Friday, July 8, 2011

Dropbox: I love you

Being a tester, I like to test many applications. This exercise also helps me in choosing a product for the weekendtesting sessions. Over the last two years, I might have installed more than a hundred applications. I would download, install, test, retain it if I like it or uninstall after few days.

There are some applications/tools which have taken a permanent place in my toolkit. Today's post is about one such application and it is Dropbox.

What is Dropbox and how is it useful?
It is a free web based file hosting service. Once you install Dropbox on any computer and save files in the Dropbox folders, they automatically are backed up on Dropbox website. If you want to access the same files on some other machine, install Dropbox on that machine. If the Dropbox service is running on both the machines, any files you modify on one computer gets automatically synced and saved on both the computers and on the website too. You no longer have to copy folders/files from one computer to another. Let Dropbox do its job and you concentrate on the files.

Usefulness:

  • Backup feature: Every file you edit is saved on the Dropbox website too. 
  • Online availability: Forget your test machine, personal machine and all the different machines you use to test. Be assured that your files are always available online.
  • Freedom from emails, USBs, CDs: Are you in the habit of emailing yourself copies of the document every time you edit and switch to a different computer? Do you carry a device with the data everywhere you go? Dropbox solves it. 
  • Sharing feature: Do you share files with your friends a lot? You don't want to spend on the upload/download charges and make it a simple process to share? According to me, Dropbox solves it in a matter of few clicks.
  • Accidental Deletion: Did you delete the files by mistake and work on them from scratch? Dropbox saves even the deleted files and you can RECOVER them easily!
  • Free upto 8GB space! When you install, you get 2GB free space and when you refer friends (share link) and they install, you get 250MB/referral. 
What are you waiting for? 
Click on the link http://db.tt/xcAYzF1 , install Dropbox and enjoy the benefits! 

Post your questions about Dropbox as comments to this post and I will answer them for you. 
If you are someone like me who can't live without Dropbox, feel free to share this post or comment on how Dropbox helps you. 

4 comments:

Huib Schoots said...

But is it safe? There was a major security incident just à Couple of weeks ago! And does your company allow you to use this service with company confidential documents?

I use dropbox myself, but only for private stuff like photo's, music and non confidential info!

Gajanan said...

http://dereknewton.com/2011/04/dropbox-authentication-static-host-ids/
I read some security issue with drop box design...

Darren McMillan said...

Huib that was a fix they put out that had a nasty side effect that switched off password authentication, so everyone could see everyone else's private files.

Shruti said...

Nice cartoon! :)