GetDropBox

[nlagalle]

This is a relatively new service, and one of the best I've seen for syncing files between machines as well as keeping a copy "offline" in case you lose your computer.

https://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTE0NjI1NDc5

It's simply a folder (usually in My Docs) and you copy stuff to it and it automatically syncs it up. If you have other machines connected they will also update as well.

The link above gets you an extra 250mb with the free account, giving you 2.25gb.

Cheers,

Nick

 

[samh004]

I find the trouble is how much broadband bandwidth and usage I have left... though this is certainly good value for free.

I wonder how long it'll last this way though, will it be successful?

I notice that it uses Amazon's S3 for the actual storage. A good system, though no guarantee's on no data loss.

 

[nlagalle]

I notice that it uses Amazon's S3 for the actual storage. A good system, though no guarantee's on no data loss.

Yes, but think if you have 2 computers syncing then you actually have 3 copies of the file (one on each computer and one on the website)

 

[one9]

I use a free product by Windows called Windows Mesh (www.mesh.com) which seems to do the same thing. I have found it good with it syncing new files to the other computer in a very short time. I am not aware of any limit.

 

[gregcuthbert]

I am not aware of any limit.

It’s a Microsoft product?

I have been using Dropbox for over a year - its quick and easy and has also recently added selective sync and syncing for open MS Office documents making it perfect for team collaboration.....for a free app its a damn good quality for an even better price

Cheers

Greg

 

[samh004]

Honestly, you have to wonder why this sort of thing wasn't built into Windows 7 or Mac OS X 10.6 - and you have to wonder if it should be in the next-gen release of these operating systems, it'd certainly be a boon for so many people.

There are rumours Apple’s massive data centre in NC will be a cloud facility, but as with everything Apple, we’ll have to wait for an official announcement. And while not free, MobileMe, and before that .Mac, and even before that iTools (which was free) offers a similar service.

The problem with the cloud is markets like Australia where bandwidth isn’t unlimited, and is still relatively low, so moving a lot of data to and from the cloud at least here, would be expensive. Most other countries, like the US, are perfect for it.

 

[Worldtraveller8888]

I've been using Dropbox for a while now too, and thoroughly enjoying it. Bandwidth not a problem. Most users are only transferring small files when it syncs.

 

[DeKa]

The problem with the cloud is markets like Australia where bandwidth isn’t unlimited, and is still relatively low, so moving a lot of data to and from the cloud at least here, would be expensive. Most other countries, like the US, are perfect for it.

Is that really an issue anymore? My ISP upgraded me to a 200GB/mth plan, so I promptly reduced my spend to the second lowest plan, which is now 100GB/mth. Optus just increased most of their plans to 500GB/mth or more... Telstra gives 50GB or more a month for what they used to charge for 2GB/mth. Anything over 50GB/mth for most users is almost unlimited at this point in time I'd say (unti 24x7 streaming video becomes the norm).

 

[nomadic]

+1 on livemesh
I use Dropbox too though when I want to collaborate.

Dropbox has better features for this, while livemesh pretty much sits in the background. They are both very reliable and essential tools for me!

 

[richie9x]

I have been using Dropbox for a while now. Very happy with. The main benefits are

The main benefit it is simple, easy to understand and just works.

It is free. Although more capacity is charged for.

Support for many different platforms. Windows, Mac and Linux all well supported. Plus mobile versions available as well. Great to be able to view or update documents on my phone. For instance I have my passwords stored in Keepass in a file on dropbox. Any updates done on my computer I can instantly view on my phone.

It has LAN sync which means if you have 2 or more computers on the same network it can transfer data between them directly rather than going out over the Internet and coming back in again.

 

[nlagalle]

Support for many different platforms. Windows, Mac and Linux all well supported. Plus mobile versions available as well. Great to be able to view or update documents on my phone. For instance I have my passwords stored in Keepass in a file on dropbox. Any updates done on my computer I can instantly view on my phone.

I use Dropbox on the iPad now.. I found that Office 2 HD will open and save docs to Dropbox as well.. Has been awesome when wanting to quickly edit a file and re-save it!

 

[Nam Taf]

Dropbox protip: If you set up a folder within your dropbox folder you can make this a watched folder on a PC with a bittorrent program. You can then drop a .torrent file in that watch folder from anywhere (if you're clever you can use a phone to do this) and the PC will then automatically process and begin the download of any torrent you drop in there.

There's all kinds of funky things you can do with Dropbox like this

 

[drfs]

I love dropbox, I use it every single day!

I used to use a folder in it for itineraries, before I got tripit on my iphone and ipad.

 

[david-au-2000]

I use DropBox on my MacBook and iPad and share some folders with workmates who are working on the same projects, its also good for external staff and contractors on the same project. The only thing is that if you're worried about the impact of bandwidth on your ADSL internet connection image what this can be like on mobile broadband! We have to be very careful about how much we drop into the shared folders because when any of us are using a 3G USB modem or even at a cafe or hotel with a slow wifi connection and that definitely includes the QF lounges, having your laptop automatically start downloading a stack of big files in the background is not ideal!

So for anybody on a laptop I would suggest being careful about what files are put into shared Dropbox folders, the good thing is that you can always log into the Dropbox website first and browse your folders there instead of opening the Dropbox client or having the app starting sync automatically, although of course that takes away one of the big convenience factors of Dropbox.

 

[albatross710]

One of my circle has raised an issue regarding security of shared files via dropbox.

For instance I share with User B. User B then shares (without my permission but in good faith) the same folder with User C. The project ends and I can unshare User B but I understand User C continues to have the files.

I know when I share files & documents through Google Docs, I get a permission request if User B wants to onshare the files.

Has anyone had an issue with the first scenario?

My dropbox folder is shared in different ways with 5-6 different users on different projects.

Alby

 

[nlagalle]

One of my circle has raised an issue regarding security of shared files via dropbox.

For instance I share with User B. User B then shares (without my permission but in good faith) the same folder with User C. The project ends and I can unshare User B but I understand User C continues to have the files.

I know when I share files & documents through Google Docs, I get a permission request if User B wants to onshare the files.

Has anyone had an issue with the first scenario?

My dropbox folder is shared in different ways with 5-6 different users on different projects.

Alby

i haven't tested that theory as yet, i wasn't aware you could share a shared folder. I'll have to try and test it out.. Although I'd be surprised if it didn't remove your files from User C.

 

[medhead]

Surely once you unshare with B, it'll disappear from their Dropbox and hence from C?


Sent from the Throne (80% chance) using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[straitman]

Surely once you unshare with B, it'll disappear from their Dropbox and hence from C?


Sent from the Throne (80% chance) using Aust Freq Fly app

I'll give this a try tomorrow also.

 

[serfty]

Thanks to the OP.

I registered and received the following confirmation:

[FONT=Lucida Grande, Segoe UI, Arial, Verdana, Lucida Sans Unicode, Tahoma, Sans Serif]Thanks for registering for Dropbox! For accepting xx_xx_xx@xx_.com.au's invitation, we've awarded you 500 MB of bonus space. You now have a total of 2.5 GB on Dropbox!

[/FONT]

With than and a few other bonii, I now have 3½GB of free storage.

 

[oz_mark]

I have found the public folder a nifty way of sharing documents etc with the world when using systems that have limited support for attachments.