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I'm not an ActivityPub user, but this post remindeds me of the initial comments to "Show HN: Dropbox" [1]. "For a Linux user, you can already build such a syst

by berbec 8y ago

I'm not an ActivityPub user, but this post remindeds me of the initial comments to "Show HN: Dropbox" [1]. "For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem." 1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8863 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8863

wnevets 8y ago
I wonder how that user feels about always being referenced in this context.
- always_good 8y ago
  Five months ago: > It's funny how often that comment—which I made as a 22-year-old undergrad—resurfaces. Someone even reached out to me 2 weeks ago because they wanted to use it in an article as an example of "the disconnect between the way users and engineers see software"! > I like to think that I've gained a lot of perspective over the last 11 years; it's pretty clear to me that point #1 was short-sighted and exhibited a lot of tunnel vision. Looking back, though, I still think that thread was a reasonable exchange. My 2nd and 3rd points were fair, and I conceded much of point 1 to you after your reply (which was very high quality). > Obviously, we have the benefit of hindsight now in seeing how well you were able to execute. Kudos on that!
davvolun 8y ago
Kind of true of all [new] technology though. Will it be a Betamax or a Blu Ray? I think the point of the article is trying to make the case that maybe you don't need the extra complexity of ActivityPub for your project. Also, that user was completely right re: Dropbox, but they missed the market value of packaging all that for you in a few clicks install, on any platform with 99% uptime (also, I believe that user has noted in other threads they recognize their mistake in making the argument that Dropbox wasn't a value-add). On the other hand, it seems to my uneducated opinion on ActivityPub, that it is trading extra complexity for...push?
cdcfa78156ae5 8y ago
That comment was true then and is even more true now. rsync, unison, and git over SSH provide a far superior solution for more use cases (many of which Dropbox cannot support) than Dropbox does, without any of Dropbox's risks to privacy.
- berbec 8y ago
  And how many easy to use, one-click install, git over ssh with port-forwarding and key generation packages are there to download out there? There's two levels of software - easy to use and complicated. They both can accomplish the same goal with different levels of privacy.
  - cdcfa78156ae5 8y ago
    There is no such software, because what you are asking for is for the software to "one-click install" read your mind. Dropbox cannot cover customized use cases, and it does not accomplish the same goal. My use of the commands mentioned cannot be replicated by Dropbox. The facts that Dropbox does not provide adequate privacy, and is proprietary software, also prevent it from accomplishing certain goals (namely that I want my data to remain private, and that I would like to avoid using proprietary software).

by berbec 8y ago

wnevets 8y ago

I wonder how that user feels about always being referenced in this context.

always_good 8y ago
Five months ago: > It's funny how often that comment—which I made as a 22-year-old undergrad—resurfaces. Someone even reached out to me 2 weeks ago because they wanted to use it in an article as an example of "the disconnect between the way users and engineers see software"! > I like to think that I've gained a lot of perspective over the last 11 years; it's pretty clear to me that point #1 was short-sighted and exhibited a lot of tunnel vision. Looking back, though, I still think that thread was a reasonable exchange. My 2nd and 3rd points were fair, and I conceded much of point 1 to you after your reply (which was very high quality). > Obviously, we have the benefit of hindsight now in seeing how well you were able to execute. Kudos on that!

davvolun 8y ago

Kind of true of all [new] technology though. Will it be a Betamax or a Blu Ray? I think the point of the article is trying to make the case that maybe you don't need the extra complexity of ActivityPub for your project. Also, that user was completely right re: Dropbox, but they missed the market value of packaging all that for you in a few clicks install, on any platform with 99% uptime (also, I believe that user has noted in other threads they recognize their mistake in making the argument that Dropbox wasn't a value-add). On the other hand, it seems to my uneducated opinion on ActivityPub, that it is trading extra complexity for...push?

cdcfa78156ae5 8y ago

That comment was true then and is even more true now. rsync, unison, and git over SSH provide a far superior solution for more use cases (many of which Dropbox cannot support) than Dropbox does, without any of Dropbox's risks to privacy.

berbec 8y ago
And how many easy to use, one-click install, git over ssh with port-forwarding and key generation packages are there to download out there? There's two levels of software - easy to use and complicated. They both can accomplish the same goal with different levels of privacy.
- cdcfa78156ae5 8y ago
  There is no such software, because what you are asking for is for the software to "one-click install" read your mind. Dropbox cannot cover customized use cases, and it does not accomplish the same goal. My use of the commands mentioned cannot be replicated by Dropbox. The facts that Dropbox does not provide adequate privacy, and is proprietary software, also prevent it from accomplishing certain goals (namely that I want my data to remain private, and that I would like to avoid using proprietary software).