VERSOMATIC
Reviewed February 2008

What’s It Do?

Versomatic automatically tracks and archives all file changes in real time while you work without the need for backups, external drivers, or servers.


Does it do what it promises?

Reviewer 1: Yes. Versomatic will automatically and without user intervention backup all changes to files or documents in real time while you work, archiving them for retrieval as needed.

Reviewer 2: Yes, Versomatic saves any changes to documents created in a file with an exact time stamp. Once I created a new Word document, then closed it, (Word automatically prompts to save) Versomatic saved a copy. Any subsequent changes were saved with the time stamp making it possible to step back and see the original or any subsequent revisions easily.

Reviewer 3: Yes. Each time a file is saved, the last saved version is automatically put into a Versomatic database, which is located by default in its own folder in Documents and Settings, or in another specified location. There are both default, widely used programs, and default folders which are monitored by Versomatic, but these parameters can be modified to suit one's own needs and tastes. Deleted files are also stored in the Versomatic database, and can be undeleted if needed. Obviously, the database will grow as new files are added and old ones modified. Useless files can be eliminated or sections of the database can be purged. I have used Versomatic almost continually for several months, and am very pleased with it.


Was it easy to install?

Reviewer 1: Yes. A very straightforward, simple, and very small 1.86 MB download which even on dial-up will only take approximately two minutes to download and install. It installs quickly using a standard Installation Wizard and places no unnecessary icons but integrates itself into the Explorer right click menu. It does require restarting the computer upon installation.

Reviewer 2: Yes and no. The first installation seemed to go well, easy and quick. The problem was that it did not work at all. It launched with Windows as it was set to do but would not save any changes in my test documents or allow changes or additions to the preferences settings. I sent a support request via the company's Web page and they replied in about 1 ½ hours, very fast by today's standards. The problem seemed to be a glitched installation. A remove and reinstall fixed this problem and it worked fine after that.

Reviewer 3: Yes, it installs easily and quickly; however, Versomatic did not allow me to decide where to install the program, nor where to place its shortcuts. It also placed items in the start-up process without my permission. Although I do want to have it run all the time, I should always be allowed to make this decision, depending on my own needs and circumstances.


Good Points

Reviewer 1: I might as well admit right up front that I love this program. It is like a private access to time travel on one's computer. Have you ever needed or wanted to return to an earlier version of a file or document you were working on? Even a version just minutes or seconds old? Maybe the revisions you have made no longer look as good as you thought they did when you originally made them and wish now you had not? Or worse, maybe you deleted a document and now regret it. If you can answer yes to any of these situations, then Versomatic may be just what you have been looking for. Versomatic keeps track of any changes made to a document, saving each change as a new version from five to 1,000 in a protected archive (the location of which can be specified). It gets to work immediately after installation but the user may want to access the program's preferences to tell Versomatic what file types to ignore. MPEGs and chat transcripts are excluded by default but otherwise Versomatic will keep versions of nearly everything done on a computer. By default it will monitor the Windows Desktop and Documents Folder) so its reach should be limited.. It is also set by default to save thirty revisions of each document or file but, again through preferences, this can be set to any number between five and 1,000. The GUI is about as simple as it can be with two different views, tabs for configuring the application to launch on start-up, a tab for changing the above stated preferences, a tab for setting up directories of folders for Versomatic to monitor, and a tab for archiving options. [See illustrations following]

From this point on there is almost nothing left for the user to do. For the majority of time, the only screen presence of the application is a taskbar icon. Unlike many such applications, even those found in some versions of Microsoft Word, each separate revision is not kept inside the file itself. Instead, simply right-click a file to view a menu showing all previous revisions. [See following illustration] Clicking a version's entry opens it in the native editor.

Older versions can then be purged, but only at an interval set by the user. Versomatic works with all file types and applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, CAD, HTML, TXT, RTF, JPG photos, etc. There are no buttons and nothing to remember to do until a previous or lost version of a file must be retrieved. Versomatic uses very little noticeable resources. There is free support offered through online request with an interesting "apology" that it could take up to 24 hours for a response (if only every support entity could even promise twice that time, most of us would be pleased!). I had no need for support of any kind but did send a "test" request which was answered in less than two hours! While a $50.00 price tag is admittedly high, the first time I must recover a 32-page Word document when I failed to save the original (as I have done too many times to my horror) the $50.00 price becomes quite inexpensive. This is another of those all-too-rare products that offers only to do one thing but does it perfectly forever, and that in itself is almost priceless. Versomatic has my highest praise and unmitigated recommendation.

Reviewer 2: This can be a very useful addition to a writer's tool kit. There is an old saying about "The speech you wrote, the one you gave and the one you wish you had given." It's very true. Even now, after submitting a review to NNT, I can go back and see improvements I could have made to the article.

