Replace MobileMe with an open source server

I actually tried this out once a couple of years ago. Some small details have changed but it's still a messy process and can break your regular connections to the Apple web sites and it took a while to clean up my client computer to get it back to normal so it was functional with my .mac account. In the end, I have a big file server at home for local stuff (Mac Mini with 8 TB attached array), GetDropBox for stuff I need in multiple locations readily, and .mac (or now .me/MobileMe) for syncing keychains, bookmarks, and address lists.

Replace MobileMe with an open source server: "Instead of using Apple's MobileMe account and losing control over your data, you can instead use dotmac for data synchronization and iDisk-like storage space. It requires a machine running either Linux or OS X with Apache and some Perl modules installed. It works fine here with OS X 10.5.5.



[robg adds: I hadn't heard of this project before, and it looks intriguing, claiming to support data sync for any app that uses .Mac (iCal, Address Book, etc.), iDisk-like remote storage, and support for Backup. Note that the setup process requires a fair bit of work in Terminal. Also, if you want the true benefits of .Mac (offsite hosted storage available anywhere), you'll need to set up your replacement server in the same manner. I haven't tested this one.]








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(Via Clippings.)