How do I break my hard drive addiction so I can switch to an Air?

[jsolares]

I don't have that much music, so i uploaded everything to the google music beta, and only have a small (1GB or so) subset on the air, also a VM with Windows 2008 Server R2 and Ubuntu Server, i have 70GB free i think, in the 128GB model.

I also have word/excel installed.

 

[Sounds Good]

So much old school thinking in this thread. I suppose you'll get with the times eventually, you old geezers...

Wha'd he say ??

 

[lozion]

I'm in the OP's same boat with a 500G 7200rpm drive. I'm looking at various ways of accessing files via the net (Dropbox, remote file sharing with AEBS, server, pogoplug, etc.) to reduce the footprint and fit everything to a 128G Air, but it occures to me the point of having an SSD drive is for its high speed file access. Isn't that speed advantage negated by slow net-centric solutions, defeating the purpose?
Thoughts?

 

[palpatine]

sure. the ssd gives you fast access to files. do you need all of those files all of the time, though? i think managing your data well is the best way to go.

in my case, i have a folder full of "archived" data. these are completed projects, pdf scans of materials, ebooks, and other things related to the research i am working on at the moment. i can search these files and use them, so i am happy. the rest of my stuff is on external hard drives (several to make sure i have plenty of backups).

i also have stuff in sugarsync. it is great for using files across a lot of different devices. my archived data is synced/backed up there, so i can look at it using my ipad or ipod.

i carry around my external hdd when needed, but really, how often do i need to take a look at that file from 2007? is it worth spending hundreds of dollars to keep 24/7 access to everything? not for me.

 

[jsolares]

I'm in the OP's same boat with a 500G 7200rpm drive. I'm looking at various ways of accessing files via the net (Dropbox, remote file sharing with AEBS, server, pogoplug, etc.) to reduce the footprint and fit everything to a 128G Air, but it occures to me the point of having an SSD drive is for its high speed file access. Isn't that speed advantage negated by slow net-centric solutions, defeating the purpose?
Thoughts?

Well not everything benefits from high speed, if your mp3s are at 256kbps that's all the bw (and a bit of overhead so maybe 300kbps) you need to stream it.

Do you really have 500GB of stuff you NEED to have all the time? an external usb drive might not be such a bad idea if so.

 

[lozion]

Well not everything benefits from high speed, if your mp3s are at 256kbps that's all the bw (and a bit of overhead so maybe 300kbps) you need to stream it.

Do you really have 500GB of stuff you NEED to have all the time? an external usb drive might not be such a bad idea if so.

Good point. I have a 500G drive attached to my AEBS, duplicating my Macbook's internal drive. Could I access most of those files via Airdisk sharing over WAN? Does this work properly? Can you stream MP4 movies over WAN?
Txs.

 

[jsolares]

Good point. I have a 500G drive attached to my AEBS, duplicating my Macbook's internal drive. Could I access most of those files via Airdisk sharing over WAN? Does this work properly? Can you stream MP4 movies over WAN?
Txs.

I guess it depends on the bitrate of the movies,i only had problems streaming from the iMac to the PS3 via wireless for the big bluray rips, otherwise no, and the ps3 afaik doesn't support N so it's capped to G speeds.

I have all of my apps dmg's on the Timecapsule and have no problem installing.

 

[VMMan]

I'm still using 8 track

 

[lozion]

I guess it depends on the bitrate of the movies,i only had problems streaming from the iMac to the PS3 via wireless for the big bluray rips, otherwise no, and the ps3 afaik doesn't support N so it's capped to G speeds.

I have all of my apps dmg's on the Timecapsule and have no problem installing.

You mean you dont copy the file locally before installing but do a remote install? Impressive. Also, how do you go about having those dmg's not back-uped by the Time Capsule to your mac? You create a folder that is excluded from Time Machine, I suppose?

 

[jsolares]

You mean you dont copy the file locally before installing but do a remote install? Impressive. Also, how do you go about having those dmg's not back-uped by the Time Capsule to your mac? You create a folder that is excluded from Time Machine, I suppose?

Remember the dmgs are IN the time capsule itself in the all users part of its filesystem, my user part of it has some VM's that i don't use often and the backup of the imac and air.

I'm gonna try watching the movies from the TC with the air wirelessly and see how it goes, i usually watch them on the iMac or the TV via PS3 (both are wired)

 

[rosemary1]

Even so far as my desktop is concerned, everything gets put on external drives. The internal drive is just a go-between.

I also have no personal need to put my entire music and movie libraries on every single computer I own. At home my iTunes library from my desktop is shared to my MBA. On the road, my iPhone is stocked with music for listening (as well as plenty of streaming options) and movies/tv shows get transferred where I need them on an as needed basis. The amount of hard drive you need for daily activities should be quite small.

