tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726517614184169426.post9094062787462052021..comments2023-08-23T04:15:41.751-05:00Comments on The Jaded Consumer: DropBox: Remote Backup & File SynchronizationJaded Consumerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04631410690179296528noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726517614184169426.post-80506419947876149832010-04-06T08:58:00.273-05:002010-04-06T08:58:00.273-05:00"sorry to scare you"
No problem, I have..."sorry to scare you"<br /><br />No problem, I have my head on straight again :-)<br /><br />Good luck, whatever solution you end up with. If you learn anything interesting, or find something works well, drop a line here so we can follow :-)Jaded Consumerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04631410690179296528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726517614184169426.post-82104646601490128342010-04-06T07:27:07.469-05:002010-04-06T07:27:07.469-05:00good reply.
"so ghastly abhorrent that I dar...good reply.<br /><br />"so ghastly abhorrent that I dare not imagine it more than a few moments"<br /><br />^--sorry to scare youangry listmakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07814994418100266295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726517614184169426.post-75127769258026492732010-04-01T08:55:20.666-05:002010-04-01T08:55:20.666-05:00The advantages of DropBox (or some other cloud sol...The advantages of DropBox (or some other cloud solution, I just pick that one because it offers free 2GB and no limit on file types) over removable media include:<br />(1) If the event that loses your laptop also destroys your removable media (e.g., lightning at your hotel, theft, etc.), you're sunk;<br />(2) Need to keep the same piece of removable media with you over time, instead of simply being able to log in and access your known-current version wherever you are;<br />(3) Dependence on the integrity of a specific piece of storage media (I've seen a user whose thesis was on a floppy, which she carried with her and safeguarded from harm or loss, only to find the floppy developed bad sectors toward the end of her Master's program, and it wasn't pretty to see); and<br />(4) Freedom to use any file format one likes, made by any piece of software one chooses, regardless who does or does not support the file type (to transition to Google Docs solves only problems for which Google's applications offer an adequate solution).<br /><br />Personally, I find that having remote backup is appealing. I enjoy not worrying about whether I happened to remember to save a file to a removable media before I shut down a computer (quickly having to close laptops due to things happening around me is so common I'd never possibly make it a week without an oversight). The idea of using removable media as a MAIN storage technique is so ghastly abhorrent that I dare not imagine it more than a few moments, and if one decides to make backup copies of the removable media then one is back where one started with multiple copies that might be edited independently, causing synchronization problems -- especially when one forgets one's removable media and is forced to treat a local backup as an original.<br /><br />There may be lots of ways to access a single data source from multiple locations, but using a single piece of removable media isn't an adequate solution because it leaves one with the same backup and synchronization problems as before, plus the risk of concentrating all one's valuable data on a single piece of media that will eventually fail. (Besides, removable media is often formatted with FAT, and having FAT corrupted by infected Windows machines is too common in my experience to be willing to introduce removable media as a vector for attack or a mechanism of data loss.)<br /><br />Besides offering automatic backup and synchronized copies across your machines, DropBox is also cheaper on a per-GB basis than removable media of 2GB or less :-)Jaded Consumerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04631410690179296528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726517614184169426.post-26667642923133284752010-04-01T08:38:27.302-05:002010-04-01T08:38:27.302-05:00Why not use a flash drive?
Or, if you are not o...Why not use a flash drive?<br /> <br />Or, if you are not opposed to moving away from Microsoft, Google Docs?<br /><br />I wouldn't argue that either of those options are intrinsically better than DropBox; just that there are plenty of good options for accessing data from multiple locations.angry listmakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07814994418100266295noreply@blogger.com