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Dropbox silently installed new file manager app on users’ systems

arstechnica.com

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Re: Dropbox silently installed new file manager app on users’ systems

#21

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

CPLX wrote: post #3

This seems like a good time to resurface the worlds best Quora answer, by Michael Wolfe. Answering “Why is Dropbox more popular than other tools with similar functionality?”: Well, let's take a step back and think about the sync problem and what the ideal solution for it would do: There would be a folder. You'd put your stuff in it. It would sync. They built that. Why didn't anyone else build that? I have no idea. "B…

> No, shut up. People don't use that crap. They just want a folder. A folder that syncs.

Even though I agree with the conclusion, because I think files & folders is one of the very few computing interface metaphors that has proven itself, I disagree with the reasoning here. Maybe that's too many years of hearing similar language in arguments from Linux Desktop evangelists.

I think the real reason it works so well is not that people don't want that other stuff, but that it is straight-forward for users to architect solutions to a lot of those other things on top of a simple folder-wat-syncs because they can very easily wrap their head around how a folder-wat-syncs will behave. Case in point: many people, like myself, use Dropbox as a password store by keeping a KeePass database in it. For a short time when a buddy and I had the fool notion to start a business, we coordinated and kept track of things through documents on Dropbox. Simple tools one can combine to perform complex tasks; sound familiar?

Re: Dropbox silently installed new file manager app on users’ systems

#22

Post by skocznymroczny »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #17

Dropbox is two things: Cheap cloud file storage with an API, and a desktop app. The desktop app used to be a glorified FUSE app that worked well (except on ARM Linux for some reason) and got out of your way. Now Dropbox has decided it's time to ruin the desktop app in an effort to chase conversions. This strategy will fail. Fortunately their cloud storage backend still works (unless it bugs you that they just increas…

I just installed Dropbox after few years because I need to sync some folders. The new application is terrible! It took me a long time to find the selective sync options, instead it's showing me some features that I am not interested in at all.

Re: Dropbox silently installed new file manager app on users’ systems

#24

Post by blackbrokkoli »

Dropbox current direction just makes me sad.

I struggled with file management for a long time - balancing accessibility from phone, highly effective programming environments, backing up large quantities of not-small photos, that stuff. So I sat down one afternoon, drafted a directory structure, subbed to Dropbox and...it worked so well. Synced my configs between machines, got an Android app which could preview lot's of filetypes, rarely thinking about the whole thing. I always thought of Dropbox quite UNIX-like in a sense, do one thing, but really well.

And then things just kept getting worse. "Checking for changes" on my old shitty VAIO running Ubuntu went from taking 5 minutes to taking half an hour to taking 3 hours and never finishing syncing. Time sensitive file accessing got harder and harder because of continuous UI changes. I tried doing stuff with Smart Sync (or Selective Sync?) but got lost in the complex matrix of which feature does what on what OS with what plan. Webapp keeps nagging me about upgrading, even though I'm literally using less than 5% of my (paid) plan. Come on, show me some valuation as customer, or better, nothing at all.

This got long, so I guess what I'm saying is: Please go back to being a folder that syncs, and I'll be just be ok with your nonchalant mail that you're randomly raising prices.

Re: Dropbox silently installed new file manager app on users’ systems

#25

Post by obituary_latte »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #17

Dropbox is two things: Cheap cloud file storage with an API, and a desktop app. The desktop app used to be a glorified FUSE app that worked well (except on ARM Linux for some reason) and got out of your way. Now Dropbox has decided it's time to ruin the desktop app in an effort to chase conversions. This strategy will fail. Fortunately their cloud storage backend still works (unless it bugs you that they just increas…

As an Apple ecosystem user (not evangelist), I stopped using Dropbox completely in favor of iCloud. I mainly only used DB for syncing 1Password keychains but randomly other stuff too. I do trust apple in terms of security and their offering is affordable, painless and works well for my needs. May not fit well for more power-user types and for people who need cross-platform compatibility but it’s worth a look if you happen to be in the ecosystem and haven’t taken a gander as yet.

Re: Dropbox silently installed new file manager app on users’ systems

#26

Post by ancymon »

mothsonasloth wrote: post #6

After Dropbox introduced the 3 machine limit to free tier accounts back in March. I decided to migrate to Nextcloud. The migration was easy: 1. Setup a directory on my VPS for storing files 2. Install Nextcloud 3. Configure security 4. Install clients on (Mac/ Windows and Androd phone) 5. Starting adding files

For me Nextcould seemed overcomplicated. It's whole platform for multiple users with multiple features (e.g. calendars, contacts). It did not seem to be solution for single user who just wants dropbox alternative. But the biggest issue I had with it, I couldn't find instructions for backing it up and restoring.

Re: Dropbox silently installed new file manager app on users’ systems

#28

Post by nerdponx »

dreamcompiler wrote: post #17

Dropbox is two things: Cheap cloud file storage with an API, and a desktop app. The desktop app used to be a glorified FUSE app that worked well (except on ARM Linux for some reason) and got out of your way. Now Dropbox has decided it's time to ruin the desktop app in an effort to chase conversions. This strategy will fail. Fortunately their cloud storage backend still works (unless it bugs you that they just increas…

I use Mega and MegaSync. It "just works" and stays out of your way. I guess they have a couple useless features (encrypted proprietary chat? do people in NZ use this?), but you don't really have to deal with them as part of the user experience.

Maybe the NZ government is spying on me that way, but the US government is probably spying on me through Dropbox. So I went with the one that offered the better user experience.

Re: Dropbox silently installed new file manager app on users’ systems

#30

Post by zapnuk »

nessunodoro wrote: post #5
scarface74 wrote: post #2

Dropbox is almost as bad as every single third party anti virus product. I won’t install it on any of my personal computers. If I have to share a document, I’ll just upload it via the web.

I love my Nextcloud so much. I use it all day every day and it just works. It's missing a few tiny things on my wish list, but it's crazy to me how I don't miss Dropbox at all. I can't speak for what it's like to administer Nextcloud for a large org, but for my personal work sync it is a godsend. Easily my favorite software of the last three years.

I just switched back to dropbox after switching to Nextcloud.

For some reason I constantly got a'... could not be downloaded because of a local file clash' error with 6 files. 2*3 files have the same name but are in different subfolders. I've searched for this error, deleted the filed locally and in the cloud. Every time I add them again, I get the same error.

Not to mention that I get reminded of this error every 30 minutes or so...

Whats also annoying was that there are different versions in the Ubuntu software store. Some are deprecated and don't work anymore. Somehow the Appimage from their website didn't work either. I imagine this can be frustrating for new users.

This is why I went back to Dropbox. My usecase is exactly what the top rated comment says. I need a folder that syncs. Without any problems.

I imagine that icloud would also be a viable option for casual users like me. However, they don't have a linux client..

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