 

[jsolares]

All 720p i've tried so far play just fine over wireless, i don't think i have any 1080p files to try tho

 

[lozion]

All 720p i've tried so far play just fine over wireless, i don't think i have any 1080p files to try tho

Can you try to stream via WAN and not LAN? (outside your home network)
Txs.

 

[Stingray454]

Unfortunately high speed Internet access is not as ubiquitous as some would have you think. With data caps and spotty 4G service, I want my stuff with me. I can't rely on being somewhere with wifi all the time.

Spotify supports offline mode. Just download all your songs at home and play them locally without internet access. Done (ofc this requires the paid version, not the free one - well worth it though)

That said, Spotify runs fine even on edge, bandwidth isn't usually a problem.

 

[KnightWRX]

Get daisy disk and see where that stuff is coming from

Download Daisy Disk if you aren't sure where the memory is going.

Or you know, just use what is already available on OS X to do the job :

$ sudo du -akx / | sort -nr | head -20

There you go, no need to download anything.

OP: I use a NAS. I store the stuff I need access to frequently or my current work on the MBA, and keep the archived stuff on the NAS. There's no need to drag around my entire collection of Anime or movies or music or pictures around where ever I go.

 

[kilonet]

I chose lower SDD coz I have no need to carry everything always everywhere. In my home I have storage.

 

[urkel]

Do you really have 500GB of stuff you NEED to have all the time? an external usb drive might not be such a bad idea if so.

This is what I mean by how we try to justify things with excuses simply because we "WANT" an air. Prior to SSD then the higher end users would replace their standard 160GB drives with the biggest and bestest drives we could because "you don't want to leave home and realize you don't have that file". But now with SSD being the cool toy then we are now pretending that "OMG we've been carrying TOO MUCH with us" and that's silly on several levels.

1) We brag about shedding 2lb of physical weight but at the same time make excuses about how abandoning 300GB of digital bits that physically weigh nothing should be acceptable.

2) Apples new Lion philosophies point AGAINST data management. That's why they moved "Devices" off the sidebar and replaced it with that questionable "All My Files" data pool. They Don't want us to pick and choose, they want us to just save and let them manage it.

3) The Internet is only convenient if it's accessible so the cloud has yet to prove itself to be an effective form of data access. 3G access is expensive and being limited by carriers. Online services aren't great for large files. And (my favorite justification) just because you claim "I have WiFi everywhere so I don't need to carry local files" doesn't mean hopping to Starbucks to retrieve that file you forgot is hardly convenient.


I'm not slamming SSD because I do love the benefits. I'm just pointing out that the benefit of "speed" costs us "convenience" so maybe this idea of inexpensive high capacity spinning drives isn't as dead as some claim it to be. (It may be acceptable in the Air but I really hope they don't thin out the next gen Pros to be SSD only because some Pros need ALL their files).

 

[ZBoater]

Spotify supports offline mode. Just download all your songs at home and play them locally without internet access. Done (ofc this requires the paid version, not the free one - well worth it though)

That said, Spotify runs fine even on edge, bandwidth isn't usually a problem.

That's exactly what I'm trying to do, but without having to pay Spotify for the privilege...

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... because some Pros need ALL their files).

This.

I'm glad the newer generation that has grown up with broadband is so enthusiastic about the cloud. And maybe in 10-15 years we'll get there. But right now access is not all that fast and universal outside certain pockets, and some of us WANT to have our stuff with us, accessible, not dependent on an Internet connection that may or may not be there, more likely slower than molasses, and expensive or with a data cap.

I'm still in awe of the $80 1TB WD Passport. I can have it all with me. Cheap.

 

[lozion]

This is what I mean by how we try to justify things with excuses simply because we "WANT" an air. Prior to SSD then the higher end users would replace their standard 160GB drives with the biggest and bestest drives we could because "you don't want to leave home and realize you don't have that file". But now with SSD being the cool toy then we are now pretending that "OMG we've been carrying TOO MUCH with us" and that's silly on several levels.

1) We brag about shedding 2lb of physical weight but at the same time make excuses about how abandoning 300GB of digital bits that physically weigh nothing should be acceptable.

2) Apples new Lion philosophies point AGAINST data management. That's why they moved "Devices" off the sidebar and replaced it with that questionable "All My Files" data pool. They Don't want us to pick and choose, they want us to just save and let them manage it.

3) The Internet is only convenient if it's accessible so the cloud has yet to prove itself to be an effective form of data access. 3G access is expensive and being limited by carriers. Online services aren't great for large files. And (my favorite justification) just because you claim "I have WiFi everywhere so I don't need to carry local files" doesn't mean hopping to Starbucks to retrieve that file you forgot is hardly convenient.


