Dropbox May Have Declined $800 Million Acquisition Offer from Apple

[ct2k7]

that's how I feel but people are going nuts over these cloud computing stuff. Were considered ancient with our non-cloud storage and pre-paid dumb phones by our nerd comrades.

Using a memory stick us easier and cheaper than attaining internet access everywhere for mobility. What if there's not network resource?

 

[highdough]

Using a memory stick us easier and cheaper than attaining internet access everywhere for mobility. What if there's not network resource?

What if the file you want isn't on the memory stick you brought? That's the big issue with memory sticks vs cloud storage. Yes, you need internet access (although not if you've already got the file cached, which I've done many times), but at least with cloud storage, you can access ANYTHING that is on your computer, even if you hadn't anticipated needing it.

Is cloud storage perfect? No, but it certainly has a lot more uses than a memory stick. You can backup your entire hard drive, access it anywhere there's an internet connection, share and collaborate with anyone anywhere. You can even use it to sync different computers, contacts etc. A memory stick is good for basically transferring files from one computer to another, and that's about it. It's not big enough to be a backup, you need to be in physical contact with someone to share the file, which happens less and less in todays world.

 

[ct2k7]

What if the file you want isn't on the memory stick you brought? That's the big issue with memory sticks vs cloud storage. Yes, you need internet access (although not if you've already got the file cached, which I've done many times), but at least with cloud storage, you can access ANYTHING that is on your computer, even if you hadn't anticipated needing it.

Is cloud storage perfect? No, but it certainly has a lot more uses than a memory stick. You can backup your entire hard drive, access it anywhere there's an internet connection, share and collaborate with anyone anywhere. You can even use it to sync different computers, contacts etc. A memory stick is good for basically transferring files from one computer to another, and that's about it. It's not big enough to be a backup, you need to be in physical contact with someone to share the file, which happens less and less in todays world.

I would always have a copy of the file on my memory stick. What file would I put in the cloud and not on my memory stick? My 16GB memory stick is enough for my documents. (My whole documents folder is backup up to memory stick btw).

I'm not so swayed by the cloud, but Microsoft's keynote today got me thinking, and I may try the cloud... not iCloud obviously, it's limited. What do I want vs What do I need? TimeMachine backs up my MBA, it's the only Mac I use, bar my Mac Pro, but unless I want to try storing over 3TB of stuff in the cloud.. well yeah.

 

[highdough]

that's how I feel but people are going nuts over these cloud computing stuff. Were considered ancient with our non-cloud storage and pre-paid dumb phones by our nerd comrades.

I don't even own a cell phone, so how do you think I feel?

And I do backup my computer to an external hard drive, but I also backup to Dropbox, as well. What if my hard drive fails, or there is a fire or it gets stolen? Then I've got no backup. With Dropbox, I'm doubly protected.

The other thing that is incredibly useful about Dropbox is the ability to move from one computer to another and just pick up where you left off. There are times when one of the kids is on my computer, but I want to work on a file I pick up my wife's iPad and start working away. Very simple.

 

[ct2k7]

I don't even own a cell phone, so how do you think I feel?

And I do backup my computer to an external hard drive, but I also backup to Dropbox, as well. What if my hard drive fails, or there is a fire or it gets stolen? Then I've got no backup. With Dropbox, I'm doubly protected.

The other thing that is incredibly useful about Dropbox is the ability to move from one computer to another and just pick up where you left off. There are times when one of the kids is on my computer, but I want to work on a file I pick up my wife's iPad and start working away. Very simple.

It is very unlikely that my two portable hard drives will be stolen, and my keys. It is unlikely that my keys will be stolen along with my hard drives
It is unlikely that the online server I use as an additional backup source will go away.

 

[BayouTiger]

I am guessing that many who don't see the relevance of the cloud have not had the opportunity to use it fully. Dropbox has been the biggest game changer in my workflow in many, many years. I keep my active projects there and they are always available. I no longer even think about syncing. Whether I am at home, office or the road, I just fire up and work. If I need to see a doc on the phone it's there.

The only glitch is access speed. My DSL connection at home was crippling for uploads. It is a shame that we put up with the atrocious asymmetric service levels in the US. My uVerse is better, but still lousy.

 

[highdough]

I am guessing that many who don't see the relevance of the cloud have not had the opportunity to use it fully. Dropbox has been the biggest game changer in my workflow in many, many years. I keep my active projects there and they are always available. I no longer even think about syncing. Whether I am at home, office or the road, I just fire up and work. If I need to see a doc on the phone it's there.

The only glitch is access speed. My DSL connection at home was crippling for uploads. It is a shame that we put up with the atrocious asymmetric service levels in the US. My uVerse is better, but still lousy.

When I started using Dropbox, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. Sure, it was handy for sharing files, but that meant I had a lot of duplicate files because I'd simply put a copy in the Dropbox folder. And the ones in Dropbox were always out of date. Then a light went off and I realized that if I moved EVERYTHING into my Dropbox folder and worked out of it, then I wouldn't need to keep track of which version was in my Dropbox.

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It is very unlikely that my two portable hard drives will be stolen, and my keys. It is unlikely that my keys will be stolen along with my hard drives
It is unlikely that the online server I use as an additional backup source will go away.

If your place burns down, then it's a good bet your hard drives will be useless. And you do realize the online server you're using is a form of cloud storage, right?