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>Dropbox (and iCloud) are meant more for cloud file storage than pure device-to-device synce Device to device sync was literally the value prop for Dropbox whe

>Dropbox (and iCloud) are meant more for cloud file storage than pure device-to-device synce Device to device sync was literally the value prop for Dropbox when it launched > 10 years ago. That's why I started using it. Dropbox does now allow a more cloud-native file system / cloud backup usage pattern, but its roots are absolutely "keep my files in sync across several computers."

brightball 5y ago
Yep and when it first came out it was by far the best option too. IMO it still is.
thaumasiotes 5y ago
>>Dropbox (and iCloud) are meant more for cloud file storage than pure device-to-device synce > Device to device sync was literally the value prop for Dropbox when it launched > 10 years ago. It's what was advertised. I find it interesting that its initial reception on HN is so frequently slammed for saying "we could already do this, if we wanted to", and then... 10+ years later, Dropbox has had to switch to doing something people want. The only value I ever saw people getting from Dropbox was in using it as a way to hand off files to someone else across the internet. Which is a use case Dropbox has spent many years fighting against.
- 6510 5y ago
  Computers as I used to love them A work of poetry. > A major initial motivation for both the ARPANET and the Internet was resource sharing.
  - 7thaccount 5y ago
    It's crazy how much I enjoy simple software. No crazy complicated APIs and complex installs. Just give me a binary I can call with a command line interface. I can play with it interactivity and easily automated whenever needed.
- thrower123 5y ago
  The only thing I ever use Dropbox for is requesting files from people that are too large or that their corporate Exchange environment prevents from being sent over email.
- ubermonkey 5y ago
  >The only value I ever saw people getting from Dropbox Your exposure to Dropbox users is very very limited, then. I only very, very rarely use it as a medium to share. OTOH, I use it CONSTANTLY as a every-device file system, i.e. across my main machine, my backup, my iOS devices, and remote systems I work from. The sync is everything to me.
josefrichter 5y ago
That was 10 years ago. Yes, I also started using it because of that. These days the the more important feature (at least for me) is being able to offload rarely used files from my drive. SSDs in MacBooks are still crazy expensive.
- senko 5y ago
  > That was 10 years ago. That's exactly what the article author is saying.
  - judge2020 5y ago
    This comment thread is about how the author doesn’t seem to realize that the motive of these services has changed in response to fewer and fewer users wanting a sync solution versus a backup solution.
    - arcbyte 5y ago
      It's definitely not "fewer and fewer users wanting a sync solution" and instead "more and more computer users we can sell something to if we pile features into our overloaded app". There's a criticism in there that I share because I miss when things were more modular, but I also understand and appreciate the value and opportunities that modern tech is bringing to people. The back and forth chaos of progress and foundation-building is important but frustrating.
- 0x0nyandesu 5y ago
  Way to take my thing and ruin it then be like "shut up it's old"
  - janto 5y ago
    How can you claim it's your thing? Customers ain't paying for that.
    - black_puppydog 5y ago
babypuncher 5y ago
10 years ago, Dropbox was still storing your files on their servers so that your devices did not need to be online and accessible at all times in order to sync. It still operated in a fundamentally different manner than Syncthing. All that has really changed about the app is the marketing around it.
- ubermonkey 5y ago
  Dropbox still has my files on its servers. Not sure what you mean here. If all my devices are off, I can access anything in my Dropbox account from any computer's browser.
  - hammyhavoc 5y ago
    I think the comment was confused about what 'LAN sync' actually means within the context of Dropbox.

brightball 5y ago

Yep and when it first came out it was by far the best option too. IMO it still is.

thaumasiotes 5y ago

>>Dropbox (and iCloud) are meant more for cloud file storage than pure device-to-device synce > Device to device sync was literally the value prop for Dropbox when it launched > 10 years ago. It's what was advertised. I find it interesting that its initial reception on HN is so frequently slammed for saying "we could already do this, if we wanted to", and then... 10+ years later, Dropbox has had to switch to doing something people want. The only value I ever saw people getting from Dropbox was in using it as a way to hand off files to someone else across the internet. Which is a use case Dropbox has spent many years fighting against.

6510 5y ago
Computers as I used to love them A work of poetry. > A major initial motivation for both the ARPANET and the Internet was resource sharing.
- 7thaccount 5y ago
  It's crazy how much I enjoy simple software. No crazy complicated APIs and complex installs. Just give me a binary I can call with a command line interface. I can play with it interactivity and easily automated whenever needed.
thrower123 5y ago
The only thing I ever use Dropbox for is requesting files from people that are too large or that their corporate Exchange environment prevents from being sent over email.
ubermonkey 5y ago
>The only value I ever saw people getting from Dropbox Your exposure to Dropbox users is very very limited, then. I only very, very rarely use it as a medium to share. OTOH, I use it CONSTANTLY as a every-device file system, i.e. across my main machine, my backup, my iOS devices, and remote systems I work from. The sync is everything to me.

josefrichter 5y ago

That was 10 years ago. Yes, I also started using it because of that. These days the the more important feature (at least for me) is being able to offload rarely used files from my drive. SSDs in MacBooks are still crazy expensive.

senko 5y ago
> That was 10 years ago. That's exactly what the article author is saying.
- judge2020 5y ago
  This comment thread is about how the author doesn’t seem to realize that the motive of these services has changed in response to fewer and fewer users wanting a sync solution versus a backup solution.
  - arcbyte 5y ago
    It's definitely not "fewer and fewer users wanting a sync solution" and instead "more and more computer users we can sell something to if we pile features into our overloaded app". There's a criticism in there that I share because I miss when things were more modular, but I also understand and appreciate the value and opportunities that modern tech is bringing to people. The back and forth chaos of progress and foundation-building is important but frustrating.
0x0nyandesu 5y ago
Way to take my thing and ruin it then be like "shut up it's old"
- janto 5y ago
  How can you claim it's your thing? Customers ain't paying for that.
  - black_puppydog 5y ago

babypuncher 5y ago

10 years ago, Dropbox was still storing your files on their servers so that your devices did not need to be online and accessible at all times in order to sync. It still operated in a fundamentally different manner than Syncthing. All that has really changed about the app is the marketing around it.

ubermonkey 5y ago
Dropbox still has my files on its servers. Not sure what you mean here. If all my devices are off, I can access anything in my Dropbox account from any computer's browser.
- hammyhavoc 5y ago
  I think the comment was confused about what 'LAN sync' actually means within the context of Dropbox.