[Discuss] drop box software

Edward Ned Harvey blu at nedharvey.com
Wed Aug 31 10:16:42 EDT 2011


> From: discuss-bounces+blu=nedharvey.com at blu.org [mailto:discuss-
> bounces+blu=nedharvey.com at blu.org] On Behalf Of Stephen Adler
> 
> I'm getting a bit confused. I thought drop box was a service where one
> could upload a file, give it a password of some sort, and then you sent
> the password to someone else who could use it to grab the file.
> typically needed for large files, (multi-gigabyte) which cannot be
> e-mailed directly. After some time, the file gets deleted automatically.
> Does this drop box like systems mentioned use repository in the back
> end? I would assume it would just dump the file in some directory.

It sounds like what you want is a Build-your-own yousendit.  Not dropbox.

Yousendit, you upload a file, give it a password (or it assigns one, or
something), you send the link to somebody, it makes them confirm their
address or something...  They download the file, and after some time it gets
deleted automatically (if you opted for that feature.)

In dropbox, the free account has a total 2G limit (pay for larger box).
There is no password, nor verification of recipient when you email a link.
No notification that the recipient got it.  In fact, if you email a link
(which necessitates using the Public folder) then you have granted full
copyright to the world at large (read the EULA if you didn't already know
this).  For these reasons, dropbox is not great for emailing large files...
Unless they're not proprietary, not very important.




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