[VincentA]

I need to write up notes of work each day, put them into a set format, then email them to clients. The whole process takes between 1-3 hours, and has to be compliant with UK data protection law throughout (i.e. no use of Simplenote, Dropbox, or the Omnisync servers)

Quality of life has improved greatly since getting an iPad so the bulk of the work now gets done on the train during my (2-3 hour) commute - much harder for nosey fellow-commuters to see what I'm up to than with a 13" MBP! The clunky bit is moving the notes from iPad to Macbook Pro so I can finish off the process at home.

Question:
Do current OO users reckon that it would be workable in practice for me to do the following:
1. compose notes in OO on iPad
2. export as txt or rtf to (secure, EU located) webdav server over 3G connection (possibly several versions of the same set of notes during the course of the journey)
3. on arrival at home, download notes to MBP from webdav server and then add to required form using preferred word processor.
4. delete OO iPad file - no longer required.

Thanks!

[whpalmer4]

Why not just use the USB cable and iTunes to move the file directly to the MBP when you get home, and avoid all the fuss? Not clear to me why you want to export the work-in-progress as the train rattles along. If you need to save multiple versions, just duplicate the document in the document chooser and continue on. If you are truly concerned about security of the data (as opposed to being concerned about following the letter of the law), skipping the part where you broadcast it to the world on the way to your hopefully secure server seems like a good thing.

[VincentA]

Thanks Whpalmer - to the point as ever.

To answer your question - all the iOS devices in the house are linked to an iTunes account on our mac mini media server / backup machine, not my "work" MBP, so syncing via iTunes is not preferred.

Your point about the risk of cellular as opposed to IP packet sniffing is interesting - hadn't thought of that, I wonder how real the risk is - I certainly take great care with public wireless networks..........

The final piece of the jigsaw is that I'm working out new ways of doing things having had my first iPad stolen last week. One of the most infuriating things about what happened was that I lost the day's work. As with all security, it's about tradeoffs. In a perfect world, Simplenote would be ideal for my needs.......

I strongly endorse the use of 'find my iPad!' and its remote wipe facility!

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by VincentA

To answer your question - all the iOS devices in the house are linked to an iTunes account on our mac mini media server / backup machine, not my "work" MBP, so syncing via iTunes is not preferred.

This is something that fools a number of people, I think. You don't actually have to sync the device to send or receive files from apps that support file transfer through iTunes. To retrieve a file from your iPad, you plug it in, launch iTunes, click on the iPad in the source list on the left, click on Apps along the top, then scroll the window to the bottom where you'll find a list of apps which support file transfer. Select OmniOutliner, go to the right-hand panel, select your file, and click Save To... and choose your destination. That's it, no sync required, no association of iOS device and computer established. If you want to add a file to the iOS device, the procedure is the same except you click Add... instead of Save To... and choose the file you wanted to install. Here's an Apple support document on the topic: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4094

Your point about the risk of cellular as opposed to IP packet sniffing is interesting - hadn't thought of that, I wonder how real the risk is - I certainly take great care with public wireless networks..........

Well, sniffing, or breaking into the server, or whatever it might be, those are all avenues of vulnerability that exist in addition to keeping the data on your iPad. I make no representation of the size of such risks, other than that they exist. You can eliminate them by not availing yourself of those services, but as you've painfully discovered, if someone nicks the iPad, you lose the work that exists only there. There's also the question of the security of the data on the iPad in the case it is stolen, but that's a concern whether or not you sent a copy off to the server unless you were going to securely erase from the iPad after doing so (and then you open yourself up to the possibility that something goes wrong with the server!) Might be an excuse to get that Gehrer Sharp case you've always wanted, with smoke/dye, sound alarm and GPS tracking :)

[VincentA]

Thanks again - had no idea about the file sharing feature.