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CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

blog.code42.com

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Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#81

Post by AdmiralAsshat »

Well, this sucks.

CrashPlan was awesome in that it doubled as both a backup app and a cloud storage solution. Since I had my settings set to NEVER remove deleted files, I didn't need to have each of my backed up external hard-drives plugged in at all times in order to have them backed up. I could just plug them in as needed, make sure Windows assigned them a unique drive letter, and let Crashplan sync any new data up.

None of the alternatives I'm looking at can do this. Carbonite lets you back up one external hard drive on the Prime membership. Backblaze seems like it would delete all of the external drives if I don't keep them constantly plugged in. And no Linux client.

It's kinda sad that the market hasn't yet created something that seems fundamentally basic to data hoarders:

- TRULY unlimited

- BACKUP, not SYNC (that means I shouldn't need to keep three external hard-drives plugged in at all times just to ensure you don't delete it!)

- Fully cross-platform (yes, Linux users exist, too)

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#82

Post by tribby »

I can only imagine that they are not doing this to "put the customer first" but rather because they offered unlimited storage with a linux client. that made it a popular choice with the data-hoarding/seedbox/plex server crowds. 100TB for $13/mo doesn't scale.

yet another product that has folded because its users understood "unlimited" to mean "unlimited." good riddance to these unethical companies, I hope their business offering fails.

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#83

Post by Ragewind »

jwillmer wrote: post #20

Really disappointed in CrashPlan. Giving the customers 3 months before the backups are worthless is not cool!

In the email I have received they state that their service continues until October 22nd in 2018, so that's more than one year left. I'm on a free account, so it has got nothing to do with a running subscription.

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#84

Post by eli »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #81

Well, this sucks. CrashPlan was awesome in that it doubled as both a backup app and a cloud storage solution. Since I had my settings set to NEVER remove deleted files, I didn't need to have each of my backed up external hard-drives plugged in at all times in order to have them backed up. I could just plug them in as needed, make sure Windows assigned them a unique drive letter, and let Crashplan sync any new data up…

I don't see how "truly unlimited" and "data hoarders" can ever be the basis of a sustainable business. Each additional terabyte costs them real money to store.

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#85

Post by gt_ »

archagon wrote: post #67
5_minutes wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their 30 day file retention policy makes all these questions irrelevant. "Do they have a blog"? Really? I'm sorry but when it comes to backups I rather have them working on the product instead of having a marketing machine up and running.

There's a pronounced difference between flat-out marketing and posting interesting articles that help promote your product. It's clear to me which side of the divide Backblaze lies on. And I think Crashplan's shuttering bears this out: their tech was always a means to an end for them, and their end simply did not include power users.

This is basically the marketing that got Backblaze it's respect.

The service features and GUI experience fall short, and yes I am widely just referring to the 30 day file retention. In practice, this basically means you need yet another plan to make up for that. Once you find that other plan, it should make Backblaze unnecessary if it works in a reasonable way.

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#86

Post by rrauenza »

brianwski wrote: post #16
rrauenza wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My main problem with BackBlaze is a lack of a Linux solution: https://help.backblaze.com/hc/en-us/articles/217664628-Is-Ba...

Disclosure: I work at Backblaze. For Linux, Backblaze offers "B2 Object Storage". You can choose all sorts of Linux 3rd party clients! The billing is different -> half of 1 penny per GByte per month. This is cheaper for less than a Terabyte, and can be a bit more expensive for more than a Terabyte. Check the "integrations" page for pictures of a penguin: https://www.backblaze.com/b2/integrations.html Among others, Cl…

I just want a simple, predictable flat fee, not a pricing guide ...

https://help.backblaze.com/hc/en-us/articles/217667478-Under...

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#87

Post by org3432 »

I'd like to see more mature solutions that store all my data in the cloud, revision it there, and just use my local hard disk as a workspace cache instead. I suspect that's one of the reasons CrashPlan is exiting too, they can't backup iCloud Document folders on Mac, and likely OneDrive either, so the writing is on the wall.

