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.

Why not set up 2 seperate accounts and then set up a share that is accessible through the Dropbox on both accounts?

Because that would be too easy! :p

If you are looking for a painful and complex file sharing solution, you could always check out Windows remote file sharing. :D

:cool:

I am still trying to figure out how I want to use this service (DropBox). I know that I can share versions with my S/O but it also looks like a great way to get large amounts of data to a big group of people (pictures, etc.) so I may start using it for that.

The built in gallery feature is definitely cool.

Also - for the Mac users out there - Ctrl+Click on a file in your Dropbox and go to More > Dropbox to get some quick options for viewing revisions, getting a public URL for a file , etc. I think they covered this in their video, but I don't remember for sure.

Thats a shame, because that service looks REALLY REALLY awesome.

So maybe a dumb question, but how does one have any idea whether these services will be around two, five or ten years from now?

One doesn't. But when it comes to these things I don't rely on them for mission critical files.

Microsoft owns one or two of these services so presumably they'll be around for a while... although they may just as easily discontinue a service. I guess your best bet is to monitor which one is the most popular and hop on that bandwagon, kindof like Gmail.

However with all that is going on in technology, all of this may be a moot point in 10 years anyway. I would be surprised if this type of filesharing, online backup and versioning is not built into the operating system you'll be using in 10 years.

The thing I don't care for about Dropbox is that it leaves local copies of every file on every computer that it's installed on. I'd like to have the option to bring in only certain files to extend the capacity of a drive, rather than make redundant copies of files all over the place. That 2 GB of capacity would take a big bite out of the 12 GB of flash memory disk space on my eeePC if I used it there.

You need to look at S3 or Box.net

The way I'm viewing Dropbox is not an extension of my current drive but a way to keep 2+ drives in sync.

sounds a lot like sugarsync.com which is essentially the syncing software for Sharpcast. I have used it about two months now, works well. Free 45 trial, and 2.5$ a month.

Works with macs too, and cell phones. Personally, I find this the best for syncing multiple of MY computers files. the syncing just works as I would expect it too. Foldershare and supersync (FS on steroids) never really did that well.

I've been using this for about a week, and thus far, I'd give it a ^. I am about to change jobs, and have two work laptops to turn in at the end of my current job. Dropbox has been nice for saving off all my personal stuff that I've wound up with on those two PCs over the past couple of years, so that I can pull it back over to my own laptop. My only concern is how well it will uninstall itself at the end of the process.

I do have some invites if anyone needs one--PM me if interested.

Don't forget to look at Sugarsync... It even has a mobile client for Windows and Blackberry.