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> Let me say, though, that I absolutely respect your privacy and have no intention of looking at your data. It's as private as you want it to be. I'm also happy

by llambda 15y ago

> Let me say, though, that I absolutely respect your privacy and have no intention of looking at your data. It's as private as you want it to be. I'm also happy to put this in the TOS. OP's issue wasn't so much privacy as it was permanency, as I read it. So using Gmail, I can rest assured that in five year's time my documents will still be around, just as they are today. Whereas with a new service, who's to say what lies in store for it? What if you pivot? What if you're acquired? Unfortunately a service like Gmail wins in this context.

code_duck 15y ago
I used to think that about email services, too. Then one after another they changed their terms when I wasn't looking, and deleted data I thought was safely stored. What ever happened to 'your own hard drive'? Is there some reason people can't use that for storage? I have a VPS that I use as a file intermediary. I'm highly confident that, and my backups, will be there in 5 years.
- emmett 15y ago
  For most users, "your own hard drive" is a terrrible solution. They do not have a VPS that they use as a file intermediary (they don't even know what a VPS is), and they don't know how to keep backups, and if they did the backups would probably be corrupted or out of date. This is the miracle of web hosted software for most users. It's also what makes Dropbox so special.
  - code_duck 15y ago
    I know plenty of people who use portable hard drives, flash drives and writable optic media as a backup... I don't see many downsides in that, barring catastrophic loss (which can happen to second party storage as well, though they do tend to be more professional about being careful). Of course, a burned DVD isn't going to let me access my file from the office and at home unless I take it with me, so there are drawbacks.
seanp2k2 15y ago
Exactly, and this IMO is the problem with /any/ new service that aims to do this. It's a known problem. Solutions have been tried before. I wish this company the best of luck, but I don't have high hopes for this getting popular. IMO, Dropbox and similar services are the first real viable replacement for e-mailing files to yourself.

by llambda 15y ago

code_duck 15y ago

I used to think that about email services, too. Then one after another they changed their terms when I wasn't looking, and deleted data I thought was safely stored. What ever happened to 'your own hard drive'? Is there some reason people can't use that for storage? I have a VPS that I use as a file intermediary. I'm highly confident that, and my backups, will be there in 5 years.

emmett 15y ago
For most users, "your own hard drive" is a terrrible solution. They do not have a VPS that they use as a file intermediary (they don't even know what a VPS is), and they don't know how to keep backups, and if they did the backups would probably be corrupted or out of date. This is the miracle of web hosted software for most users. It's also what makes Dropbox so special.
- code_duck 15y ago
  I know plenty of people who use portable hard drives, flash drives and writable optic media as a backup... I don't see many downsides in that, barring catastrophic loss (which can happen to second party storage as well, though they do tend to be more professional about being careful). Of course, a burned DVD isn't going to let me access my file from the office and at home unless I take it with me, so there are drawbacks.

seanp2k2 15y ago

Exactly, and this IMO is the problem with /any/ new service that aims to do this. It's a known problem. Solutions have been tried before. I wish this company the best of luck, but I don't have high hopes for this getting popular. IMO, Dropbox and similar services are the first real viable replacement for e-mailing files to yourself.