How Dropbox Hacks Your Mac • Hacker News Board

Re: How Dropbox Hacks Your Mac

#431

Post by Blaisorblade0 » Fri, Sep 16, 2016, 10:47 AM UTC

tinus_hn wrote: post #429

pkamb wrote: post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really see the point of banning Accessibility apps that can't be sandboxed but then allowing those same apps to be distributed outside the Mac App Store. Unless you're banning them from macOS entirely, why not allow these potentially "dangerous" apps to operate underneath the additional Reviews and Guidelines of the App Store?

Because an app being on the App Store creates an expectation that cannot be met without the sandbox. Without the source code and large amounts of resources it is not possible to determine whether an app is malicious or not. The only way would be for Apple to trust that developers actually do what they say they do. The unfortunate reality is that they cannot be trusted. I don't blame Apple for not taking that responsi…

Many app stores (even for smartphone) have sandboxes where you can grant additional privileges. Of course the user (who else) has to decide whether they trust the app or not. But I'd be happier trusting a sandboxed Dropbox, especially because it couldn't have hidden its use of Accessibility.

Re: How Dropbox Hacks Your Mac

#432

Post by Blaisorblade0 » Fri, Sep 16, 2016, 11:30 AM UTC

ptomato wrote: post #397

teacup50 wrote: post #395

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seamless "filesystem integration" -- which includes the Finder badging -- was central to what made Dropbox a novel product. It's also a very useful feature that served people well.

Their filesystem integration would have been just as seamless without the badging. I admit the badging is a useful feature, and certainly made Dropbox better but by no means is it core to the product.

You're talking past each other — other, more fundamental features used to require hacking OS X. See for instance https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12467149. IIRC ArsTechnica wrote at some point that monkey-patching Mac OS/Mac OS X was standard on the platform.

Re: How Dropbox Hacks Your Mac

#433

Post by JANorman » Wed, Sep 21, 2016, 4:14 PM UTC

stridera wrote: post #412

niutech wrote: post #387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seafile ( https://www.seafile.com ) and ownCloud ( https://owncloud.org ) both are open source and have mobile apps. Worth checking!

box.com as well. We have free accounts, hipaa/gov grade encryption and security, and lots of collaboration options. :)

Have you tried StorageMadeEasy.com ? Connects to dropbox and other clouds too.

Re: How Dropbox Hacks Your Mac

#434

Post by thingexplainer » Thu, Sep 22, 2016, 3:19 AM UTC

Sir_Cmpwn wrote: post #420

thingexplainer wrote: post #419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> how often do you audit source code? > You would be surprised! How often do you audit OwnCloud's source code? (I'd describe it as "naive.")

I actually don't use OwnCloud, so never.

Something to consider when you're comparing products based on "trustworthiness."

Re: How Dropbox Hacks Your Mac

#435

Post by niutech » Thu, Sep 22, 2016, 9:08 AM UTC

stridera wrote: post #412

niutech wrote: post #387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seafile ( https://www.seafile.com ) and ownCloud ( https://owncloud.org ) both are open source and have mobile apps. Worth checking!

box.com as well. We have free accounts, hipaa/gov grade encryption and security, and lots of collaboration options. :)

But it isn't open source.