Projects such as lipsync or SparkleShare are often considered as Dropbox alternative, especially by people who do not actually use Dropbox.
Unfortunately, we’re still not there yet.
Here’s why: most people usually always think of Dropbox as a syncing solution. But it’s more than that. Dropbox can:
- keep multiple versions of files;
- let other people collaborate;
- detect conflicts and let you choose which file you want to keep;
- publish files for anyone to see;
- synchronize with peers over the LAN to save bandwidth;
- and more.
I really hope that those project catch up, but until then, I won’t consider them as alternatives.
7 replies on “Why your Dropbox alternative is not enough”
I know it’s almost a tending topic when it comes to dropbox alternatives, but GIT can do all theses stuff, and I’m pretty sure some project already use git as a “dropbox” alternative (can’t remember which one)
Good to hear! I was worried I might have a hard time accessing your files.
Love,
The NSA
@gigigan : I think you’re thinking about SparkleShare. It uses Git as storage.
@Foobar : I’m just as worried as you are. It’s just sad that there’s no real alternative.
What about https://spideroak.com/ ?
Dropbox Enterprise File Transfer from Thru is the secure solution for businesses and enterprises. It is in a little different category, since it was designed for and only available to businesses and enterprises, but their solutions have been working for ten years without a single security breach. http://www.thruinc.com/solutions/dropbox-enterprise-file-transfer/
Consumer dropbox solutions are convenient but lack necessary security for businesses and enterprises. Michael Osterman, President of Osterman Research, discusses this topic.
http://www.thruinc.com/resources/news-room/041912_webcast/
Thru has an enterprise dropbox that can replace unsecure consumer Dropbox accounts with something that the end users will love and find very convenient.
You should check it out. Find them here.
http://www.thruinc.com/solutions/secure-dropbox/