5 ms·

I'd definitely throw Keybase in there as well. To me it has the easiest experience being cross platform, integrated with the filesystem, end-to-end encrypted,

by ahnick 8y ago

I'd definitely throw Keybase in there as well. To me it has the easiest experience being cross platform, integrated with the filesystem, end-to-end encrypted, and having solved the identity proof piece.

eropple 8y ago
Keybase is nice, but it isn't a Dropbox replacement. Your files aren't accessible offline; that's kind of a core part of a file sync instead of a file store.
- ahnick 8y ago
  I take your point that they use different mechanisms to provide access to files which are not fully interchangeable. With that said, I think many people probably don't really care or have a need for offline access, since nowadays people almost always have connectivity. Given this I would say in many (maybe most?) instances Keybase could replace Dropbox in practice. Also, when you consider that being offline for an extended period of time means that your files are not being synced, then the purpose of Dropbox is somewhat defeated. Basically Dropbox can't sync without connectivity and if you have connectivity then you would have access to the Keybase "file store" anyway.
  - eropple 8y ago
    > I take your point that they use different mechanisms to provide access to files which are not fully interchangeable. With that said, I think many people probably don't really care or have a need for offline access, since nowadays people almost always have connectivity. Given this I would say in many (maybe most?) instances Keybase could replace Dropbox in practice. Yeah, no, I don't think so. If my bus or train goes through a tunnel, losing my dotfiles or my OneNote notebooks or whatever else is pretty bad. Forget first world problems--"people almost always have connectivity" is some...like...zeroth world stuff.
    - ahnick 8y ago
      Really? If you lose access to your dotfiles and OneNote notebooks for 5 or 10 minutes (that would be one long tunnel) that's completely unacceptable? This also sounds like a daily commute that could have easily been planned around if that time is really that important. Besides, when I work with Keybase I copy the files to my machine ahead of time to a local directory, so I likely would never notice such a drop in connectivity. I really doubt that in most modern environments (i.e. where smartphones are pervasive) that you are going to go very long without connectivity in an unplanned scenario.
      - eropple 8y ago
        When OneNote freaks out because it can't access its drive during an auto-save and hard-locks? When zsh can't start because it can't find files sourced in .zshrc? Yeah, that's kind of important and that should nev-er happen. "I copy files out of it to get around that it's not good at what I'm trying to use it for" is not a super winning argument, either. KBFS is fine. I use it for stuff like SSH keys. It's fine. It's not Dropbox and it isn't substitutable and it doesn't need capes.
        ahnick 8y ago
        You use the tool as it is intended. With Keybase if you are opening and working directly from the Keybase folder that is mounted then you are using it wrong, so your scenario wouldn't happen if you are using Keybase correctly. The point I was trying to make is that for many people being able to copy back and forth between a local folder and a mounted directory is no different than what they do everyday at work with networked folders. Many people are just moving the occasional document, picture, or folder. For those people Keybase could definitely work as a Dropbox replacement. I don't think the typical Dropbox user is expecting their ZSH profile to be omnipresent on their multiple computers/laptops/tablets.
        Jedd 8y ago
        > You use the tool as it is intended. With Keybase if you are opening and working directly from the Keybase folder that is mounted then you are using it wrong, so your scenario wouldn't happen if you are using Keybase correctly. You may be misunderstanding intent. Consider https://keybase.io/blog/encrypted-git-for-everyone https://keybase.io/blog/encrypted-git-for-everyone

by ahnick 8y ago

eropple 8y ago

Keybase is nice, but it isn't a Dropbox replacement. Your files aren't accessible offline; that's kind of a core part of a file sync instead of a file store.

ahnick 8y ago
I take your point that they use different mechanisms to provide access to files which are not fully interchangeable. With that said, I think many people probably don't really care or have a need for offline access, since nowadays people almost always have connectivity. Given this I would say in many (maybe most?) instances Keybase could replace Dropbox in practice. Also, when you consider that being offline for an extended period of time means that your files are not being synced, then the purpose of Dropbox is somewhat defeated. Basically Dropbox can't sync without connectivity and if you have connectivity then you would have access to the Keybase "file store" anyway.
- eropple 8y ago
  > I take your point that they use different mechanisms to provide access to files which are not fully interchangeable. With that said, I think many people probably don't really care or have a need for offline access, since nowadays people almost always have connectivity. Given this I would say in many (maybe most?) instances Keybase could replace Dropbox in practice. Yeah, no, I don't think so. If my bus or train goes through a tunnel, losing my dotfiles or my OneNote notebooks or whatever else is pretty bad. Forget first world problems--"people almost always have connectivity" is some...like...zeroth world stuff.
  - ahnick 8y ago
    Really? If you lose access to your dotfiles and OneNote notebooks for 5 or 10 minutes (that would be one long tunnel) that's completely unacceptable? This also sounds like a daily commute that could have easily been planned around if that time is really that important. Besides, when I work with Keybase I copy the files to my machine ahead of time to a local directory, so I likely would never notice such a drop in connectivity. I really doubt that in most modern environments (i.e. where smartphones are pervasive) that you are going to go very long without connectivity in an unplanned scenario.
    - eropple 8y ago
      When OneNote freaks out because it can't access its drive during an auto-save and hard-locks? When zsh can't start because it can't find files sourced in .zshrc? Yeah, that's kind of important and that should nev-er happen. "I copy files out of it to get around that it's not good at what I'm trying to use it for" is not a super winning argument, either. KBFS is fine. I use it for stuff like SSH keys. It's fine. It's not Dropbox and it isn't substitutable and it doesn't need capes.
      - ahnick 8y ago
        You use the tool as it is intended. With Keybase if you are opening and working directly from the Keybase folder that is mounted then you are using it wrong, so your scenario wouldn't happen if you are using Keybase correctly. The point I was trying to make is that for many people being able to copy back and forth between a local folder and a mounted directory is no different than what they do everyday at work with networked folders. Many people are just moving the occasional document, picture, or folder. For those people Keybase could definitely work as a Dropbox replacement. I don't think the typical Dropbox user is expecting their ZSH profile to be omnipresent on their multiple computers/laptops/tablets.
        Jedd 8y ago
        > You use the tool as it is intended. With Keybase if you are opening and working directly from the Keybase folder that is mounted then you are using it wrong, so your scenario wouldn't happen if you are using Keybase correctly. You may be misunderstanding intent. Consider https://keybase.io/blog/encrypted-git-for-everyone https://keybase.io/blog/encrypted-git-for-everyone