External Storage: Dropbox Users here.

[bouncer1]

Any of you guys want to give us the heads up on dropbox, what the main differences from idisk are, if it's worked for you, if it's ok for itunes/iphoto libs etc., if it's reliable? How fast it is, etc.

In light of the external storage needs for the new airs I 'd love to hear from any happy or unhappy dropbox users.

I think most of us will be exploring the cloud much more with these new babies, so any hints or tips are welcome.

As an aside my mm is up for renewal and I can't tell you how disappointed I am in terms of the 20gb they offer, still too low. And the idisk integration of mobile me is just horrid. You really do need to use cyberduck all the time. If there's any area apple need to step it up it's there.

 

[astrorider]

Any of you guys want to give us the heads up on dropbox, what the main differences from idisk are, if it's worked for you, if it's ok for itunes/iphoto libs etc., if it's reliable? How fast it is, etc.

In light of the external storage needs for the new airs I 'd love to hear from any happy or unhappy dropbox users.

I think most of us will be exploring the cloud much more with these new babies, so any hints or tips are welcome.

As an aside my mm is up for renewal and I can't tell you how disappointed I am in terms of the 20gb they offer, still too low. And the idisk integration of mobile me is just horrid. You really do need to use cyberduck all the time. If there's any area apple need to step it up it's there.

Why use cyberduck? I just turn on iDisk Sync and store the stuff I want to sync there...it's fast cause it's locally stored, and it syncs back to he cloud and to my other computers automatically.

 

[bouncer1]

Why use cyberduck? I just turn on iDisk Sync and store the stuff I want to sync there...it's fast cause it's locally stored, and it syncs back to he cloud and to my other computers automatically.

Because I literally get errors on every other action I choose to do be it copying, uploading etc. etc. Trust me I am not one who whines or who uses adjunct software just for the heck of it. My idisk is virtually unusable, I have seen close to 10-15 different error code outputs. Literally. So, like I said, it's something I hate to do, use cyberduck, but after a while you can't rely on a 50-50 chance that idisk will work... And even if you go to the apple fora you 'll see that's the most common reply you get: get cyberduck and forget about the finder. Which is kind of a poor excuse for not finally fixing idisk (a nice feature of cyberduck is that it can also sync two folder, one on your mac and the other on the cloud).

 

[MyRumors]

i love dropbox.
but one thing to remember is that dropbox syncs what is on your drive (dropbox folder), so you dont save any space by using it.

 

[eatbacon]

i love dropbox.
but one thing to remember is that dropbox syncs what is on your drive (dropbox folder), so you dont save any space by using it.

seconded. dropbox is entirely more reliable than idisk syncing. but syncing does not seem to be what you are requesting.

 

[bouncer1]

seconded. dropbox is entirely more reliable than idisk syncing. but syncing does not seem to be what you are requesting.

Oh I see, thanks guys, so no cloud storage at all...hmmm...

Well syncing is really important too, very important, crucial I would say, so I will have a look at drop box for sure. It sounds it's not really glitchy either.

Any horror stories or don'ts that I should know maybe?

 

[eatbacon]

Oh I see, thanks guys, so no cloud storage at all...hmmm...

Well syncing is really important too, very important, crucial I would say, so I will have a look at drop box for sure. It sounds it's not really glitchy either.

Any horror stories or don'ts that I should know maybe?

Just to be clear, dropbox does store in the cloud (and is accessible from a browser), but the default and preferred setup is to let it sync to your computer. AFAIK, there is no way to mount your dropbox folder without it being synced locally. You could, however, access all of your files on the air (and upload new ones) without turning on syncing, through the browser, but that would strike me as a giant pain.

 

[Transporteur]

You should be aware of that the content you put on Dropbox is NOT encrypted, which means that the guys working at dropbox can have insight in your data.

One reason for me to encrypt the data I put on there.

 

[eatbacon]

You should be aware of that the content you put on Dropbox is NOT encrypted, which means that the guys working at dropbox can have insight in your data.

