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It's a pretty big feature, I'd say. Anybody who was a mac user before 2000 can tell you how painful it was to use a mac when your friends or coworkers had wind
by daniel-cussen 15y ago
It's a pretty big feature, I'd say.
Anybody who was a mac user before 2000 can tell you how painful it was to use a mac when your friends or coworkers had windows. It was horrible. Problems with file sharing between systems created huge network effects for microsoft. It killed the possibility of having a mac for a lot of people.
The fundamental problem of compatibility requires not only technological and architectural commitment but also willingness to cooperate with competitors for the sake of the user.
- jroseattle 15y agoCertainly a big feature, although as platform/os providers integrate similar functionality, that differentiation point for Dropbox will begin to diminish. But you're spot on with varying OSes being willing to cooperate to allow multiple clients access to shared data stores. Google, Apple, Microsoft and open source all in agreement on file sharing? Right..... Surely the latest Dropbox investors considered that, and gauged the probability of harmony among the OS providers for the sake of the user. And since Dropbox just closed $250MM in financing, they obviously believe their chances are pretty good. :-)
- VladRussian 15y agoharmony across OS providers will never happen and isn't necessary here. The cross OS file sharing has been solved many years ago and most successfully by 3rd party independent tools like samba(intranet) or cvs/rsync(internet) and with HTTP based tools on the horizon (webdav is a good starting point). If my understanding correct, Dropbox is just extremely consumer friendly implementation of something like rsync. The main danger to them isn't OS providers, it is another Dropbox, more user friendly, agile, convenient, cheaper, faster ... while the original Dropbox grows and starts having cost structure and screwing up like a large company.