MB or more. Retrospect supports a large number of tape drives and DAT drives, as well as removable hard drives and optical cartridge drives. Call Dantz if you want to check on a specific device.

Price and Availability: -- Retrospect is widely available from dealers and mail order firms, and MacConnection sells it for $148. Retrospect Remote (with 10 users) costs $265 and an additional Remote 10 Pack costs $148. (Note that we quote the MacConnection price in recognition of its industry-leading efforts to use ecologically-conscious packaging and its overall excellent service.)

Reviewer:

Adam C. Engst, TidBITS Editor