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I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

googledrivesucks.com

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Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#81

Post by ajross »

tytso wrote: post #53

If files weren't completely deleted when the trash was emptied, then people would be kvetching about the horrible security implications and the only way to be sure was to keep files on the local disk so that when you emptied the trash, the files would be really gone....

This is surely true. It's also true that real world data loss is worse than nonsense internet flaming.

I think the arguments can be dumb too, but the guy actually lost files here. And it's the kind of mistake I could see myself making pretty easily. In other contexts you protect against this with non-local backups (ironically, that's probably 90% of my usage of Drive), but there's no equivalent in the cloud world. It's a real issue that needs to be addressed, I think.

Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#82

Post by Oletros »

[deleted] wrote: post #72
Oletros wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One common thing I see is people will send a link to a particular document not knowing they've unwittingly given the person access to all of their documents What? Share links for documents are just a link to that document no to the folders where they are

[deleted]

No, I don't believe you.

By the way, I have tried now, you can just see or edit the document shared, nothing more

Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#83

Post by vernie »

Oletros wrote: post #74
vernie wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dropbox does not do that. I can't speak for SkyDrive.

If you move a file out of the Dropbox folder it is deleted from Dropbox

Yes, but you have a copy of the actual file, not a hollow reference to the the deleted version on Dropbox's servers. You can also recover the file via Dropbox's version interface.

Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#84

Post by Oletros »

sp332 wrote: post #29
blcknight wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And most other people, I imagine. Dropbox would work the same way. Although it might be permanent, but I've never tried something so ridiculous.

Dropbox lets you recover a file if you've deleted it recently.

Even if the trashcan is emptied?

Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#85

Post by jerrya »

If I take real files (.doc, .cc, .py) in a folder on my computer and move them into my google drive folder on my computer, Google Drive syncs those files to the web. Now my real files exist, sync'd, in two places. My local disk and Google's disk.

If I take Google Doc files I have created in the browser and drag them from my google drive folder on my computer, into another folder, I get a file named the same as the document I had created that basically contains a URL. My gdoc files still only exist in the cloud. What I have in my hand is bupkis. So what are gdoc files? They certainly aren't real files and few people understand that they are worthless outside of the Google Drive folder.

No one expects this is how document dragging to or from folders works.

When dragging gdoc files out of a folder, there needs to be someway for Google Drive to give you the actual file from the cloud.

Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#86

Post by adam12 »

cldr wrote: post #68
jchung wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good question. Seems a pretty simple solution: the browser is the editor, even if the files are local. We use browsers to interact with local files all the time, for example during local web app development.

Only that's impossible as it is now (and will be for the forseeable future) because it wouldn't be very wise to give browser apps write access to the local filesystem.

Isn't it the Google Drive application that updates those files?

Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#87

Post by zhodge »

carlesfe wrote: post #13

I feel really, really sorry for OP. However, since Google closed my adsense account without any serious reason, I learned not to trust them, so I keep backups of every service I have with them. I'd recommend anyone who uses Google Docs to download a zip file of their Drive weekly, and if possible, use some of the backup tools like [Insync]. Overall, I agree that the Google Drive interface is not totally clear about w…

Would you say Insync is worth the $10 if I only have one Drive account that I want to back up? They do offer backups, right? Their site seems to advertise multiple account sync as its biggest feature.

Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#88

Post by dragonwriter »

dmak wrote: post #75
mlntn wrote: post #67

As bad as I feel for the OP, you have to take responsibility instead of blaming Google. Seems like they do a good job of explaining when you empty the trash in Drive: "Files in your trash are about to be permanently deleted, including Google Docs in your Trash. Warning: When using Google Drive for PC/Mac, Google Docs aren’t actual files saved on your hard drive; they are links to files stored online." If you want a r…

It's just very unintuitive and it deviates from the popular and most accepted paradigm. I would think Google drive syncs your actual files, and that it would just choose Google Docs as its default editor.

Google Drive syncs actual files.

Google Docs, however, does not provide "actual files" with substantive content for its native documents, you have to export them to other formats to have "actual files".

Re: I lost years’ worth of Google Docs files because of a poor user interface

#90

Post by cldr »

StefanPatelski wrote: post #78
cldr wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only that's impossible as it is now (and will be for the forseeable future) because it wouldn't be very wise to give browser apps write access to the local filesystem.

You would not need to be able to edit the offline file. Instead it could still be just a link to the online version of the file, like it is now. But additionally it could contain the actual data that can be imported back to Google servers when it is accidentially deleted from the server.

I was replying to the part where "even if the files are local" i.e. not on the net.
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