One reason for me to encrypt the data I put on there.

That is in direct contradiction to this:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/27

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

That is in direct contradiction to this:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/27

Yes, Dropbox changed that some time ago. They used to be just transported securely, but now they are encrypted in the cloud.

Dropbox also sits on top of Amazon's S3 cloud-based servers. You can't get much more accessible than that.

Another reason I'm a big Dropbox fan versus iDisk is that Drop is cross-platform compatible. I've got Dropbox clients on my Windows boxes, my Windows virtual boxes on my Macs, my Macs, my iPad, my iPhone and my Android phone. One place to keep all your important files and real-time synching between all my devices no matter which is used to make an update to a document.

iDisk, like most of the rest of the Apple software world, is perpetually gimped and just "good enough to get by."

 

[ArcAngel66]

Anyone here use Windows Live Mesh?

It seems to be a bit like Dropbox except you get to actually chose the folders that sync.

Doesn't have any support for iPhone or iPad though.

 

[aberrero]

dropbox is amazing in its ease of use and reliability, but something like live mesh gives you a ton of space. I used to use it at one point, but the lack of ipad/android/linux support make it kind of useless. Sure, it's great to have a bunch of cloud storage, but if you can't actually use it then whats the point?

 

[bouncer1]

You should be aware of that the content you put on Dropbox is NOT encrypted, which means that the guys working at dropbox can have insight in your data.

One reason for me to encrypt the data I put on there.

ahhhh...ts, ts, ts...epic fail... and I am worried about mm not encrypting sync content via https....

That is in direct contradiction to this:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/27

ooppss.

Just to be clear, dropbox does store in the cloud (and is accessible from a browser), but the default and preferred setup is to let it sync to your computer. AFAIK, there is no way to mount your dropbox folder without it being synced locally. You could, however, access all of your files on the air (and upload new ones) without turning on syncing, through the browser, but that would strike me as a giant pain.

for sure.

 

[gks]

I'll be using a combination of MobileMe (Calendars, Bookmarks, etc), DropBox (for real simple crap), and Strongspace.com for important stuff that may need to be encrypted and/or require more space.

I'm using the 2gig freebie from Dropbox and need to invite people to get some extra space. But with 150gigs on Strongspace I can't see the reason to pay for more with Dropbox. Especially since Strongspace is free for me.

 

[bouncer1]

strongspace huh? Interesting. Never heard of them before, I ll check them out.

 

[gks]

strongspace huh? Interesting. Never heard of them before, I ll check them out.

Formerly owned by Joyent. Sold to ExpanDrive. Nice stuff with sftp and rsync support.

 

[bouncer1]

Formerly owned by Joyent. Sold to ExpanDrive. Nice stuff with sftp and rsync support.

yeah, that rsync feature sound really cool. Can you set it to auto rsync?

 

[b11051973]

I use Dropbox just about every week day. A radio show I listen to gets loaded to usenet in 1 hour segments. I use logmein on my iPhone to connect to my MB. While connected, I use Unison to download the MP3s of the show directly to my Dropbox. I then use the Dropbox app on my iPhone to listen to the MP3s. Works really slick!!

I've already got my new 11" MBA setup to take over the task Monday morning.

 

[ArcAngel66]

I use Dropbox just about every week day. A radio show I listen to gets loaded to usenet in 1 hour segments. I use logmein on my iPhone to connect to my MB. While connected, I use Unison to download the MP3s of the show directly to my Dropbox. I then use the Dropbox app on my iPhone to listen to the MP3s. Works really slick!!

I've already got my new 11" MBA setup to take over the task Monday morning.

One question I had about Dropbox... When I copy/paste a file into it so it gets synced with all of my devices... Does it essentially double that file on my computer? Or is it a directory to it more or less?

I would like to have all music synced but don't want to have 10gb x2 if you know what I mean.


