Is Google Docs a backup utility?

Well, not exactly. Google Docs is a web application which you can use to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations which are compatible with Microsoft office.  A backup utility is an application which takes all of your files and copies them to another location other than your computer’s hard drive, usually with the option of having multiple copies in case you need to go back to a previous version.
Having said that, Google Docs allows you to upload any file or folder to the cloud (Google’s part of it) which is a different location than your local hard drive. This will only provide you with only one copy of your file or folder but at least it is one. You will find the instructions for doing this in Google help. Please Note: Although Drag-and-drop is included in the instructions, the browsers installed in Ubuntu are not currently compatible with this feature. You are advised to use the “File upload” method.
You say “…but Kupp, I have a lot of files I need to backup” Well, you are in luck. Google now allows you to upload multiple documents at once. Luckily there is a way to do this which is oddly enough described on the same instructions under “How to upload folders”.  (In Ubuntu you will need to either install a Java applet or the Chrome browser in order to do this.)
That’s all well and good, but what if you already have your documents on Google Docs? What do you do for a backup then?  Well, the procedure for downloading one or more documents is pretty easy and is documented here. All of these procedures will only provide one backup of your files at a time but I will tell you more about other methods in future posts.
I realize I haven’t been posting for awhile but I will pick up the pace a little now that we are full swing into a new year. Keep an eye on this space for more in the next few days.
If there is something your want to know about Whitfield’s technology please feel free to drop me a note at matt.kuppinger@whitfieldschool.org.