I'm not slamming SSD because I do love the benefits. I'm just pointing out that the benefit of "speed" costs us "convenience" so maybe this idea of inexpensive high capacity spinning drives isn't as dead as some claim it to be. (It may be acceptable in the Air but I really hope they don't thin out the next gen Pros to be SSD only because some Pros need ALL their files).

My thoughts exactly. SSD prices need to come down.

 

[urkel]

I'm glad the newer generation that has grown up with broadband is so enthusiastic about the cloud. And maybe in 10-15 years we'll get there. But right now access is not all that fast and universal outside certain pockets, and some of us WANT to have our stuff with us, accessible, not dependent on an Internet connection that may or may not be there, more likely slower than molasses, and expensive or with a data cap.

Ive shared a dozen pictures to my mom over dropbox and it was nice. But I really dont think all these cloud supporters fully understand how inconvenient it is to redownload files whenever you realize you want access to them. And as promising as the cloud is, ATT proved that all you need is one jerky data provider to start putting bandwidth caps on our unlimited lines and the rest will follow so they can cash in on our increased web usage. So as much as I like the cloud, I'm skeptical about how this will pan out in the next few years.

I'm still in awe of the $80 1TB WD Passport. I can have it all with me. Cheap.

But imagine having that 1TB WD drive INSIDE your computer.

Anyway, im not against external storage for the Air but in my first trip using the Air and external to work on RAW files in a plane then the lady reclined her chair it bumped my computer and knocked the spinning HDD onto the floor. Luckily my files were still intact but I quickly put it all away and just watched a movie on the iPad. So while the portabilty was better, it did have me missing the convenience of a large internal spinning drive.

 

[jsolares]

Then i'm glad for the kind of business i'm in, i code php/html/c/perl/.net and configure asterisk boxes, there's not much to carry arround , granted i know i'm not the usual which is why i wondered if ppl actually needed to carry everything.

 

[christophermdia]

I am a hard drive hound, but since going from a 500gb ssd in my MBP to a 256 drive in my MBA, I am not concerned. I do have a mac mini at home which holds all my media, but I keep a small subset of media on my MBA at any given time. If I am spending a whole days worth on the computer listening to music then something is wrong with me. Plus between iphone and ipad, and of course Pandora I fulfill all my music needs. I do bring around an external with everything on it when I go out of town just in case I get in the mood to watch a certain movie I own....but thats about it....this week I am upgrading my wifes air from a 256gb 13" 2010 model to a 128 11" 2011 model.....

 

[KnightWRX]

That's exactly what I'm trying to do, but without having to pay Spotify for the privilege...

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This.

I'm glad the newer generation that has grown up with broadband is so enthusiastic about the cloud. And maybe in 10-15 years we'll get there. But right now access is not all that fast and universal outside certain pockets, and some of us WANT to have our stuff with us, accessible, not dependent on an Internet connection that may or may not be there, more likely slower than molasses, and expensive or with a data cap.

I'm still in awe of the $80 1TB WD Passport. I can have it all with me. Cheap.

I don't trust the cloud. I never will probably. However, I don't trust my laptop either. My data, all my data, is archived on my home NAS, in a RAID 1 configuration.

I haven't really needed local storage on my laptop for years. The laptop is a small buffer for my current work. My data is safe and protected, available all the time over Wifi or wired Ethernet in my home, on my own servers.

 

[ZBoater]

I don't trust the cloud. I never will probably. However, I don't trust my laptop either. My data, all my data, is archived on my home NAS, in a RAID 1 configuration.

I haven't really needed local storage on my laptop for years. The laptop is a small buffer for my current work. My data is safe and protected, available all the time over Wifi or wired Ethernet in my home, on my own servers.

Good point. I carry a COPY of all my stuff. Laptops have a tendency to get lost or stolen, so having a backup at home is a wise and prudent move.

 

[jclardy]

I have a 500GB HDD in my MBP, and it was nearly full as I used it.

But I found 95% of the time I only need around 10% of those files. Multiple gigs of Steam game install files, podcast videos that I watched once, my music library (of which my favorites are on my iPhone), my photo and video collection (But even that doesn't fit, so part of it is on another external anyways so I am in the same situation even with more HDD space.)

If I am working on photography or video all I need is my last shoot. If it is code...well code doesn't take up much space so I can keep it all. If it is graphics I can keep most of my last few projects. These all can stay on a 128GB SSD.

My music I listen to most is on my iPhone, and if I want to listen to something random I have Spotify.

I see my files the same way I see physical objects. I don't drive an RV to work because I want to take everything in my house with me, I have a small car that can carry my bike, a bag, some CD's, and whatever other tools I need for the day. The other stuff I own is stored at my house where it is safer and less likely to be lost/damaged/stolen.

Not the best analogy as digital files don't take up more space, but they do require a larger and slower storage medium, so it works on that level