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It is not "simply backup". They provide a user friendly synchronization service for files between all your devices. Sure, for simply stashing files there are mu

It is not "simply backup". They provide a user friendly synchronization service for files between all your devices. Sure, for simply stashing files there are much cheaper options such as Amazon S3 or simply a friend's linux box in his basement... but it is not entirely a fair comparison.

bradleyland 15y ago
"They provide a user friendly synchronization service for files between all your devices." .... And users! For a small company who has a geographically dispersed user population, Dropbox is a great tool. The key is the dead simple setup and operation. 1) Install software 2) Use tool Sharing folders is about three clicks from logging in to the website, and you can get there directly through shell (Explorer, Finder) integration in both PC and Mac.
- jorangreef 15y ago
  I take it you already have the "install software" and "use tool" steps out of the way, would you be interested in a web-based file-system, with tagging organization, as opposed to folder organization?
  - ori_b 15y ago
    No. I just want a folder that syncs.
  - bradleyland 15y ago
    Not particularly. My users don't understand it. Google Apps has been fighting this for some time in both Gmail and Google Docs. Users are used to folders, but Google uses tags and collections. They used to call collections (Google Docs) folders, but the fact that a document could exist in two 'folders' confused the hell out of my users. As it turns out, the benefits of a tagging based approach don't pay out nearly as much as the user training and maintenance costs.
- brlewis 15y ago
  That's (Explorer, Finder, Nautilus) in (Windows, Mac, Linux)
  - sho_hn 15y ago
    That's (Explorer, Finder, Dolphin, Nautilus) in (Windows, OS X, KDE, Gnome). Or you could go with (Seafood) for (Linux) ;).
    - rudiger 15y ago
      Seafood? Who eats dolphin or nautilus?
      - StavrosK 15y ago
        I don't know, the Chinese?
petenixey 15y ago
I completely agree -it's not and that's what makes it magic. However it's only not "simply backup" for about 10Gb of your files. For files you don't sync onto other machines it is by definition simply backup. Moreover it's the backup service that you're considering in your mind when weighing the buying decision of whether to spend an extra $100/year on it. It's not $100/year more of seamless multi-machine syncing. I can only speak from my own experience but while, as a consumer it was the usability of the software that hooked me, it's the backup I pay for. That may not be the case for a business but it is for me.

bradleyland 15y ago

"They provide a user friendly synchronization service for files between all your devices." .... And users! For a small company who has a geographically dispersed user population, Dropbox is a great tool. The key is the dead simple setup and operation. 1) Install software 2) Use tool Sharing folders is about three clicks from logging in to the website, and you can get there directly through shell (Explorer, Finder) integration in both PC and Mac.

jorangreef 15y ago
I take it you already have the "install software" and "use tool" steps out of the way, would you be interested in a web-based file-system, with tagging organization, as opposed to folder organization?
- ori_b 15y ago
  No. I just want a folder that syncs.
- bradleyland 15y ago
  Not particularly. My users don't understand it. Google Apps has been fighting this for some time in both Gmail and Google Docs. Users are used to folders, but Google uses tags and collections. They used to call collections (Google Docs) folders, but the fact that a document could exist in two 'folders' confused the hell out of my users. As it turns out, the benefits of a tagging based approach don't pay out nearly as much as the user training and maintenance costs.
brlewis 15y ago
That's (Explorer, Finder, Nautilus) in (Windows, Mac, Linux)
- sho_hn 15y ago
  That's (Explorer, Finder, Dolphin, Nautilus) in (Windows, OS X, KDE, Gnome). Or you could go with (Seafood) for (Linux) ;).
  - rudiger 15y ago
    Seafood? Who eats dolphin or nautilus?
    - StavrosK 15y ago
      I don't know, the Chinese?

petenixey 15y ago

I completely agree -it's not and that's what makes it magic. However it's only not "simply backup" for about 10Gb of your files. For files you don't sync onto other machines it is by definition simply backup. Moreover it's the backup service that you're considering in your mind when weighing the buying decision of whether to spend an extra $100/year on it. It's not $100/year more of seamless multi-machine syncing. I can only speak from my own experience but while, as a consumer it was the usability of the software that hooked me, it's the backup I pay for. That may not be the case for a business but it is for me.