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remove referral url (again). I can see this becoming a recurring problem.
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| title =Official Dropbox Pricing Page
| title =Official Dropbox Pricing Page
| accessdate =2010-04-22
| accessdate =2010-04-22
}}</ref>; the service is [[cross-platform]], with [[Client (computing)|clients]] available for several different [[operating system]]s and [[Mobile device|mobile devices]], as well as a [[World Wide Web|Web]]-based client. Dropbox uses the [[Freemium]] financial model and its free service provides 2 [[Gigabyte|GB]] of free online storage.<ref name="pricing"/> Free users can extend their storage to 10 [[Gigabyte|GB]] via the referral mechanism. All free users receive a unique referral link, for example, "https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTc4Njc3NDA5". When a new user signs up via this link, the new user and the referrer both receive an additional 250 MB of free storage. The service's major competitors are [[Box.net]], [[Sugarsync]] and [[Mozy]].<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref>; the service is [[cross-platform]], with [[Client (computing)|clients]] available for several different [[operating system]]s and [[Mobile device|mobile devices]], as well as a [[World Wide Web|Web]]-based client. Dropbox uses the [[Freemium]] financial model and its free service provides 2 [[Gigabyte|GB]] of free online storage.<ref name="pricing"/> Free users can extend their storage to 10 [[Gigabyte|GB]] via the referral mechanism. All free users receive a unique referral link. When a new user signs up via this link, the new user and the referrer both receive an additional 250 MB of free storage. The service's major competitors are [[Box.net]], [[Sugarsync]] and [[Mozy]].<ref>{{cite web
| url =http://lifehacker.com/5064688/free-online-storage-feature+by+feature-comparison-chart
| url =http://lifehacker.com/5064688/free-online-storage-feature+by+feature-comparison-chart
| title =Free Online Storage Feature-by-Feature Comparison Chart
| title =Free Online Storage Feature-by-Feature Comparison Chart

Revision as of 21:46, 8 June 2010

Dropbox
Developer(s)Dropbox, Inc.
Initial releaseSeptember 2008
Stable release
Windows, macOS, Linux197.4.7629 / April 25, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-04-25)[1]
Windows (Windows Store version)5.0 / March 27, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-03-27)[2]
Android374.2.4 / April 30, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-04-30)[3]
iOS374.2 / April 22, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-04-22)[4]
Preview release
Windows, macOS, Linux198.3.7576 / April 29, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-04-29)[5]
Android375.1.4 / April 30, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-04-30)[6]
Operating systemCross-platform
Available inEnglish
TypeOnline backup service
LicenseClosed source (Windows & Mac clients and Linux dropboxd daemon)
Websitehttp://dropbox.com/

Dropbox is a Web 2.0 based file hosting service operated by Dropbox, Inc. which uses cloud computing to enable users to store and share files and folders with others across the Internet using file synchronization. It was founded in 2007 by MIT graduates Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi as a Y Combinator startup.[7]

There are both free and paid services, each with varying options[8]; the service is cross-platform, with clients available for several different operating systems and mobile devices, as well as a Web-based client. Dropbox uses the Freemium financial model and its free service provides 2 GB of free online storage.[8] Free users can extend their storage to 10 GB via the referral mechanism. All free users receive a unique referral link. When a new user signs up via this link, the new user and the referrer both receive an additional 250 MB of free storage. The service's major competitors are Box.net, Sugarsync and Mozy.[9][10]

History

Drew Houston was inspired to create Dropbox out of his frustrations with forgetting his USB drive, and that existing services "suffered problems with Internet latency, large files, bugs, or just made me think too much." He began making something for himself, but then realized that it could benefit lots of people with the same problem.[11] Houston founded Dropbox, Inc. in 2007, and shortly after secured seed funding from Y Combinator.[7] Dropbox officially launched at 2008's TechCrunch50, an annual technology conference.[12]

Due to trademark disputes between Evenflow (Dropbox's parent company) and Proxy, Inc., Dropbox's official domain name was actually "getdropbox.com" until October 2009, when they acquired their current domain, "dropbox.com", from the domain squatter its ownership was under.[12]

