Dropbox-what is it?

[desmond]

Useful tool?

[an]

Yes.

[UCGal]

It’s a way of syncing files between computers using the “cloud”.

When I was putting together the details for my Sicily trip last summer I had a document that had everything – every confirmation number, contact info for the vacation rentals, car rental info, everything that I might ever need. I used drop box to move/sync it between my work, home, tablet, husbands computer.

Basically, you install the app on all the devices you want to sync between. Then if you update one of the files in your dropbox folder, it will get synced to the other machines when you log onto them.

[sdduuuude]

I looooooove my dropbox.

I’m sure there are competing products that do the same thing, but the thing it does is pretty nifty.

I would call it a mirroring or replication tool for files on multiple computers.

You have to do two things:
1) Set up an account at getdropbox.com
2) Load the dropbox application on one or more computers.

When you load the application, it makes a special folder for you. Anything you put in that folder gets copied up to the getdropbox.com cloud. Anytime you change anything in that folder, it updates your space the cloud to match.

Also, any time anything in your space in the cloud gets updated, the application replicates the changes in the special folder on your computer.

Do this with several computers and you always have a current copy of your work no matter what computer you use. It is fairly “invisible” It just works.

Also, you can grant permission to other dropbox users on a folder-by-folder basis. So, you can share selected things with selected people in near-real time.

My friends and I used it to design a robot. Every time one of us made a change to a file, we all saw the updates within a minute or so. This was coordinated across three people and each of us had two or three computers.

I also use it to pass documents to my accountant. I keep my books for my contracting work myself, which are basically a Quickbooks file. I just copy my Quickbooks file to our shared dropbox folder and he can see my entire financial picture.

[desmond]

Thanks, I will give it a try. I saw this article on its founder: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dropbox-20120115,0,6541893.story

$250 million………………………

[Anonymous]

Dropbox is part of a big movement in cloud-computing’s cloud storage. All of the various offerings have these things in common:

a) You can backup your files to an external server.
b) You can access the files on multiple computers and other devices.
c) You can usually get a few free gigabytes before having to pay.

[carli]

Every time someone mentions Dropbox, it sounds like Google Docs to me. I’m sure if I Google the differences, I’ll probably find lots of them, but I like using Google Docs so I’m wondering, why would I need Dropbox?

[profhoff]

Can’t live without dropbox. Google Docs is a different product for a different purpose.

[carli]

Huh, okay…I’m not sure that the product or the purpose are all that different, but that’s exactly what I’m trying to figure out.

A quick web search of comparisons indicates that Dropbox and Google docs are both designed for multiple users to review/edit files in the “cloud” and then both will automatically sync changes. I’ve used Google docs extensively to edit documents, and it’s pretty cool when two users are actually making changes simultaneously and can both see the edits being made in real time. My understanding is that Dropbox does not show edits in real time, but only after the file is re-saved to the shared folder.

I think one of the main differences is that Google docs changes Microsoft files to the Google docs format (although you can change them back when edits are finished). The Google docs format for the Microsoft products I’ve worked with is very similar but not identical for all.

For example, with Word documents, Google docs version seems to have the same features, but for other files such as Powerpoint presentations, the Google docs version is just different enough to potentially screw up your presentation. In contrast, Dropbox doesn’t convert a Powerpoint file (or any other file type) and instead allows users to edit it on Powerpoint.

Anyway, for me, now that I’m accustomed to editing stuff in Google docs with multiple users, I really like it and still can’t see a big plus to switching to Dropbox.

[north park girl]

Dropbox installs like a drive or folder on your computer, so you can save directly to it from your local computer as if it were a regular drive. You can also save any kind of file. To open or edit docs, you will still need to have a program from it (locally installed MS Office for example). But you don’t have to open a browser to use it, and there’s no additional downloading to your local computer to edit it locally, it’s just there.

Google Docs is useful for editing specific documents in real time with others, but not particularly useful for sharing multiple files. Both are cloud based, but have very different uses.

Dropbox gives you 2GB free, but if you get a referral, you get an extra 500MB, and the referrer gets an extra 500MB as well. So here’s my shameless attempt to get more space: http://db.tt/T2DsT63h

[carli]

Thanks for the info…now I get it. Thanks also for the link, which I used. 🙂

[all]

Box.net gives 5GB and it might play better with Google Docs.

But it was Drew Houston of Dropbox, not Aaron Levie of Box.net who looked Steve Jobs in the eyes and said ‘no, thank you’ to 9-digit buyout offer 🙂

[teacherSD]

I use both Dropbox and Google Docs but I use them for different purposes.

I primarily use Google Docs to collaborate on “word” – style documents with my colleagues (other teachers). We use it to share lesson plans and work together to create assignments. The biggest benefit is that we can add information to the document at the same time. This is helpful when we have meetings together. Rather than one person being the note taker, all of us can contribute different parts at the same time.

There is also a chat feature you can use if you are all logged in to the document at the same time.

I tend to use Dropbox for two other reasons. The first is to keep any non “word” -style documents that I need to share with other people. Just last week, four of us (2 teachers and 2 admins) had to create one presentation. Myself and the other teacher taught the admins how to use Dropbox so we could share the PowerPoint and not worry about emailing the most recent version back and forth to each other.

A PowerPoint in Google Docs wouldn’t work as well because the formatting changes. However, in Dropbox, if two people are editing the file at the same time it will save two copies to the folder. This can be inconvenient.

The second thing I do with Dropbox is keep many of my personal files (mostly lesson plans) there because it works so easily between my work and home computers, my iPad and my phone. As someone mentioned above, it looks just like another window on your computer. The app for the iPhone and iPad is just as easy to use. (but there are issues with saving docs from iOS devices to Dropbox. It can be done, it just takes an extra step).

I am also using both of these with students with a reasonable amount of success. Using these tools with students is an ongoing process.

That being said, here is a shameless promotion of my own referral link – http://db.tt/qn5HhAs

This is probably more information than anyone really wants but if anyone is interested or has more questions feel free to PM me. I’d be happy to help.

[Author]

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