Dropbox
 

I don't know if anyone here as ever seen or used DropBox, but its a really really cool looking file sharing application. (currently in beta)

From what I can make out at their website (www.getdropbox.com) it looks like a combination of online storage/filesharing and version control. I'm sure many of us here use multiple computers to manage important files and this kind of backup/syncronization tool might be perfect for the consultant on the road.

Has anyone used this? Does anyone have any invites? I've not been able to try it out yet because I don't have any invites :(

Doesn't sound like anything systems like foldershare or many others out there. I use the free version of foldershare, it allows me to keep thousands of files in synch across three machines. The new version even allows full access to all the local files (though not the network files) on any of the machines it's running on.

It's available now, you don't need to wait for the beta to take people.

I've never tried Foldershare, I'll need to give it a try. I'm a mac user so the dropbox appealed to me after I saw the video.

Take look at the neat little video they have on their site, its really slick. I'll give foldershare a try today also.

I've been using Dropbox for a few weeks now and it is great! I've never used Foldershare, so I can't comment on the differences.

I just gave foldershare a try. It really kindof misses the mark IMO.
#1 the interface is overly complex and Kludgy.
#2 I really need to be able to "share" a large file with somebody who is not a member of foldershare by emailing them some sort of download URL. Dropbox allow for this, foldershare does not. Foldershare just seems kindof half baked when you use it.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

I have 9 Dropbox invites available. PM me with your email address if you are interested.

sdm1130,
YGPM, with thanks. :)

From the info above this would seem to suit those of us who prefer MacOS but who also have to deal with Windows (even Vista :eek:)

Thanks! Got you PM and everything is working already!

I just started playing with this but already it seems very intuitive. It also has a public folder where I can upload a file and then get a URL to paste into emails. Great for those too big to email files.

someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe the difference between dropbox and foldershare is this:

foldershare syncs directly from computer to computer, so both computers need to be turned on in order to sync.

dropbox syncs to their central server, the computers syncing do not need to be on.

i believe the ease of use benefit of the central server for dropbox also limits it to 2GB (at least for the free beta) whereas you can sync more files with foldershare.

also, dropbox keeps previous versions of a changed file and allows restoring from a previous version.


i could see either service having its + and -, although the UI looks more intuitive in dropbox.

Dropbox has a really nice video overview of how it works on their page. So far I'm very impressed. I work as an IT consultant and am very familiar with change management systems. Such systems allow developers to work on files together and keep in sync with the same version. Such systems also allow you to see what has changed, restore previous versions etc.

To me dropbox seems like a nice wrapper on an opensource change management system (SVN or the like).

Lifehacker recently reviewed a bunch of filesharing applications but this was the one which really appealed most to me with it's mix of Syncing, versioning and sharing. I love that I'll be able to so easily email people huge attachments now with just a URL (that does not require them to have an account to download). At the same time I'll be able to keep files in sync with friends and customers on different platforms (important for me on the mac).

Here's a site that compares the two (though not in much detail) but in the comments list other sites offering some of the other software out there that does some of the stuff.

http://gigaom.com/2008/03/17/foldershare-vs-dropbox/

I would guess in the end it all comes down to exactly what you are trying to do as to which one works best for you.

Thanks for the link.The article is a bit old, but covers the topic quite well. Also, the responses led to some great other systems I'll have to try.

The foldershare does look pretty neat. I like the fact that it can use local network without needing a central server. For syncing files on a local network that is fantastic. I guess I really need a combination of both of these systems in the ideal case.

For me the biggest priority is sharing and versioning files with other people not on my network and who may or may not be online or even in the same timezone. One downside to dropbox is uploading is quite slow... which means if you are doing large file transactions things can take forever. I've not played much with the downloads but I could see this might be an issue as well there. But I guess that could be remedied if they increase their bandwidth.

I'm going to look into some of the other backup solutions as well. I've been using TimeMachine to version and backup my mac onsite, but I'd love to have an offsite online backup that is as easy to use as well.

I started this quest looking for a better way to share files (not back up) but I guess I'm already getting ahead of myself :)

Lifehacker has a great article on the subject: http://lifehacker.com/388284/best-on...aring-services


I've also seen other services like Rapidshare which allow you to post and download huge files quickly... the problem is they limit downloaders to 100mb chunks and have annoying ads etc. When sending a massive file to a customer that really isn't acceptable.

This one, from that story, if it's true, has real promise:

http://www.syncplicity.com

It synchs, it shares, it does up to the minute backups (according to them), lets you get back accidently deleted files, and it's free with unlimited storage.

Haven't tried it yet, but if all that is true,a nd the price holds decent once it's released, it may be a winner.

Mac support isn't expected until Q3 2008. :(

Already I can tell that there is one feature I'd like to see in DropBox, the ability for a person to receive a code to link their DropBox account to yours.

My fiancee wants to have her files on her computer and I want to have mine separate on my own machine. We want a central repository for some files. Right now with DropBox you have to use one user's account on both computers to get at the files... I'd like the ability to simply "link" accounts.