Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Hawkmoon on May 09, 2021, 02:28:47 PM
-
I can't blame them, but I don't have to like it.
Dropbox has gone Photobucket on us. When I started using Dropbox, at least a decade or so ago, there was no limit on how many devices a free account could connect to the account. As a widower whose only child is an adult not living with me, I'm only one person but circumstances have conspired to leave me with three desktop computers, two notebook computers, two Windows tablets, and an Android tablet. In 2019 Dropbox changed their rules, so that new free accounts could only have three devices connected. I ran afoul of that when I gave away an old notebook and wanted to add a newer one to my account. Couldn't do it -- so I was down to six devices (I never put the Android tablet on Dropbox). Supposedly, existing accounts were grandfathered as long as you kept the same devices, but you couldn't add new ones.
That has apparently changed. Last night I fired up the #2 desktop and tried to access a file on Dropbox. It wouldn't allow me access. I got an error message telling me that my account has too many devices on it, and that I have to select which ones I want to remove.
Well, I'm sorry, Dropbox, but a cloud service that only includes half of my devices is useless. And no, I'm not going to upgrade to one of your paid plans. You sucked me in by offering a free service. I understand that you want to make money, but that's not my problem. I could tolerate the grandfathered limit, but now dropping my account to three devices is unacceptable.
So I'm moving my files from Dropbox to pCloud. I also have a GoogleDrive account, a Microsoft OneDrive account, and I just signed up for a (free) account with Box -- and they all allow me to use all of my devices. I think I'll get by just fine without Dropbox.
Sorry to be petty, but I hope Dropbox becomes as irrelevant as Photobucket has become.
-
Remember, if the service is free you are the product.
-
Remember, if the service is free you are the product.
Cough Google Cough Facebook Cough
-
Cough Google Cough Facebook Cough
Hey ... APS is free too ...
-
Hey ... APS is free too ...
(https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F20%2Fd3%2F80%2F20d3802dc9eacc277ba406758b4e004e.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
-
Hey ... APS is free too ...
So what's the $15.00 charge every month for?
-
This is well-known. Dropbox got new leadership/ownership a couple years ago and it was clear to everyone that they would be killing the service in order to monetize it. It sounds like it took a year or two before they succeeded and you noticed.
The service formerly known as Dropbox is now dead. Unfortunately I don't know of any replacement.
-
I've used drop box... once or twice?
-
Buy a cheap computer, jam a huge hard drive in it with a VPN and shove it in your closet?
-
Sure, running your own IT infrastructure is usually an option, if you have enough time and money and can hire the right people to run it and keep it from being destroyed by spammers and hackers. Then yeah, you could build yourself some replacement for Dropbox. Maybe.
-
This is well-known. Dropbox got new leadership/ownership a couple years ago and it was clear to everyone that they would be killing the service in order to monetize it. It sounds like it took a year or two before they succeeded and you noticed.
The service formerly known as Dropbox is now dead. Unfortunately I don't know of any replacement.
pCloud. Box.
I knew they had capped the number of devices on a free account. I ran afoul of it when I replaced a notebook computer awhile back and it created an inconvenience, but it wasn't an extremely serious inconvenience. But when they initiated the cap the story was that any devices already on the account were grandfathered. I guess that didn't get rid of enough of us freeloaders so they have now removed the grandfathering. The second desktop unit I couldn't access my calendar from has been on my Dropbox account for years, and the files always synced until this weekend.
May they follow Photobucket into oblivion.
-
pCloud. Box.
I knew they had capped the number of devices on a free account. I ran afoul of it when I replaced a notebook computer awhile back and it created an inconvenience, but it wasn't an extremely serious inconvenience. But when they initiated the cap the story was that any devices already on the account were grandfathered. I guess that didn't get rid of enough of us freeloaders so they have now removed the grandfathering. The second desktop unit I couldn't access my calendar from has been on my Dropbox account for years, and the files always synced until this weekend.
May they follow Photobucket into oblivion.
Photobucket was bought out by more sane owners a while back. I'm currently using them.
-
Sure, running your own IT infrastructure is usually an option, if you have enough time and money and can hire the right people to run it and keep it from being destroyed by spammers and hackers. Then yeah, you could build yourself some replacement for Dropbox. Maybe.
That was kinda my point. If it was easy and cheap everyone would do it.
I strongly suspect any version of "free" cloud storage is doing something you really wouldn't like if you dig in the right place. Cash is coming in somehow to buy and run those servers and pay people to keep them up. If you aren't paying them, someone else is.
-
Remember, if the service is free you are the product.
LIKE