How many times have you searched for an important file but can not remember where is it ? Have you left the USB stick in your briefcase? Or, HDD backup in the office? Or even left in the USB in your car ? What a mess, right?
What do you think of a way to save all your files in a safe place and have it always at your disposal? I have the right solution for you! DropBox! It’a multi-platform online storage service. It runs on Linux, Windows and even on your Android smartphone!
Let’s first talk about what is meant for a Cloud Computing software.
As wrote in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia when we talk about Cloud Computing we mean:
“Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network (typically the Internet).”
The first thing to do is download the software. Every operating system has its own installation path. If you use Windows you can just download the executable from the web site, if you use Linux you can install it from the repository or from the website and if you want it even on your Android there is no problem ! A simple search in the Market, the free section of course, and go on with the installation.
After downloading and installing the software you just need to configure it. The first thing to do is start it from your PC. Through a simple wizard you can set the directory that you reserve for saving your data and other settings that can be useful. At one point it ask you to do a Log In, If you are a new user and you have never used or installed you just need to register in a few more moments and through the configuration daemon. After you have installed it on a PC you just need to install and configure it also on other PCs or other devices such as smartphones. Keep in mind that from now on you will always have to use the account registered.
Everything is very easy.
For example, I’m writing this article in my NetBook and I will save it in the folder “Dropbox/Documents/Articles/Web Site Name”. After I finished, I will save it and it will be immediately available on my smartphone for a later review on the fly or even be available to my employer. That’s right! You can choose, in fact, the files you want to share with other people. Your interlocutor just need to install DropBox and may change the file or print it! If you do not want to install any software, do not worry … there is a solution for you! Just get it on the site, log in and you get the online directory! You can then download or upload any file !
This is a solution used by many users who want to be sure not to lose data due to accidental damage. What happens, in fact, to your baptism images if you lose the USB Stick where you have stored them ? Someone will certainly strangle you…
With this method it will never happen!
If it is right to praise this software, you need to consider also some small flaw. Keep in mind that you are entrusting a third party to hold files for you, and keep them in a sort of online cloud ! If, like me, you have archived simple personal financial situations and articles there is no problem! Who cares? But if you want to save personal photos or sensitive data of your company’s this can be a big problem … At this point the only solution may be to encrypt, perhaps in an archive. A “RAR” file and put it online as well! Evildoers will have more difficultly to open an encrypted file! Sure, maybe i’m an extremist … but know that these companies have strict rules about privacy
It will be almost impossible that this will happen to you … But after all, To trust is good, not to trust is better.
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Arch linux you will need to install dropbox using the aur package. http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=23363
Another great alternative is Ubuntu One. If you already use Ubuntu as your desktop it simple to get up and running. They also offer a windows client. You also get 5 GB of space now verses the 2GB with dropbox.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Dropbox doesn’t seems to support KDE.
The package provided for Linux is more for nautilus integration.
Hi. you should consider SpiderOak – an miltiplatform alternative that respects your privacy, as opposite of Dropbox.
If you use this referral link: you get 1 extra GB for free for life: https://spideroak.com/download/referral/a822e7f068f78327bd8f3df9db7a9860
Admin; this is not a spam, just an honest service that I prefer, after testing multiple. – if you don’t like the link – please remove it, but let my tip stand – privacy is increasingly more important , and rare, in this world.
what bothers me most is that when i install dropbox in linux (so far, fedora, opensuse, debian) it has to install some Gnome “things” with it. For a gnome user it is fine, but for a kde user it is rather annoying. maybe i am wrong cause i havent searched a lot about it but that is my experience. Other than that a good solution to keep everything on the move.
There is nothing wrong in mixing Gnome and KDE. As long as the packages are built correctly, everything should work.
Personally, I don’t care about K or G, if I need the program and I find it in the repository, I try it.
DikiKam for example – written for KDE, runs perfectly on Gnome.
One quick comment; the scope of your article is far too narrow. Dropbox is by no means the only vendor out there supplying backup services for cross platform use. Wikipedia lists dozens with a nice, convenient table for comparing them.
I personally use SpiderOak for two reasons. One, I think their architecture is one of the cleanest, most stable designs I’ve. Two, their passionate commitment to security, one that I wish was emulated by all of the big vendors. Well worth checking out (as are many of the others on the list I cite above.)
Dropbox has been available on Linux for years. Welcome to the party.