Comment by atYevP | Hacker News Reader

Comment by atYevP | Hacker News Reader

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Yev -> Great question. The problem does lay with the abuse of the unlimited services. We've been offering our unlimited backup for 10+ years now and our only price increase was from $5 -> $6/month after 10 years of keeping them steady. It's possible to provide the service, but we have some natural "gates" that were built into the product to help mitigate abuse. Primarily our unlimited backup service is for Mac and PC computers – we don't back up NAS/Servers/Linus machines.

That helps quite a bit because it reduces the outer-bound of how much data can store with us from typical Mac/PC devices. Granted we do have people with 80+TB backed up with that service, but that VAST majority store A LOT less. The average is low enough that we can continue to provide the unlimited service - kind of like a buffet model. Some will eat more, most will eat less and buy a drink (Extended Version History).

Keeping it to Mac/PC only does make Linux, NAS, Server folks unhappy, but thus far no one has been able to crack the code on an unlimited, fixed-rate service that can back up those devices economically, but if we figure it out we'll let folks know :D

> Keeping it to Mac/PC only does make Linux, NAS, Server folks unhappy, but thus far no one has been able to crack the code on an unlimited, fixed-rate service that can back up those devices economically, but if we figure it out we'll let folks know

Please do! I really would prefer to use Backblaze.

In the meantime, CrashPlan for Small Business is an unlimited, fixed-rate service that supports NAS backup on macOS and Linux. I depend on it to backup a lifetime of photos (100K+), for example.

https://support.code42.com/CrashPlan/6/Backup/Back_up_networ...

I have a great relationship with the Code42 folk - they're good people and do good work! Their Small Business service is a bit more expensive, but yes at that increased rate they've been able to provide service to a few more platforms. I have no idea, but I do hope it works for them! I send people there all the time as an alternative if they don't want to use B2 Cloud Storage w/ an integrator (which is what I normally tell folks to use if they have Linux/Server/NAS but not a ton of data).

Thanks for the reply, Yev. I've been experimenting with B2 (via QNAP's HBS 3) as well — works great, but $20/month vs. CrashPlan's $10 — and I'd just ask that Backblaze consider whether there may be room for a "Personal+" or "Family" fixed-rate plan that supports home NAS devices. Thanks!

It's Orwellian to advertise a service as 'unlimited' and then characterize people who expect you to live up to your advertising by using the service as unlimited as abusers.

Expecting vendors to live up to their marketing claims is not abusive behavior; it's the cornerstone of markets based on informed decision-making by both buyers and sellers.

I'm somewhat inclined to agree at first glance. If I see unlimited, I expect to get the value. I only order the "unlimited free refills" coke if I'm going to sit and work somewhere for four or five hours, since it's otherwise pretty expensive. On the other hand, Backblaze doesn't price it's personal backup service like restaurants price "unlimited" coke. I've helped family and friends switch over from other services; some were so scammy they were charging thousands of dollars per year. As far as the average consumer is concerned, it's functionally unlimited in that the marginal gigabyte of data he backs up has no additional cost associated with it. I have a hard time calling that "Orwellian".

Edit: I just saw that another employee mentioned the largest customer is storing 430Tb. That's pretty darn unlimited for the price point.

It's not really "Orwellian" to do that, it's just standard, crappy, marketing doublespeak.

You know the term doublespeak comes from Orwell, right?

Yes, and you ALL missed the joke.

Typically the term "abuse" is reserved for cases where you offer free backups of a phone and someone figures out how to mount their 16TB media collection into that, or unlimited email and someone writes emailfs. You can make a profit on the proposition as you intended it, but cannot sustain the retrofitted use cases.

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