6 ms·

http://www.spideroak.com http://www.spideroak.com has been doing this for years. Nothing new to see here.

watty 14y ago
You're right, technically they're not doing anything groundbreaking. The difference is that they already have a huge fan base, ridiculous amounts of publicity, and much better UI and pricing than spideroak.
AhtiK 14y ago
They are quite different: MEGA is a web-based file hosting, spideroak is a desktop app that syncs your local files to the cloud for sync&backup. Spideroak is for your own private storage (+ShareRoom for sharing with a group), MEGA is positioning primarily for filesharing. Yes, they both use encryption for files without sharing the key with the service provider but that's as far as I'd go with the similarity.
tubbo 14y ago
2gb encrypted vs 50gb encrypted...
jedbrown 14y ago
Also, Tarsnap and Wuala.
nick2 14y ago
the free account will be 50GB.
huhtenberg 14y ago
Oh, common. Encrypted online storage is nothing new, period. It's the proudly extended middle finger that makes all the difference.
gregd 14y ago
Have you actually used SpiderOak? While I have tried and tried, I find their interface (OSX and Win) to be utterly and irretrievably confusing.
- corford 14y ago
  What's confusing about it? I use it personally and also regularly set it up for most of the clients I consult for. I've never had anyone come to me and say they've found the interface confusing. It just works.
DanBC 14y ago
There's a bunch. Some are better than others. Here's a list, taken from (http://www.kimpl.com/1297/secure-online-backup-file-sync-service/ http://www.kimpl.com/1297/secure-online-backup-file-sync-ser...) which also has some reviews. (https://www.sugarsync.com/ https://www.sugarsync.com/) (https://www.dropbox.com/ https://www.dropbox.com/) (https://www.wuala.com/ https://www.wuala.com/) (https://www.syncplicity.com/ https://www.syncplicity.com/) (https://mozy.com/ https://mozy.com/) As others say, there's a difference between syncing and hosting; between levels of security; between ease of use; etc. And obviously Tarsnap is great, for people who know what they're doing. (https://www.tarsnap.com/ https://www.tarsnap.com/)
- gregd 14y ago
  There aren't a bunch. Sugarsync and Dropbox only offer encrypted transport of your files. To actually encrypt the files/folders themselves requires a 3rd party piece. Mega offers everything wrapped in encryption, so presumably, his company will have plausible deniability (zero knowledge) of the files/folders that his service is being used for. From a technical standpoint, I also believe it makes de-duplication impossible but someone with more knowledge on that subject can comment on it.
  - DanBC 14y ago
    Dropbox offers encrypted storage of files. (https://www.dropbox.com/help/27/en https://www.dropbox.com/help/27/en) > Dropbox uses modern encryption methods to both transfer and store your data. Sure, you're right that the difference is that dropbox holds the keys and mega doesn't. But you're also ignoring the fact that Dotcom has had considerable interest from law enforcement in the past, and that some companies have cooperated with law enforcement by pushing malformed client software to some customers. (http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/11/encrypted-e-mai/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/11/encrypted-e-mai/)
    - thirsteh 14y ago
      Encrypting files at rest means nothing if the data and keys aren't separate. It's just compliance/PR fluff.
nwh 14y ago
That application has a hilariously bad interface. Imagine how bad their backend is if they can't even add white space between their checkboxes. http://images.macworld.com/images/article/2012/09/spideroak_2012_03-293149.png http://images.macworld.com/images/article/2012/09/spideroak_...

watty 14y ago

You're right, technically they're not doing anything groundbreaking. The difference is that they already have a huge fan base, ridiculous amounts of publicity, and much better UI and pricing than spideroak.

AhtiK 14y ago

They are quite different: MEGA is a web-based file hosting, spideroak is a desktop app that syncs your local files to the cloud for sync&backup. Spideroak is for your own private storage (+ShareRoom for sharing with a group), MEGA is positioning primarily for filesharing. Yes, they both use encryption for files without sharing the key with the service provider but that's as far as I'd go with the similarity.

tubbo 14y ago

2gb encrypted vs 50gb encrypted...

jedbrown 14y ago

Also, Tarsnap and Wuala.

nick2 14y ago

the free account will be 50GB.

huhtenberg 14y ago

Oh, common. Encrypted online storage is nothing new, period. It's the proudly extended middle finger that makes all the difference.

gregd 14y ago

Have you actually used SpiderOak? While I have tried and tried, I find their interface (OSX and Win) to be utterly and irretrievably confusing.

corford 14y ago
What's confusing about it? I use it personally and also regularly set it up for most of the clients I consult for. I've never had anyone come to me and say they've found the interface confusing. It just works.

DanBC 14y ago

There's a bunch. Some are better than others. Here's a list, taken from (http://www.kimpl.com/1297/secure-online-backup-file-sync-service/ http://www.kimpl.com/1297/secure-online-backup-file-sync-ser...) which also has some reviews. (https://www.sugarsync.com/ https://www.sugarsync.com/) (https://www.dropbox.com/ https://www.dropbox.com/) (https://www.wuala.com/ https://www.wuala.com/) (https://www.syncplicity.com/ https://www.syncplicity.com/) (https://mozy.com/ https://mozy.com/) As others say, there's a difference between syncing and hosting; between levels of security; between ease of use; etc. And obviously Tarsnap is great, for people who know what they're doing. (https://www.tarsnap.com/ https://www.tarsnap.com/)

gregd 14y ago
There aren't a bunch. Sugarsync and Dropbox only offer encrypted transport of your files. To actually encrypt the files/folders themselves requires a 3rd party piece. Mega offers everything wrapped in encryption, so presumably, his company will have plausible deniability (zero knowledge) of the files/folders that his service is being used for. From a technical standpoint, I also believe it makes de-duplication impossible but someone with more knowledge on that subject can comment on it.
- DanBC 14y ago
  Dropbox offers encrypted storage of files. (https://www.dropbox.com/help/27/en https://www.dropbox.com/help/27/en) > Dropbox uses modern encryption methods to both transfer and store your data. Sure, you're right that the difference is that dropbox holds the keys and mega doesn't. But you're also ignoring the fact that Dotcom has had considerable interest from law enforcement in the past, and that some companies have cooperated with law enforcement by pushing malformed client software to some customers. (http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/11/encrypted-e-mai/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2007/11/encrypted-e-mai/)
  - thirsteh 14y ago
    Encrypting files at rest means nothing if the data and keys aren't separate. It's just compliance/PR fluff.

nwh 14y ago

That application has a hilariously bad interface. Imagine how bad their backend is if they can't even add white space between their checkboxes. http://images.macworld.com/images/article/2012/09/spideroak_2012_03-293149.png http://images.macworld.com/images/article/2012/09/spideroak_...