Dropbox Opens Its Online Sync And Backup to the Public

Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Beta

Dropbox Opens Its Online Sync And Backup to the Public

by Lee Mathews Sep 12th 2008

Dropbox has gone public, opening it's file sharing and backup services to the public. The cross-platform tool makes it easy for users of multiple computers and operating systems to keep their files safely backed up and in sync.

Brad first posted about Dropbox in March, and the development team has been hard at work ever since.

Once you've uploaded a file, the software is smart enough to upload only the changes. For anyone who has an ISP with a ridiculous upload cap (30k/s for me) it's a welcome feature, since it means I won't be uploading a 75 megabyte PSD over and over. It also makes sharing work with my Mac-using partner a snap.

The web interface - "Now with lots of Ajax!" according to Dropbox - has seen a number of improvements. It handles multiple uploads nicely, and makes accessing and storing files a breeze even when you're not using the desktop client.

You can view a screencast of the service, or take the old-fashioned tour if you'd prefer.

Dropbox is feature packed, gives you 2 gigabytes of free, online storage, and is definitely one of the better services available.

Tags: backup, dropbox, filesharing, sync

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ralph said 12:19PM on 9-12-2008

no a fan of this. I don't like the fact that my data is on dropbox's servers. I went with jungle disk instead.

Peter said 12:27PM on 9-12-2008

Where your data is on someone else's servers as well.

I wouldn't use Dropbox for sensitive data, but the service is great and is drop dead simple to use.

My USB stick has been gathering dust since I started using Dropbox.

Andy said 8:48PM on 9-14-2008

Actually I think you will find if you read the FAQ that they are storing your data on Amazon S3 the same as JungleDisk.

Lee Mathews said 12:27PM on 9-12-2008

Sure it's on their servers, it's an online backup as well as a sync tool. Encrypt your files yourself prior to uploading, then you don't have to pay anything for S3 storage as on Jungledisk.

Truecrypt FTW!

LeeH said 12:46PM on 9-12-2008

For me the dealbreaker is that I have to move stuff to a designated DropBox folder which means that I to totally restructure my current documents folder.

TylerM said 1:07PM on 9-12-2008

No, you don't. Check into things before commenting. They have updated it.

LeeH said 1:24PM on 9-12-2008

TylerM, I downloaded the latest version last night and I did look at their website tour again before I commented and as far as I can see there's no way at to get stuff up on Dropbox unless I put it in My Documents\My Dropbox. If they've updated the software, they haven't communicated that fact very well.

Lee Mathews said 1:29PM on 9-12-2008

Right click the tray icon, select preferences...Then move your dropbox location ;-)

LeeH said 1:32PM on 9-12-2008

Lee Mathews: Moving the Dropbox location doesn't do anything at all. To get stuff into Dropbox, I still have to move the file *into* Dropbox. For example, if I want to share a photo, it has to be moved from My Pictures to */My Dropbox. Or am I missing something totally obvious here?

proee said 1:33PM on 9-12-2008

DropBox rules, the only thing it needs it the ability to "lock" a file so others can't mess with your work if you have a file that can't merge.

Lawrence said 5:24PM on 9-12-2008

I am just so curious that the Mesh under MSN Live has already provided 5G online dropping box. It does public and private dropping. So why we need still this?

Peter said 9:47PM on 9-12-2008

Because the Live Mesh interface sucks. The best thing LM has going for it is the remote control functionality. Dropbox is a million times easier to use.

Duke said 11:19PM on 9-12-2008

If you're using TrueCrypt the Sync feature will not work. In this case, you can use any other file host where you don't need a special client.

YpoCaramel said 11:12PM on 9-13-2008

Is there a round-up of all these services, including DropBox and Live Mesh?

TylerM said 1:25PM on 9-16-2008

Yeah, you're missing something totally obvious. It's right there. Pick the folder and it starts to sync.

Tilana Fan said 4:20PM on 9-16-2008

Tilana (www.tilana.com) has been doing this sync stuff forever. You can keep your files anywhere you want. No hoopla, no drama - just does the job. Simple interface, and even open API!

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