Reviewer 3: This is a program that has identified a specific niche need, and fills it extremely well. Although there are some programs that allow saving versions of files, those versions are tied to that particular file. If that file is deleted or otherwise corrupted, all the saved versions will disappear or be corrupted at the same time. Since Versomatic saves revisions separately from that file and in a completely different folder, there is essentially a chronological series of backups that can be recovered and used immediately by the program that created it. As well, Versomatic can work with any program at all, so all this takes place transparently in the background, without any further user input. For the work that I do for my clients, I use a specialized program that saves files in its own unique format, unreadable by any other program at all. Once Versomatic knows where to find the data files, it keeps all the revisions to those files just as easily as it does with the more common file types such as .doc, .txt and .xls. One can define how many versions of a file should be kept. The default is 15, but that number can be decreased or set as high as 99. Any one of the saved versions can be opened as "read-only" and only the current version can be revised, modified, and saved. In the "Version Manager" screen, comments can be added for any of files. To work on one of the older files, hold down the shift key when clicking on it and a copy will be added to its current folder with the time and date added on to the filename. Another excellent feature is the ability to select any one of the revisions and "export" it in .zip format. This makes it handy for attaching to an email or for archiving. When it is "unzipped", it will have the original name of the file with the version number added to it. As only the original author would have access to the different version numbers, this could useful to prove authorship. The Versomatic database (where all versions of all saved files are stored) is in its own separate folder, away from the working directory. If the working folder gets lost or corrupted, all previous versions will be unaffected. The Versomatic folder can be added to scheduled backups for further safety. The Version Manage displays all files, either listed alphabetically, or in a tree structure that mirrors the original location of each file. Even with all these functions, the program is very easy to use. At the beginning of the Help file, there is a very simple introduction under the section "Basic Operation." In the unlikely event technical support is needed, there is an online support form on the Web site. Response is well within the 24 hours promised and dealt with my questions effectively and courteously.


Weak Points

Reviewer 1: I have been playing with this software for the almost three months and have yet to find a serious flaw. This seems to be a rock-solid program. While, as mentioned above, the program uses barely any noticeable resources and its presence will rarely be detected when saving revisions to large multimedia files there will be some slight lag. I edited a 323MB multimedia file and there was a slight lag every time I saved the file while Versomatic archived that particular revision; however, no such lag was every detected with word-processing files, spreadsheets, or presentations. It would be nice if there were a preview function for the revisions, and I think with a $50.00 program an automatic updates option should be available; otherwise, this application works perfectly.

Reviewer 2: Other than the installation issues at first, I had no problems with Versomatic.

Reviewer 3: The online Support Requests asks for the Version and build number of the program and your registration information. Normally, this is not something that I have readily at hand. The developers should consider adding that information to the About dialog box under the Help Menu. And if they could add the ability to easily capture that information and paste it into the Online Support Form, this would greatly simplify the Support request feature. I also noted that there is no ability to attach files to the support request. I often like to attach screen captures to support requests to help to clarify questions that I am submitting. I suggest that this be added to the support request system.


Other Comments

Reviewer 1: Anyone familiar with Macs should recognize the name of Acertant Technologies, the developers of Versomatic. Acertant has long been respected as a software developer for Mac so it comes as no surprise that there excellent design extends to their Windows application as well.

Reviewer 2: I found this to be a very versatile and flexible program. Versomatic can track changes in many more file types than one would expect. While programs such as Microsoft Word have a "track changes" function, these changes are saved in one big file. This is vulnerability. If that file becomes corrupted, everything is lost. Versomatic saves each version as a separate file, thereby adding a layer or two of safety. While Excel has track changes, other applications do not even have the version manager capability. Some have "undo" functions to revert to an earlier version of the current work in progress but everything is lost in between. If the work has been saved, there is no undo. This can be a problem if the application has "auto-save" enabled. Versomatic offers flexibility. By using the tabs in the Preferences property sheet, many parameters can be set for each user's style.. Adjustable items are startup, file types monitored or ignored, directories monitored or ignored, number of revisions to save and amount of disk space to use for the archive as well as where it is located. All these settings have defaults to start with so one can start using Versomatic "out-of-the-box"; but, it's nice to be able to tweak a program to one's liking.

Reviewer 3: Although some may consider using Versomatic as a backup program, I would recommend that it be added to a good backup strategy as an additional feature to that plan. I recently lost all the data on all internal drives on my computer but eventually was able to recover almost everything. Had I not been using programs specifically designed to backup my data outside of the physical machine, I would have been in much more serious difficulties. Versomatic stores its data on a folder on a drive in my computer. I use a backup program to store all my data, including the Versomatic folder, to external media. I would not be comfortable in depending only on Versomatic as a backup strategy, nor do I think it was designed to be used that way. Although I do not have a Macintosh to test the program, I note that it will run on Mac's as well as PC's.


Will you continue to use it?

Reviewer 1: Most definitely. I cannot imagine word processing without it!

Reviewer 2: Yes, it's very useful since I write a lot.

Reviewer 3: Yes. It has joined a small, elite group of must-have utilities on my computer.

OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home

Back