I'm glad options like this exist. I worry about timely security updates and the hassle of setting up the sync solution. The worst middle-ground is being a free user of Dropbox. If you're a paid customer, you get less naggy upsells at least.
Computers as I used to love them
151–160 of 265 posts
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Dropbox (and iCloud) are meant more for cloud file storage than pure device-to-device synce Device to device sync was literally the value prop for Dropbox when it launched > 10 years ago. That's why I started using it. Dropbox does now allow a more cloud-native file system / cloud backup usage pattern, but its roots are absolutely "keep my files in sync across several computers."
That was 10 years ago. Yes, I also started using it because of that. These days the the more important feature (at least for me) is being able to offload rarely used files from my drive. SSDs in MacBooks are still crazy expensive.
> being able to offload rarely used files from my drive.
> SSDs in MacBooks are still crazy expensive.
It sounds like an archival usage rather than syncing or sharing usage.
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
That was 10 years ago. Yes, I also started using it because of that. These days the the more important feature (at least for me) is being able to offload rarely used files from my drive. SSDs in MacBooks are still crazy expensive.
> That was 10 years ago. That's exactly what the article author is saying.
This comment thread is about how the author doesn’t seem to realize that the motive of these services has changed in response to fewer and fewer users wanting a sync solution versus a backup solution.
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#154Oh good, more out of touch drivel on the front page of HN so people can gently reminisce about the good ol’ days. This article is absurd, from premise to conclusion, and it took me a moment to realize it’s not a satire of itself.
1. Dropbox and Syncthing are two different tools with two different use cases targeting two different kinds of users. I doubt they even see themselves in competition as surely the users are quite different. I stopped caring about direct sync when workstation computers were no longer the hub of my computer use…
2. …seriously it’s a mobile first world and you expect people to take Syncthing seriously as a Dropbox replacement?
3. The author is mad about things like “accounts” and “2FA” and “Gatekeeper”. Sounds like they should go back to XP. I’m sure it works the way they used to love. Once again, comparing modern best practices with your power user impatience and impetuousness doesn’t prove your point in any capacity.
4. This assumed power user is complaining about making an alias for the iCloud folder? And uses spaces in pathnames? If you’re a programmer this isn’t unusable because if you’re a programmer you should know better. I agree with the author that the iCloud folder should be more visible on the CLI, but unusable? Strange how I’ve been using it daily. Guess I’m not a True Programmer.
5. What Dropbox UI is the author complaining about in the “Power Mode” section? A file picker directly copied from MacOS Finder but with checkboxes? This has to be a troll.
6. The author is mad about calendar sync because apparently they can’t read basic copy on the Dropbox website that never markets the app as a “FILE SYNCHRONIZATION” service (boomer-level emphasis theirs). I don’t use Dropbox either because it turns out I don’t need a full teamwork collaboration tool - what Dropbox actually markets themselves as. This is a platform of work related tooling, not simply “commercial Syncthing.” I imagine calendar tools as being part of this (clearly) stated goal.
7. “Wait there’s more!” Please no. I think that’s quite enough.
Everyone can like what they like, but this is encroaching on “old man yells at cloud” territory.
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#155I'll preface this by saying I switched from Dropbox to Syncthing a long time ago and I love Syncthing.
I also love Nik Tonsky's writing but he's serious misrepresenting the ease of Syncthing in this post. He initially describes it as:
You download a single binary executable. You run it. There’s no step three.
No, seriously. It’s so simple I thought I missed something. But no. After you run that binary, you have a fully operational node of Syncthing. It’s ready to sync with any other Syncthing node, no other setup necessary.
BUT, then he goes on and explains the complex setup involved with Syncthing, which if it were explained screen by screen, like he did with Dropbox, would look even more tedious and complex.
You're not going to switch to Syncthing because it's so much easier.
1. Maestral: For those who use macOS or Linux and want to stick with Dropbox for some reason, give Maestral a try. It's a free, open source app that does what Dropbox originally did: sync a folder.
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Dropbox (and iCloud) are meant more for cloud file storage than pure device-to-device synce Device to device sync was literally the value prop for Dropbox when it launched > 10 years ago. That's why I started using it. Dropbox does now allow a more cloud-native file system / cloud backup usage pattern, but its roots are absolutely "keep my files in sync across several computers."
That was 10 years ago. Yes, I also started using it because of that. These days the the more important feature (at least for me) is being able to offload rarely used files from my drive. SSDs in MacBooks are still crazy expensive.
Why not buy an external drive instead? You could also use it as a backup.
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#157This is why I love open-source and put up with oddities in Linux / BSD / CLI tools / whatever. They're liberating to use. They don't try to sell you stuff. You're in control & it does what it says on the tin.
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
The truth is: you’re not the customer that Dropbox wants. Not offering reasonable storage for a reasonable price is a way to keep users that they don’t want away from their service. Just like 1Password. They are extremely non subtle in pushing users that want local vault away from their customer base.
I didn't know 1pass had changed. Glad I ditched them for Bitwarden a few years back. However I think bitwarden makes their backend complicated enough to scare off casual users of it like me who thought about hosting their own backend :) .
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#159I've been using Syncthing for about a year now, with multiple computers, and it's fantastic. Dropbox has become a real pain over the years (I've also been a paid Dropbox customer for a long time): * adding bloat and features that I don't want or need * constantly nagging me for upgrades * lying that the admin password is required (it isn't) * consuming large amounts of CPU when anything changes anywhere in the filesy…
Can you summarize what they maybe introduced/fixed to quell your old review? > over the last week, syncthing has corrupted my git repository twice. I reported this as an issue, but the issue was immediately closed with an explanation I disagree with. > I no longer trust syncthing until this gets resolved, unfortunately. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23660438 — I would absolutely be syncing directories containi…
FWIW I sync my ~/code directory, which I work on quite regularly, between a few macs and linux machines using syncthing. I've never faced corruption and I've been using this setup for 2 or 3 years now. The directory holds about 150 git repos / 50GB / 500k files/folders.
Re: Computers as I used to love them
#160The biggest gap I've noticed in SyncThing right now is that their iOS client doesn't work well. It's a third party solution you have to pay for, and it can't sync into app folders or the new iOS file paradigm introduced in recent versions of iOS.
I'd love to switch over to SyncThing, but it would be next to useless on my iPad Pro, so I'm stuck using the incredibly buggy NextCloud filesync solution.