In 2009 Dropbox hired Adam Gross, a former Salesforce veteran, as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales.[13] Dropbox is based in San Francisco, and is funded by Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, and Amidzad.[7] Dropbox currently has more than 4 million users.[13]

In September 2009, Dropbox released native clients for the iPhone and iPod Touch.[14] In May 2010 they released official clients for the iPad and Android phones, and announced a forthcoming BlackBerry client.[15]

In addition, Dropbox also provides a portable Windows client which directly syncs files to USB flash drive.[16]

In May 2010 Dropbox released a new mobile cloud computing feature called "Anywhere" which allows users to seamlessly access and update files across a number of popular handheld devices such as iPad, BlackBerry, Android etc.[15] In addition, a native client was released for the Windows Mobile platform called "DroppedBoxx".[17]

Functionality

The Dropbox client enables users to drop any file into a designated folder that is then synced to the cloud and to any other of the user's computers and devices with the Dropbox client.[18] Users may also upload files manually through a web browser.[19] Through these usages, it can be an alternative to couriering physical removable media, and other traditional forms of file transfer, such as FTP and e-mail attachments.[20]

While Dropbox functions as a storage service, its focus is on synchronization and sharing. It supports revision history, so files deleted from the Dropbox folder may be recovered from any of the synced computers.[21][22] Dropbox's version control also helps users know the history of a file they may be currently working on, enabling more than one person to edit and re-post files without complications of losing its previous form.[23] The version history is limited to 30 days. A paid option for unlimited version history called "Pack-Rat" is available.[24]

The version history is paired with the use of delta encoding technology. To conserve bandwidth and time, if a file in a user's Dropbox folder is changed, Dropbox only uploads the pieces of the file that are changed when syncing.[25] Though the desktop client has no restriction on individual file size, files uploaded via the web site are limited to a maximum of 300 MB per file.[26] To prevent free users (who get 2 GB of free storage) from creating multiple free accounts, Dropbox includes the content of shared folders when totaling the amount of space used on the account.[27]

Dropbox uses Amazon's S3 storage system to store the files[28] and SoftLayer Technologies for its backend infrastructure; although, Houston has stated that Dropbox may switch to a different storage provider at some point in the future.[29] It also uses SSL transfers for synchronization and stores the data via AES-256 encryption.[30]

Power users have devised a number of innovative uses for and mash-ups of the technology that expand Dropbox' functionality. These include: sending files to a Dropbox via Gmail; using Dropbox to sync IM chat logs; BitTorrent management; password management; remote application launching and system monitoring; and as a free Web hosting service.[31][32][33][34][35][36]

The name of the Dropbox folder can be changed using PyDropboxPath, a python script.[37]

Dropbox has agreed to abide by the DMCA and thereby it has dissuaded its users from uploading copyrighted content to Dropbox's servers. Dropbox has reserved the right to delete or remove any file from users' accounts if it violates the DMCA.[38] Dropbox also dissuades its users from uploading pornographic, racist, and defamatory content.[39]

Reception

Dropbox has been praised by many publications—including The New York Times, PC Magazine, and The Washington Post—for its simple design and ease of use.[40][41][42] It has also received several awards by many web sites, including the Crunchie Award in 2009 for Best Internet Application; Macworld's 2009 Editor's Choice Award; and it has been nominated for a 2010 Webby Award, and for the 2010 Mac Design Awards by Ars Technica.[43][44][45][46]

