"Dropbox' utility will be phased out soon"
Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
101–110 of 153 posts
Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#102Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
"When I say that their "My Documents" folder is a level above their Dropbox folder, I get a blank stare." You might get a blank stare, because Windows itself has been trying (somewhat unsuccessfully) to move away from this hierarchical model, blurring this metaphor. Consider the Libraries feature, which can essentially collect many folders (My Documents, Dropbox\Documents) and can represent them as a single virtual l…
The dropbox folder can be chosen at installation time, so apparently he chose to put it inside the Documents folder.
I think some earlier versions of dropbox client had the folder be in Documents by default and then they changed it.
Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#104My decision to abandon Dropbox in favor of Google Drive seems to have been the correct one, if they're going to go the route of removing functionality and keeping their prices static.
(Note: I'm aware that Google Drive doesn't have this function. I don't use it for that anyways.)
Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#105Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
Most people (as in the majority of the population with access to digital media) have a very difficult time understanding that the filesystem is a hierarchy. I'm always espousing the necessity of backups to my friends/family, which means I've usually got the role of setting up a Dropbox account for someone without a technical background. When I say that their "My Documents" folder is a level above their Dropbox folder…
> a very difficult time understanding that the filesystem is a hierarchy. You are obviously right. But people have been using hierarchies for millennia, e.g. the military ones. Illiterate peasants had no trouble with legion, cohort, centuria, contubernia. I wonder if the cognitive problem is that the classic file system is an ungraded, unlimited hierarchy - all folders are equal, and you can not find a folders "grade…
I'm toying with the idea that the problem is due to Apple and Microsoft's decisions to obfuscate the entire metaphor.
With the unix filesystem, "/" is the quintessential representation of the ungraded, unlimited hierarchy. Once I understand what you mean by the word "root," and that root is represented by "/", I can intuitively understand this hierarchy.
With Windows, this "ungraded, unlimited" nature is terribly obscured by the Drive metaphor, as well as the creation of special "My" folders and libraries. In my experience, most users never venture out of these special folders to explore the rest of the filesystem. It's little wonder, now that I think about it, that this is so difficult for users: most never see the filesystem as a real hierarchy, only as the segmented randomness of the "My Computer" window. Mac OS is slightly better, but still retains many of the same metaphors through the styling of the initial Finder window and the home directory.
Perhaps the issue is not one of conception but simply the UX that serves as educator for these basic ideas.
Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except now Firefox actually wants to download it instead of just displaying it.
On the other hand, it seems that if you stick that ?dl=1 link into an src, it still downloads and displays.
But that isn't good enough. I show people screenshots by tossing the public URL into an IM or IRC chat all the time. It's good for that because it requires no effort from me to upload the file, and viewing the image is seamless for the recipient (click the link, see the picture). Under the new system, clicking the link would (at best) initiate a file download, which is far more annoying.
Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#108Houston, we have a problem. Just about the only thing I use Dropbox for is the public folder. I've gotten many of my friends and collaborators to sign up for the service, based on the recommendation of this very feature. It's been a real boon for rapidly iterating front end mock ups. Dropping support for what Dropbox evidently regards as "edge use cases" is not how you "build the next Apple or Google". The Public fol…
I think you are overreacting. Are you serious about using the public folder for "rapidly iterating front end mock ups"? Why would you want to put sensitive and confidential data for everyone in the world to see?
I often use the feature the same way. It's only "up for everyone in the world to see" if everyone has the URL, and nothing I ever share is so sensitive that the risk of someone bruteforcing all of the possible file/folder names in my Public folder poses a threat. (I imagine Dropbox would catch on to such attempts at the network level, anyway.)
Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#109I don't mind the splash page, but I do mind the obfuscated links. Previously, I could just tell the name of file to the friend who new my public folder address. The 'get link' feature adds garbage in the link that nobody can hope to remember.
I mind the splash page (and content disposition headers).
1. For quickly showing ideas/images/screenshots to friends/colleagues, it becomes an ordeal. (Okay, click through a marketing page, then the file starts to download, then they need to open the file in an image viewer, then they need to find and delete the file. All this instead of click, see, close tab.)
2. It breaks the process of embedding media into web pages / forum posts / etc.
3. It breaks the process of being able to say, throw together some HTML, CSS, Javascript files, and images into a folder under /Public and have the public URL function in a browser.
Re: Dropbox' Public/ folders will be phased out soon
#110A hint to everyone: If you got the link, made by "Get link", and you don't like the innecessary preview in browser, just add "?dl=1" to the end of the link example: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1axoy96uwa80wko/matfyzak%20%281%29... - ugly preview page https://www.dropbox.com/s/1axoy96uwa80wko/matfyzak%20%281%29... - sane PDF link
Dropbox support offered up the ?dl=1 querystring as the solution to permanent, public URLs when I emailed them, but I have the same issue with the fact that the files are forced to download. If they're going to stick with Dropbox branded preview for public URLs, I'd like to at least see a similar ?view=1 querystring to keep images/pdfs/etc.. displaying directly in the browser.