Another question for iDisk... For the automatic syncing, does it work both ways? Like if i put a file into the iDisk on my computer will it update iDisk on me.com with the new file? Or is it a one way deal, as in it only syncs "from" me.coms iDisk?

 

[gks]

One question I had about Dropbox... When I copy/paste a file into it so it gets synced with all of my devices... Does it essentially double that file on my computer? Or is it a directory to it more or less?

I would like to have all music synced but don't want to have 10gb x2 if you know what I mean.


Another question for iDisk... For the automatic syncing, does it work both ways? Like if i put a file into the iDisk on my computer will it update iDisk on me.com with the new file? Or is it a one way deal, as in it only syncs "from" me.coms iDisk?

With regard to Dropbox. It's a single directory on your computer. The Dropbox app simply keeps it in sync with the web version.

I wouldn't put your music on it... or at the very least, keep a back up elsewhere just in case.

 

[citron230]

I use my iDisk for a lot of stuff. Mainly I use it for school documents. Lecture notes, syllabi, term papers, etc. I save all of information there. I never run into a problem syncing with iDisk. The only time I will get an error is if the iDisk is trying to sync the particular file that is open at that time, but that isn't a huge deal and I just click okay and the box goes away. I love the iDisk and swear by it. When my MacBook was stolen at school just before the Thanksgiving holiday and two weeks before finals I wasn't worried about loosing my term paper or notes for studying. I was able to get the MacBook replaced through my renters insurance and all of my information was saved with the help of TimeMachine and the iDisk. I will never be without either of those again.
My renters insurance replaced the machine and the iDisk saved my life when it came to replacing invaluable school work. Needless to say the only hassle replacing the MacBook was the $250 deductible, other than that all was okay.

 

[mattb79]

I'm pretty certain that Dropbox has a Selective Sync feature -- so you can keep part of your Dropbox folder on your computer and then retrieve less important files from the 'cloud' if necessary.

 

[vow]

Anyone here use Windows Live Mesh?

It seems to be a bit like Dropbox except you get to actually chose the folders that sync.

Doesn't have any support for iPhone or iPad though.

The new dropbox beta actually allows for selective syncing. You have to grab it from their forums though.

 

[ArcAngel66]

I use my iDisk for a lot of stuff. Mainly I use it for school documents. Lecture notes, syllabi, term papers, etc. I save all of information there. I never run into a problem syncing with iDisk. The only time I will get an error is if the iDisk is trying to sync the particular file that is open at that time, but that isn't a huge deal and I just click okay and the box goes away. I love the iDisk and swear by it. When my MacBook was stolen at school just before the Thanksgiving holiday and two weeks before finals I wasn't worried about loosing my term paper or notes for studying. I was able to get the MacBook replaced through my renters insurance and all of my information was saved with the help of TimeMachine and the iDisk. I will never be without either of those again.
My renters insurance replaced the machine and the iDisk saved my life when it came to replacing invaluable school work. Needless to say the only hassle replacing the MacBook was the $250 deductible, other than that all was okay.

When using iDisk sync... Do you have to go to me.com and upload your files there? And then your iDisk on your computer syncs with me.com... Or can you simply drop your documents into the iDisk partition on your computer and me.com uploads them for you? I tried the latter method and it said "syncing", but visiting me.com I never see the filed I added to the partition.

 

[nomar383]

Dropbox is the best things since sliced bread. I use it to keep my Xcode projects synced up between machine. Keeps all of my documents as well.

MobileMe was all headaches for my using iDisk. Never had a single problem with Dropbox. Works everywhere too (linux, mac, windows, mobile, etc.

I use Dropbox just about every week day. A radio show I listen to gets loaded to usenet in 1 hour segments. I use logmein on my iPhone to connect to my MB. While connected, I use Unison to download the MP3s of the show directly to my Dropbox. I then use the Dropbox app on my iPhone to listen to the MP3s. Works really slick!!

I've already got my new 11" MBA setup to take over the task Monday morning.

You should take a look at SABnzbd+ for Usenet. I enjoy it much more than I did Unison