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#88

Post by brianwski »

blacktulip wrote: post #27
brianwski wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclosure: I work at Backblaze. For Linux, Backblaze offers "B2 Object Storage". You can choose all sorts of Linux 3rd party clients! The billing is different -> half of 1 penny per GByte per month. This is cheaper for less than a Terabyte, and can be a bit more expensive for more than a Terabyte. Check the "integrations" page for pictures of a penguin: https://www.backblaze.com/b2/integrations.html Among others, Cl…

Is there any chance that one day Backblaze will do the same as Crashplan does today?

Disclaimer: I'm biased because I work at Backblaze. I'm also one of the founders. Backblaze started in my living room in Palo Alto.

Backblaze is A LOT LESS LIKELY to exit out of providing consumer online backup anytime soon as it is our primary business.

I don't fully understand what just occurred with CrashPlan, but they had two separate "clients" - one for consumers and one for businesses. As far as I can tell, CrashPlan is discontinuing one of their two clients but doubling down on the "business client". I don't understand how they got into that situation, but Backblaze only has one backup client so we can't really abandon the one true client we have. :-)

Finally, Backblaze is profoundly different than CrashPlan in that we never really raised any bank financing or VC financing. We're 90% employee owned, and there are no deep pockets. CrashPlan raised something like $150 million which comes with "pressure to grow fast or die". Backblaze is free of any such pressure, we own our own fate.

In a final note: I have ALWAYS liked CrashPlan and I am sad to see them go. Realistically they were never a "competitor" to Backblaze. Our biggest competitor was customer apathy and customers not realizing that online backup was a good option. The more money companies like Carbonite and CrashPlan poured into advertising INCREASED Backblaze sales merely by raising awareness of online backup. CrashPlan (and Carbonite) have been absolutely wonderful to Backblaze because we didn't have the gigantic amounts of money to advertise that they had and they essentially advertise on our behalf (for free). We also know some of the CrashPlan people and I believe they are good people who want the best for their customers.

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#89

Post by gt_ »

brianwski wrote: post #71
zippergz wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I switched from Backblaze to Crashplan a few years ago, and I've been MUCH happier with Crashplan. The biggest issue is that, at least on Mac, Backblaze noticeably slowed down the machines (multiple machines, not just a problem on one), while Crashplan didn't. Any backup software that makes my computer feel slow, creates regular beachballs, etc. is not something I'm going to pay for. Then the nail in the coffin for t…

Disclaimer: I work at Backblaze, and I'm one of the main people who writes the client. I would encourage you to try the Backblaze client again. We JUST released the 5.0 client (last week) and we continue to make little fixes that improve the customer experience. The client team's MAIN GOAL has always been that the client run in "Continuously" mode and NOT annoy the customer. For example, even up until a year ago we d…

It's pretty clear in the comments here that all efforts other than solving the 30 day file retention limit are going to be a waste of time until you address this. It simply reduces the utility of the product to the point that you need yet another product that will almost inherently render yor product unnecessary.

Until you address this, I can't reason investing time, processor performance, or the tiny monthly payment.

Complete backup plans are taken seriously by myself and other HN users and when one tries to put one together and include Backblaze, it just doesn't add up.

Maybe you could make a blog post that addresses your recommendations head on. I remain open!

Re: CrashPlan is exiting the consumer market

#90

Post by sshanky »

5_minutes wrote: post #59
archagon wrote: post #8

In my mental checklist of evaluating new products and services, Backblaze has always gone above and beyond while Crashplan irritated me enough to make me switch: * Are they one of the market leaders? * Do they have a company blog? Are they passionate about their product? (Backblaze's technical articles are always a treat; barely a word from Crashplan.) * Do they regularly interact with their users, e.g. on HN? (I oft…

Their 30 day file retention policy makes all these questions irrelevant. "Do they have a blog"? Really? I'm sorry but when it comes to backups I rather have them working on the product instead of having a marketing machine up and running.

I've always been a big fan of BB's blog, and have recommended their approach to friends and clients for their own blogs and sites. Their data, plans, and progress are not only interesting to people who care about the industry, but it's also a window into the kind of people they are. Proud of their accomplishments (their backup servers, which they've open sourced), and their tools (like their server lifts).
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