"For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software."
Except the context of the argument is different. OP is doing this for convenience and privacy reasons along with the availability and no-cost argument. While it's a slight point to make it is an important one these days. With the Dropbox argument the old HN comment was making the point without the context of privacy, security or even availability of which we all have to consider today. We know service providers have removed or deleted purchases by users. Some providers remove content and make it paid for during adventageous times of the year (e.g. holidays) and, well, privacy doesn't need much expansion here. We also know vendors can lock you into hardware ecosystems through file formats. Finally if we all stop DIYing our media/files/etc the options will turn into expert level oniy. So the continuation of this being a thing keeps the open side of the conversation right side up. Lest we all end up boiled frogs.
> I know this is premature at this point, but without charging users for the service, is it reasonable to expect to make money off of this?
I googled for 'dropbox financials', and soon ran across a TC article about its IPO last year [1] which says:
> The company’s prospectus warns it has “a history of net losses”; anticipates increasing expenses and slowing revenue growth; and notes that it “may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability.”
I'm still not sure that snarky 10-year-old comment was far off.
[1]: https://qz.com/1214822/dropbox-is-filing-for-a-500-million-i...
I would much prefer to build a Ford than a Yahoo/Tumblr/Compaq, even if it meant my personal fortune was 10x or 100x lower.
It hasn't always been that way at all, but it certainly is now. I think this is one of the huge red flags about the modern incarnation of the tech industry.
If dropbox only had a high valuation on paper, but employees/founders/investors couldn't actually exchange that into real $ in their bank account then sure, you can say the jury is still out.
But that's not the case. They built a product, have tons of paying users, and have IPO'd with a market cap over $10B. It's not money that only exists on paper. Founders and employees can sell their shares for real money and buy real things.
Their shareholders aren't just a handful of VC's anymore - they are public. The jury has decided, it's successful
Hypothetically, what if it never begins earning more money than it spends each year? At some point wouldn't it be unable to borrow any more (from banks or investors) and be forced to shut down? And if so, we still don't know if it can be profitable, right?
There's so little effort required that I'd barely consider it a DIY solution, considering that most of the OS's can see it and access the drive without leaving the file explorer.
I also discovered it happily continues to work when my ISP had an outage, since all of the IPs were local and still accessible provided that the router was up.
There are even music streaming servers that you can deploy on a VPS (or locally) pretty easily. Pop in a little rsync script to move your converted lossy files to the streamer and you're set. It's just that nobody's built something that integrates everything yet, thus my Frankenstein setup.
Streaming is only part of the issue. I'm talking about the whole lifecycle, from backed up lossless to lossy-on-device in whatever format, or to a streaming service that integrates with your player devices, all from a single source of truth that you control 100% with no silly DRM or ads or restrictions.
Yes it does, you can pick what quality you want when you sync[0]
> doesn't firewall punch
It does so via a reverse proxy if required[1]
[0]https://support.plex.tv/articles/201053678-sync-media-to-a-d...
[1]https://support.plex.tv/articles/216766168-accessing-a-serve...
I don't know about Plex, but Kodi does this.
In systems development, the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is precious, it is your safeguard to mental and emotional health.
Which is simpler: a pile of files on a hard disk, or a playlist in an online music service? It depends.
It's like asking what's the simplest mode of transportation: a 1985 Toyota, a 2018 Toyota, a Lyft, a bus, or a bicycle. You could make a good case for any of these, depending on your situation. I know people who can't operate a manual transmission, so the 1985 Toyota would be problematic for them, but on the other hand, I've never fixed a 2018 Toyota (or a bus) with just the tools in my backpack and a water bottle.