Multiple Sync Channels
This post got me thinking. Why do you not allow multiple sync services to be configured? This would remove much of "must support all platforms" rationale since you could chain syncs.
In the linked example, iOS would be configured to sync on both dropbox and iCloud effectively acting as a bridge between Windows and the locked down Mac.
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That was indeed possible (as I think you are already aware) pre-4.5 on iOS. There were just too many problems with it to continue providing that functionality. Sync is an extremely hard thing to do well. Heck, there are still issues with just a single sync source. We just couldn't justify the pain it created for so many users.
It's one of those things about which one could easily say, "Well, it worked fine for me," but when we make these kinds of decisions we need to take into account every user. If something isn't working up to our standards for everyone then we need to rethink it. I don't know of any plans to bring it back, but the future stretches out quite far in front of us. Perhaps it will return someday. I'll make sure the devs know you are interested in it!
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Nope, no idea. I'm allergic to Apple. ;-)
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Ah. Then it was an unusual request considering that and mighty altruistic of you. :)
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Why is multiple syncs so hard? I'd have thought it would simply be a case of run one single sync followed by second single sync, or am I missing something obvious?
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I'm not one of the devs, so I can't speak to all the details. However, it certainly does make tracking down any syncing bugs exponentially harder. If multiple sync stores get into a bad state it can cause much more damage than if there is just a "simple" local data store and sync data store. Think of it like the children's game "telephone". The more complexity you add, the greater the chance of failure and the lower the chance of quickly finding where the problem is.
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