Tools for the Trade: Dropbox backs up, syncs, eases file sharing
If you're like me, you've been away from your computer before and not had that document or video you needed for a project or were going to share with a colleague. To avoid this frustrating situation I started using Dropbox a year ago and have never turned back.
Dropbox is a cross-platform cloud-based storage application that allows you to sync files online. Let me explain what that means exactly.
With Dropbox you have the ability to sync your files on your home computer, your laptop, the Dropbox website, and even your iPhone. It takes away the stress of having to send files to yourself via email or making sure you remember that tiny flash drive.
At 9 Clouds we use Dropbox daily to work on projects with our team here in Sioux Falls and a remote worker in Omaha. It is super slick as I can put a video clip into my Dropbox folder, share that folder with our team online, and now anyone else can add to the folder or pull my video onto their own computer.
The other nice feature of Dropbox is its ability to remember version history and file edits. This is perfect for collaboration as you can go back to track changes and either undo or bring back any past files. Dropbox tracks file history for up to 30 days for free and a paid upgrade can make that time unlimited.
Dropbox backs up files online automatically and you can work in Dropbox offline and your changes will be reflected as soon as you establish an Internet connection. Dropbox can be used with Windows, Mac, and Linux computers and will sync files of any type.
The only downside I can think of with Dropbox is its limited space online of only 2 gigabytes for the free basic version. However, you can earn up to 5 gigabytes of space by referring other people to join Dropbox (or simply referring yourself to various email addresses, shhh). If five gigs isn't enough you can upgrade to Dropbox Pro 50 which gives 50 gigabytes of space for $9.99 a month or Dropbox Pro 100 which allows for up to 100 gigabytes of space for $19.99 a month.
The Dropbox team never responded to my questions but I do know the service was released in September 2008 and currently has over 3 million users. If you need any more explanation I'd suggest watching the video on the Dropbox homepage produced by the Common Craft team, one of my favorite businesses on the web.
ARCHIVED COMMENTS
I agree , I've been using Dropbox for 9 months now and its amazing. I backup my documents folder and have put a symlink to my desktop so I have ready access to my current files. It's also really handy being able to access all your information when you are out and about using the iphone app where you can share files with other people.
There are also lots of info out there on how you can use it to synchronise preferences and setting for your favourite apps.
Here's my referral if anyone wants an extra 250MB :D
https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTE0MDYzNDE5
Thanks for the comment t2af. Great point to add about synchronizing preferences. I really do love Dropbox. Hope you get those extra referrals!
Dropbox is awesome. I use it all the time for sharing between my laptop and iMac. It makes life much easier.
Does Dropbox keep a revision history? So if I delete all the files in a synced folder, then realize later that I didn't mean to do that, can I restore them through their services? If so, is it free to do restores?
Yes it keeps your revisions for about 30 days i think so you have a while to undelete them. All restores are free :) and you select the files to restore through the website.
Please read my post regarding backups. I deal with the myth that Dropbox is a good backup.
http://www.dmevolve.com/2009/10/13/backups/
What happens if Dropbox's storage pool goes away without taking the server down? Dropbox will then sync with nothingness, causing the data on your computer to be lost. This is a real world example that has happened to one cloud-based service already. Sidekick users lost their critical data (who doesn't consider the items on their phone critical?) for over a week when the syncronized servers went down, which is something that Danger/Microsoft never accounted for.
I can throw out a second, hypothetical scenario too. What happens if Dropbox gets hacked. A virus could be inserted on every file on their servers, which would then be copied to every dropbox client, infecting everything you thought was safe.
Dropbox is a great utility for sharing files between users. It's a good replacement for shared folders on a server. In fact, it improves upon the concept by adding versioning and offline access. But it is not a backup solution.
I have a few Dropbox referrals left on my account if anyone would like one and you'll get an extra 250 megs this way. Use the link below when you sign up.
https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTI1NDc3ODY5
Have a good one!
-TK
Try Ubuntu One, it costs less and has better desktop integration.