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View Full Version : Who uses Dropbox and Why?



benc1213
May 28th, 2011, 07:35 PM
I use it to sync my eclipse files between computers and soon I want it to sync my minecraft save files.

manzdagratiano
May 28th, 2011, 07:46 PM
I use it, to mainly save code/Latex files for my thesis. It has saved my life many times.

krapp
May 28th, 2011, 07:47 PM
I've come to view Dropbox as the most essential non-free component (more so than non-free codecs!) on my installs. Anything I can't bear to lose (documents, mostly plain text, PDF, .doc & .odt) goes in my Dropbox folder; anything I'm working on goes in there too, so as to make the most recent revisions available to any computer that has internet access (much more convenient than emailing myself attachments, which is what I did for years before discovering Dropbox).

AlanR8
May 28th, 2011, 07:50 PM
Everything that's important is in DB and backed up to my server on a regular basis.

Means if I "brick" a machine by being over adventurous, no problems. I loose nothing.

Moved from downloading my mail to T'Bird a couple of years ago so these days I just re format and job done.

texpat
May 28th, 2011, 07:52 PM
I use up to four different computers (Lunix and Windows), depending on where I am. Dropbox helps me work on my projects wherever I am. Very handy, wouldn't want to miss it.

cgroza
May 28th, 2011, 07:56 PM
I use it for backup purposes and to sync data across my 2 computers.
Very handy.

Rasa1111
May 28th, 2011, 08:04 PM
I've been using Ubuntu One for about a year..
But just 2 days ago I decided to try out dropbox, mainly because whenever I try to upload "large" files
(50MB or so) , they never seem to finish uploading with Ubuntu one.
It just sits and sits and sits... and never finishes.

I love Ubuntu one, and it works great *usually*.. But for larger files..
it could use some work, i guess.

When i installed dropbox 2 days ago, I did it because I needed to upload an 88MB file to share with a friend across the world, So I figured I'd give it a try, since U1 wasnt doing what I needed.

As luck would have it, the file uploaded fine (took about an hour+), But I was able to send the dropbox link to my friend and he was able to get it, no problem.

So, Now I use dropbox because it seems to handle larger files better than U1.

I'll keep using Ubuntu1 for my regular stuff..
but dropbox is what I'll be using for larger files I need to share/backup.

I am impressed with Dropbox!
as well as with Ubuntu One, (specially in 11.04, Ubuntu One has gotten a ton better)

Ginigrace
May 28th, 2011, 08:39 PM
Dropbox has become my file system in the cloud where I keep the files I need regardless of where I am or which of my machines I'm using. I also use it to share files others need when I am not around. It's fast, always works, is easy to use, is not platform dependent, and it's reasonably priced. It's also a great backup system in the event of local hard disk failure.

keithpeter
May 28th, 2011, 08:40 PM
+1 for cross platform sync, and for access to key materials anywhere.

When a Windows client for Ubuntu One becomes available, I'll give it a try as I'd like to pay money to Canonical rather than Dropbox when I need more storage.

el_koraco
May 28th, 2011, 08:44 PM
Because the ubuntuonesyncdaemon can get crazy at times.

scouser73
May 28th, 2011, 08:52 PM
I use it for saving files and passwords for all my sites, except banking.

Aquix
May 28th, 2011, 09:02 PM
Use it for backup of pictures, docs and config files, and anything that will make new installs easier (themes, cairo-dock files, icons, passwords, bookmarks, conky's).

I also encrypt everything I upload to dropbox with truecrypt because of the later news that files are not completely safe from prying eyes or law-enforcement. So anything important should be encrypted before uploaded to dropbox.

morgan141
May 28th, 2011, 10:00 PM
All my uni work is stored in dropbox. Having identical copies of files on my laptop and desktop is invaluable, especially with coding/latex.

nrundy
May 29th, 2011, 01:58 PM
I don't use it for security reasons.

any cloud stuff I use would have to encrypt it like Jungle Disk does.

Copper Bezel
May 29th, 2011, 03:51 PM
I don't understand the security worries. I depend on Dropbox for syncing to my Windows machine at work, having access to school files anywhere, sharing files, etc. It replaced flash drives, Photobucket, and Google Docs for me in addition to keeping a realtime backup of all my important documents. Absolutely, as a couple of people have said, my most essential closed-source app. And I like its *nixiness, particularly in taking command line arguments and such, so that I can, for instance, have my Thunar action for copying sharing links.

dwhite
May 29th, 2011, 04:59 PM
Use it to sync files across platforms (mac, win7, and linux). got tired of carrying usb drive around with me with files from various machines always wondering where the latest version was/is. (i am investigating spideroak as a way to do this with files with more sensitive information, i.e. student id #'s etc., although it has been pointed out to me that dropbox is almost certainly more secure than toting a usb drive with unencrypted files on it, probably true)

ps also find it much more convenient than google docs (which my employer just went to).

krapp
May 29th, 2011, 06:12 PM
I don't understand the security worries.

Yes you do, you just choose to disregard them or aren't threatened by them.

For me the convenience of Dropbox outweighs my need to be militant about protecting my privacy.

However, my pragmatic feeling would be to say don't put anything on somebody else's servers you don't want falling into the wrong hands. Yes, a horribly cynical argument, and I really wish it were otherwise, but the erosion of privacy on the ARPANET/Internet is only gaining speed so we better get used to it.

jimrz
May 29th, 2011, 06:29 PM
+1 for cross platform sync, and for access to key materials anywhere.

When a Windows client for Ubuntu One becomes available, I'll give it a try as I'd like to pay money to Canonical rather than Dropbox when I need more storage.

and + another 1

cgroza
May 29th, 2011, 08:41 PM
Yes you do, you just choose to disregard them or aren't threatened by them.

For me the convenience of Dropbox outweighs my need to be militant about protecting my privacy.

However, my pragmatic feeling would be to say don't put anything on somebody else's servers you don't want falling into the wrong hands. Yes, a horribly cynical argument, and I really wish it were otherwise, but the erosion of privacy on the ARPANET/Internet is only gaining speed so we better get used to it.
If they want my "private" school work I store there they only have to ask, I will give it with pleasure.

cloyd
May 30th, 2011, 12:33 AM
I use it to sync my two machines. I've used it to move files between me and my wife, though not much. I use dropbox, because Ubuntu one seemed to slow the whole internet experience down to a crawl on my netbook. I suspect Ubuntu one will get better and I may change some day. But dropbox seems to do its business quickly and efficiently.

BrokenKingpin
May 30th, 2011, 05:51 PM
I used to, just as a general backup of some documents, but after hearing about all the security holes in Dropbox over the last couple weeks I have stopped using it.