I've started using Dropbox to store files to online and it has been working great. Basically, for free, I get 2gb of storage space - there is a small app that creates a folder on my PC and on my mac that lets me drag and drop files into that folder or have a backup routine save backups to that folder. The dropbox app automatically syncs the folder with their service online. This allows me to save a file on my home mac in my dropbox folder, and when I get to work, it is there in my pc dropbox folder. In addition, I can retrieve it via their website from any computer or even from my blackberry.
It also lets you set up publicly shared files and lets you share folders with just certain people so you can use it to collaborate.
I have been telling all of my friends about how much I like this service and thought I'd share it here as well.
I've got documents I'm working on saved there so I can access them from multiple locations and I just started using it to backup my address book and other info from my mac. I have a backup plan in home but figured that backing up to an online resource was a good redundancy plan.
Anyway, I was curious to hear what others are using Dropbox for... might give me some new ideas of how to utilize it.
If anyone isn't currently using it but is interested they can sign up at Dropbox's website, but if you use a referal link from a current user, they give you extra storage (250mb) and also give the referrer the same extra storage. My referral link is https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTI5ODUwNTE (https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTI5ODUwNTE) You're welcome to use it if you'd like to try it and get some added storage.
For those asking how they make their money - they offer big storage for a monthly fee. They have a 50gm and 100gb plan you can pay for, but their 2gb plan is free and offers all the same features.
A post extolling the benefits of a service by a member with only five posts. Hmmm.... well, whatever.
I've considered online storage services, but I already maintain reasonable backups.
And as I regularly tin-toil hat it up, I'm not 100% on the idea of backing up my documents, photos, porn, etc. to the internet.
I can certainly see a reason to give a second thought to not keeping my tax returns on a service like this or keeping all my bank account numbers, but as a college student I often found that I had a paper or project I was working on. I regularly worked on a computer in a classroom/lab, then was working in the main computer lab on campus, then was working on my personal laptop. I dragged my files from place to place with a usb thumb drive because I hadn't seen a service like this a few years back.
My current backup system for my personal computing is using an apple time capsule to make automated hourly backups of my macbook pro. If my hard drive in my laptop crashes I can restore from it. If I delete a file from my laptop I can restore it from there. However, if there is a house fire or a burglary and someone steals my laptop and time capsule, my data is gone. I'd be well served to make a weekly backup to a removable hard drive and keep it at work or a friends house, just in case.
My work backup system is a bit better - I admin a medium sized network and store all my documents to a network share that I have mapped as a drive with offline file access, so I have a local copy on my work laptop for portability and it sync's to the file server in my data center. That stores files to redundant drives (12 spindles in a raid 5 for anyone that cares) and that is backed up daily to tape, which we store off site. This is certainly a better solution than my home system, but it's a bit more pricey and labor intensive with all the tape changes, etc.
I like the idea of having a bit of online storage for having a project accessible from multiple computers or having a bit of backup space I don't have to maintain. It would be nice to store tools, like malware bytes, that I often end up using on people's computers to resolve problems, since I don't have to carry a flash drive or download my "tool kit" again. I like the fact that I can store files for collaboration among staff members of my DOC so we can work together on a project without needing to email files, etc. Any changes made can be seen by the others with access.... oh, and dropbox allows you to undelete a file or go back to a previous version that you've overwritten, so it gives you a nice chance to recover files that are there if you goof them up :)
Quote from: zarn02 on November 26, 2009, 05:39:42 PM
A post extolling the benefits of a service by a member with only five posts. Hmmm.... well, whatever.
Funny thing, all your post does is show that you haven't been around long enough to know that BryanS has been around much longer then you. :P
Quote from: hbliam on November 26, 2009, 07:59:48 PM
Funny thing, all your post does is show that you haven't been around long enough to know that BryanS has been around much longer then you. :P
*shrugs*
All apologies, I just call it as I see it.
No offense intended.
Quote from: BryanS on November 26, 2009, 05:57:38 PMI like the idea of having a bit of online storage for having a project accessible from multiple computers or having a bit of backup space I don't have to maintain.
I sometimes have the same need as I travel a lot for work. I typically attach a file to an email and save it as a draft (gmail for personal stuff, work email for business stuff).
Thanks for the review, maybe I'll check it out. [thumbsup]
Quote from: somegirl on November 27, 2009, 01:46:09 PM
I sometimes have the same need as I travel a lot for work. I typically attach a file to an email and save it as a draft (gmail for personal stuff, work email for business stuff).
That's a pretty creative solution. I think you'll find that Dropbox offers you the same capability but is much easier to use and gives you the ability to retrieve a previous version of the file if you overwrite it.
I opened a dropbox account a while back to share files with a client. I haven't thought of using it as a backup site for the work I do at home but, after reading this thread, I am going to rethink it. It may make sense in that the SO and I now have multiple residences, both are essentially self-employed, and our work is mainly done on laptops.
I'm a bit of a lurker here (still shopping for a Monster). That said, I have just started using Dropbox based on this thread, and would appreciate it greatly if anyone would use my below link to join Dropbox, as I hope to be starting a new job soon that would make the extra space very helpful to me (and the more helpful, the sooner I can get a Monster :)).
https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTMyMTExNzg5 (https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTMyMTExNzg5)
BryanS is Vice President of the Hoosier Hooligans DOC.
He spends most of his time on their website.