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Why we are leaving Dropbox

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Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#101

Post by Freaky »

eevilspock wrote: post #78
xomateix wrote: post #17

I've been using copy.com for a while and I'm quite happy with it. The main reason I chose it (at the time) was 20GB for free accounts, fair storage in shared folders and pricing (I have the 250GB account). (Disclaimer: this is a referral link that will give us 5gb https://copy.com?r=b2yUAQ ;-))

I can't figure out whether they have client-side encryption with a user-specific encryption key that they do not have access to.

Doesn't look like it. They have an API you could throw encrypted blobs at with a bit of work at least.

Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#102

Post by toxican »

fit2rule wrote: post #72

The most frustrating thing for me, while watching a new generation of users grow up on Dropbox and similar functionality, is that this sort of thing should really be in the Operating System by now, as a standard feature. But it seems the OS vendors have lost their way and are chasing shiny colors and new hardware, as usual. Wasn't so long ago you kind of expected a new filesharing technology to be built-in to the ope…

Can't say I'm surprised considering every single major OS has its own cloud service. Why would Apple, MS, Google help people not use iCloud, OneDrive, and Google Drive?

Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#103

Post by snowwindwaves »

drikerf wrote: post #94

I use Dropbox for notes and documents using terminal, VIM and markdown format. Beats Google docs every day if you don't need live collaboration.

I use google docs to share works in progress with coworkers for their review and comments. I am considering mark down with git for revision control and then i can use pandoc to publish in latex.

How does Dropbox make this better than google docs or different from the network drive we all access on the company server by VPN?

Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#104

Post by seanp2k2 »

xasos wrote: post #66
jayvanguard wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. Innovation is not what I want out of Dropbox. I want stability, speed, and continued bug fixes. The one point I agree with him on though is that the web interface could use some work.

This is what happened with Google. The innovated on the UI front multiple times, and I'm really starting to dislike their new design changes on Drive, GMail (by way of Inbox), etc.

But a big blue + button in the bottom-right corner totally makes sense as "file -> new" on a desktop interface! What's not to like?!

Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#105

Post by seanp2k2 »

wordbank wrote: post #89
lazerwalker wrote: post #77

I've moved away from Dropbox purely because the desktop (OS X) app has gotten so terrible. Besides the lack of responsiveness mentioned in the article, Dropbox routinely takes up > 90% of my CPU resources while running. If I'm working at a coffee shop without power, having Dropbox running literally halves my battery life. This is new as of the last six months, and happens consistently across multiple Macs. I've asked…

Oh yes, I wrote to their support and forums many times but it was futile. I'm using Mac Mini with HDD and Dropbox takes 90% of disk I/O when there are more than 20-30 files updating. I used to keep my projects in Dropbox folder before but now it literally slows my work.

Exactly the same situation; projects folder in Dropbox, had to move it out because it would use 100% of one core very frequently.

Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#106

Post by baldfat »

vivab0rg wrote: post #44
baldfat wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I think BitTorrent Sync has something I really like. I am in the middle of evaluating SyncThing (Open Source project that is similar) I really like BTSync for th following: 1) Like git the copies are on local machines 2) I control the servers and I control the folders that are shared 3) Super fast in a local network 4) You can use whatever encryption you want and it works perfectly 5) You can selectively s…

Have you already upgraded to the "PRO" version? I've been using it on Linux for about a year and just recently a "7 days left" appeared on the Web UI.

That is the reason why I am thinking of syncthing for myself. I need to look at syncthing's mobile apps. https://syncthing.net

I believe you can downgrade to a btsync 1.X and keep it forever.

Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#107

Post by steven777400 »

DenisM wrote: post #34

One problem we have witnessed with Dropbox is that low-tech users tends to delete files they don't personally need. Often times this causes deletion of the files for the entire company. Resultingly admins are afraid to share file access with users, and users are afraid to cause problems, so they ask admins to email the files instead, which sort of puts you back at the square one. We might be approaching a point where…

This is a confusing case even for non "low-tech" users. I had a shared dropbox folder with a friend. I was done with my copy of the files, so I deleted them because I was close to my dropbox space limit. He freaked out because dropbox then deleted them from his drive too. In retrospect, I guess it makes sense, but the idea that a delete would propagate was certainly not the expected behavior.

Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#108

Post by fennecfoxen »

eevilspock wrote: post #62
fennecfoxen wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like that this new thing where we declare our political enemies anathema and refuse to do business with anything they're affiliated with. I think we need to escalate a little, though, and start boycotting every business that uses Dropbox, too. Also, Stanford. It's the only way to effect justice in this crazy messed-up world.

It's not about political enemies. It's about what choosing her says to me and many other people about Dropbox, their ethics and their priorities. Iraq war aside, the attitude of a board member about government power and the NSA's ability to snoop on any and all your data, in secret, protected by gag orders, is extremely relevant for a cloud service and for anyone who thinks what the NSA is doing is wrong. Are you say…

No, I'm saying I'm cynical about everyone's motives in this space, and suspect that there's a reason you lead with naming a bogeyman instead of just accusing the company of being NSA stooges.

Re: Why we are leaving Dropbox

#110

Post by eevilspock »

fennecfoxen wrote: post #108
eevilspock wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about political enemies. It's about what choosing her says to me and many other people about Dropbox, their ethics and their priorities. Iraq war aside, the attitude of a board member about government power and the NSA's ability to snoop on any and all your data, in secret, protected by gag orders, is extremely relevant for a cloud service and for anyone who thinks what the NSA is doing is wrong. Are you say…

No, I'm saying I'm cynical about everyone's motives in this space, and suspect that there's a reason you lead with naming a bogeyman instead of just accusing the company of being NSA stooges.

I have an Obama "Yes We Scan" image as the banner of my Facebook page. And yes, I see the irony of me having a Facebook page. I use it minimally, and to post social criticism rather than baby and cat pix. Fighting fire with fire.

I am cynical about human apathy and selfishness. Which makes me cynical of your cynicism, which is directed at people's taking a stand :(

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