Why can't my computer copy multiple files?

Dear Apple and Microsoft,

(And all others who don't feel confident about their operating system after reading this.)

Recently, I prepared to re-install a computer by backing up files to my NAS (network attached storage), and dragged-and-dropped all personal folders to a new folder on it. After calculating how long it would take to copy the files, copying began with an estimated duration of a couple of hours (there were a lot of files to copy), and I left the computer alone to work.

After a while I returned to check how the computer was doing, and it wasn't doing good. A dialogue told me that a file couldn't be copied because its name was too long or held an invalid character. I clicked OK (or something like that) to accept the situation, and the dialogue box disappeared and copying stopped.

However, copying wasn't finished - it was broken! After the file with an invalid name, nothing more had been copied. To continue copying the remaining files, I had to browse to the last copied file in the last copied folder, and manually copy them to the NAS. I then had to repeat this for every folder all the way up to the root folder for the backup, before I could continue with the other folders that hadn't been copied.

Then, copying broke again, and I had to repeat the procedure once more. And it broke. And I continued. And it broke. And I continued. And I don't know how many times copying broke, but eventually I got all the files backed up. Except those with an invalid file name.

Now, the interesting thing here isn't that copying breaks, but that it continues to do so more than 25 years after the computer became personal. I really don't understand why computers can't deal more gracefully with errors like this.

Here's how it could be:

When a file cannot be copied, log it and continue with the next file. After an attempt to copy all files has been made, bring up a dialogue with the log of erroneous files from which the user can investigate each file, for example by opening its folder and take a closer look at the file name. Or even better, assist the user on how to correct the error - if the file name is invalid, give the user an easy way to change it! When the user has corrected or selected to ignore the errors, let her/him make another attempt at copying the remaining files. Repeat until the user has corrected or ignored all errors.

This way, the user gets control of the powerful tool a computer can be, but isn't as long as it cannot cope with simple situations like copying multiple files in a useful manner.

And finally: It shouldn't take 25 years to correct this. 25 hours would be more like it.


Kind regards,
Asbjørn Floden

Please update Polar Protrainer to include elevation data in GPX file

Dear Polar,

I use the RS800CX heart rate monitor with the G3 GPS receiver to track where I go, and use Polar Protrainer to download the track to my computer before I upload it to an online service such as Everytrail.com.

However, although I've activated elevation/altitude recording in the RS800CX this data is not included in the .gpx file. Consequently, I have to:

1. Import the .hrm and .gpx files into Sporttracks,
2. export a .fitlog file from Sporttracks, and then
3. convert the .fitlog file into a .gpx file with elevation data using TCX converter.

It would be a whole lot easier if Polar ProTrainer could embed elevation data into the .gpx file directly - preferrably with automatic update when elevation/altitude data is changed in ProTrainer (using the Error Correction tool).

Kind regards,
Asbjørn Floden

Private appointments take place Out of Office

Dear Microsoft,

When creating a private appointment in my Microsoft Outlook (2007) calendar at work, I mark them private to prevent others from seeing what it's about. Not that I don't want to tell people what I'm doing - I just don't want to share it with everyone at the office.

In addition, as most, if not all, my private appointment takes place outside the office, I also mark them as "Out of Office", telling colleagues that I won't be around.

Based on an assumption that most people plan their private appointments to take place outside the office, I suggest that marking an appointment private automatically makes it show as Out of Office:



To more clearly visualize this dependency, the private button (and possibly the importance buttons) should also be moved towards the left hand side of the Options panel in the appointment ribbon.


Kind regards,

Asbjørn Floden