In response to another post on this forum
http://digitalnatives.co.za/index.php/topic,419.0.html I have decided to try the system, as I am constantly leaving my memory stick at home.
I created an initial Dropbox on my workstation at the office. I then subsequently installed the software on my desktop at home and my netbook computer.
Due to the sensitive nature of the contents of my dropbox, there are no screenshots, sorry...
InstallationThe installation of this software was very easy. I created an account tied to my private e-mail address and used a strong password. I then mapped a user-defined folder on my PC for my dropbox (instead of the default) and installation proceeded fine.
Note: If your workstation is a thin client, it may not be possible to map a user defined folder on your hard disk, in such a case you are forced to use the default option of "My Documents"UsageOnce installed, the account becomes active immediately and you can drop files into your Dropbox. Open documents, such as MS Word, Corel Draw and even IDE projects (Borland C++) work just fine being run out of the DropBox, although be aware that changes will take tens of seconds to propagate.
Dropbox do run a cache, so saving a popular program you downloaded from the internet, into your Dropbox it will immediately appear in your Dropbox without using your internet bandwidth to upload it. This has been true for Winzip, and even the Microsoft Mathematics Epsilon reviewed on DigitalNatives last week. I copied the file from my hard disk, and it appeared (all 13 megs of it) in my Dropbox almost instantly.
PerformanceIf the files are large, and your other computers haven't been synched for a while, expect delays when you connect to your Dropbox, which is usually in the order of 20 seconds to 4 minutes (all dependent on internet connection speed) But nonetheless it is very nice being able to save documents at home, and then have them at your fingertips at work.
Known IssuesNone, a little slow at times
Overall Rating5 out of 5 *****
I have now dispensed with the memory stick and use Dropbox almost exclusively. My wife also has an account now, and all her things are similarly being accessed at her office.
