Friendly Tech Ninja Linux how-to's for beginners

18Jul/10

Howto: Use Dropbox to Sync Tomboy Notes on Ubuntu 10.04

dropbox-tomboy

Ubuntu by default comes with Ubuntu One, which is basically a Dropbox clone with a few cool additions. Ubuntu One has got some great desktop integration syncing which I really like, but unfortunately like most people I don't just work in an Ubuntu environment, so Ubuntu One just doesn't suite my needs. I want something that will sync all my files, Tomboy notes etc... cross-platform. So I've been using a feature in Tomboy that allows local folder syncing, which can take advantage of Dropbox's own syncing abilities. Basically what we're going to do is have Tomboy sync to a local folder which is located in the Dropbox folder.

Step 1
Navigate to your Dropbox/ folder and create a new folder called Tomboy.

Note: Remember you actually need Dropbox for this to work.

Step 2
Launch the Tomboy application from Applications->Accessories and then right click on the Tomboy icon in the system tray, click on Preferences.

Step 3
Navigate to the Synchronization tab and make the server Local Folder and the folder path the Tomboy folder we created in Step 1.

Step 4
Check the automatically sync box and adjust the time, I've got mine set to 5 mins, save and exit.

Your done! Now you can have access to your tomboy notes on all your systems.

Note: Tomboy is cross-platform as is Dropbox and I've tested this between Windows and Ubuntu and it works great!

If you found this helpful please leave a comment and subscribe.

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  3. Howto: Install Dropbox on Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx
  4. Howto: Install Dropbox on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala Beta
  5. Howto: Compile Dropbox from Source on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala
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  • Sandy Armstrong

    Tomboy supports Ubuntu One note syncing on all platforms. You use the same instructions in Ubuntu as you do in Windows and Mac. It does not require any Ubuntu One software to be installed on your system.

    Using the Local Folder sync backend with Dropbox can lead to unpredictable behavior and even note loss depending on latency issues, and is not recommended.

    For note sync, you should really stick with Ubuntu One for now.

    • http://friendlytechninja.com/ Jonathan

      I have used Ubuntu One to sync my notes cross-platform and it worked great, but I wanted more than just note syncing. I wanted to sync all my files too, if I just wanted to sync my notes I would defiantly only use Ubuntu One, I hope the Ubuntu One team come out with a cross-platform client soon as I think it would be good for business (selling online storage). As for unpredictable behavior with Local Folder sync, I haven’t had any problems at all.

      Ultimately I’d like to write a plugin for Tomboy that will work with the Dropbox API and behave just like Ubuntu One’s Tomboy sync.

      • Sandy Armstrong

        So why not use U1 for note sync and Dropbox for everything else?

        • http://friendlytechninja.com/ Jonathan

          It’s more so personal preference than anything else, I like the idea of using one service for all my online syncing instead of fragmenting it over multiple ones.

          I do however really like the web interface Ubuntu One has for notes.

          • Sandy Armstrong

            I understand not wanting to have multiple accounts and services, but I’m not kidding about the risk for data loss on Dropbox, so please back up your notes regularly if you plan to continue syncing with it. :-)

          • http://friendlytechninja.com/ Jonathan

            Dropbox keeps track of all the changes made to files so if something goes wrong I’ve got that to fall back on. I’m planning on writing a tutorial on Ubuntu One notes syncing too, so people that come here have options.

          • Sandy Armstrong

            Tomboy note syncing is not just a matter of synchronizing a collection of files. Without internal knowledge of how sync is implemented you would have significant trouble restoring your notes.

            U1 note sync is pretty well documented here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOne/Tutorials/Notes

  • http://friendlytechninja.com/ Jonathan

    I have used Ubuntu One to sync my notes cross-platform and it worked great, but I wanted more than just note syncing. I wanted to sync all my files too, if I just wanted to sync my notes I would defiantly only use Ubuntu One, I hope the Ubuntu One team come out with a cross-platform client soon as I think it would be good for business (selling online storage). As for unpredictable behavior with Local Folder sync, I haven't had any problems at all.

    Ultimately I'd like to write a plugin for Tomboy that will work with the Dropbox API and behave just like Ubuntu One's Tomboy sync.

  • Sandy Armstrong

    So why not use U1 for note sync and Dropbox for everything else?

  • http://friendlytechninja.com/ Jonathan

    It's more so personal preference than anything else, I like the idea of using one service for all my online syncing instead of fragmenting it over multiple ones.

    I do however really like the web interface Ubuntu One has for notes.

  • Sandy Armstrong

    I understand not wanting to have multiple accounts and services, but I'm not kidding about the risk for data loss on Dropbox, so please back up your notes regularly if you plan to continue syncing with it. :-)

  • http://friendlytechninja.com/ Jonathan

    Dropbox keeps track of all the changes made to files so if something goes wrong I've got that to fall back on. I'm planning on writing a tutorial on Ubuntu One notes syncing too, so people that come here have options.

  • Sandy Armstrong

    Tomboy note syncing is not just a matter of synchronizing a collection of files. Without internal knowledge of how sync is implemented you would have significant trouble restoring your notes.

    U1 note sync is pretty well documented here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOne/Tutorials/Notes

  • Sandy Armstrong

    Tomboy supports Ubuntu One note syncing on all platforms. You use the same instructions in Ubuntu as you do in Windows and Mac. It does not require any Ubuntu One software to be installed on your system.

    Using the Local Folder sync backend with Dropbox can lead to unpredictable behavior and even note loss depending on latency issues, and is not recommended.

    For note sync, you should really stick with Ubuntu One for now.

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