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Dropbox has won? Won what? Was there an International File Sync and Sharing Software Competition? How is that relevant to the issue of giving a third-party a
by alphapapa 12y ago
Dropbox has won? Won what? Was there an International File Sync and Sharing Software Competition?
How is that relevant to the issue of giving a third-party access to ALL OF YOUR EMAIL for the sake of convenience? How does that justify doing so rather than developing a client-side, FOSS solution?
- tobylane 12y agoJustification doesn't win over ease of use or network effect. This is one implementation of a fairly broad idea, wait for the others to come.
- rakoo 12y agoThere was (and still is) a need for seamlessly storing one's documents in a secure safe, somewhere, where durability is guaranteed, and sync them between one's devices. Dropbox stepped in with a solution to this problem, and someone here on HN dismissed it with "it's just a glorified FTP". It turns out that Dropbox has set the standard for how to store files on the cloud and sync them for the masses. My gut tells me they're losing grounds to the GDrive/OneDrive/iCloud et al but it's still a default option for many people. In that sense, they have "won" this domain. Now, don't mistake me: Dropbox and the likes have created a huge problem with data privacy. But as FOSS developers, we must not think that somehow Dropbox doesn't exist or doesn't solve a problem; if we want a better, FOSS alternative, we must set the bar at least as high, and not blind ourselves.