Dropbox has been criticized for not supporting private key encryption; being unable to sync files that are in use or locked; being restricted to only one folder; and for automatically signing in.[47][48]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Desktop client builds". dropboxforum.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  2. ^ "Dropbox". Windows Store. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "Dropbox". APKMirror. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  4. ^ "‎Dropbox". App Store. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  5. ^ "Beta Build 198.3.7576". dropboxforum.com. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  6. ^ "Dropbox APKs". APKMirror. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  7. ^ a b c "About Dropbox". Dropbox, Inc. Retrieved 2010-04-22. Dropbox was founded by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi in 2007, and received seed funding from Y Combinator.
  8. ^ a b "Official Dropbox Pricing Page". Retrieved 2010-04-22.
  9. ^ Purdy, Kevin (2008-10-17). "Free Online Storage Feature-by-Feature Comparison Chart". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  10. ^ Chartier, David (2009-02-05). "Box.net takes online file storage collaborative, social". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2010-04-22. As a quick primer, Box.net is fundamentally similar to Dropbox, Windows Live SkyDrive, Apple's iDisk, and a wealth of online file storage competitors.
  11. ^ Ying, Jon (2009-02-05). "Meet the Team! (Part 1)". The Dropbox Blog. Dropbox, Inc. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  12. ^ a b Kincaid, Jason (2009-10-13). "Dropbox Acquires The Domain Everyone Thought It Had: Dropbox.com". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  13. ^ a b Wauters, Robin (2010-01-20). "Dropbox Announces 4 Million Users, Hires A VP From Salesforce". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2010-04-26. File sharing and synchronization service provider Dropbox this morning announced that it has passed the 4,000,000 user milestone.
  14. ^ Pash, Adam (2009-09-29). "Dropbox Comes to the iPhone and iPod touch". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  15. ^ a b Purdy, Kevin (2010-05-04). "Dropbox Releases Android Client, Announces API and BlackBerry App". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  16. ^ "DropboxPortable Syncs Files to Your Thumb Drive". Dropbox. LifeHacker. 29 March 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  17. ^ "Droppedboxx". Dropbox. wmpoweruser. 29 March 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  18. ^ Ryan Paul. "How Dropbox ended my search for seamless sync on Linux". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  19. ^ Scott Dunn. "Dropbox File Sync Service". PC World. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  20. ^ "writing tools dropbox". badlanguage.net. Retrieved 2010-4-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. ^ "Can I undelete files and recover old versions of files?". Dropbox FAQ. Dropbox, Inc. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  22. ^ Adam Pash. "Dropbox Syncs and Backs Up Files Between Computers Instantaneously". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  23. ^ Jason Snell. "Throw your stuff in Dropbox". Macworld. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
  24. ^ "What is Pack-Rat?". Dropbox. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  25. ^ "Does Dropbox always upload/download the entire file any time a change is made?". Dropbox FAQ. Retrieved 9 February 2010. Before transferring a file, we compare the new file to the previous version and only send the piece of the file that changed.
  26. ^ "Is there a limit or maximum to how big my files can be?". Dropbox FAQ. Dropbox, Inc. Files uploaded to Dropbox via the desktop application have no file size limit. There is, however, a 300MB cap on files transferred via the website.
  27. ^ "Will joining someone else's shared folder use my quota?". Dropbox FAQ. Dropbox, Inc. Retrieved 2010-4-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  28. ^ "Where are my files stored?". Dropbox FAQ. Dropbox, Inc. All files stored online by Dropbox are encrypted and kept securely on Amazon's Simple Storage Service (S3) in data centers located along the east coast of the United States.
  29. ^ Drager, Dave (2010-03-17). "DropBox : Review, Invites, and 7 Questions with the Founder". MakeUseOf.com. Retrieved 2010-05-07. We may not be on s3 forever, and will build our own store in addition, but for now this lets us focus on both the client software and the performance of the layer we've developed on top of s3.
  30. ^ "Dropbox Features". Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  31. ^ Alex Castle. "15 Hacks Every Dropbox User Should Know". Maximum PC. Retrieved 2010-4-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. ^ "15 Advanced Dropbox Hacks". StoreCrowd. Retrieved 2010-4-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  33. ^ Pash, Adam (2008-10-14). "How to Use Dropbox as the Ultimate Password Syncer". LifeHacker. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  34. ^ Gordon, Whitson (2010-05-25). "Launch Applications Remotely with Dropbox and AutoHotkey". LifeHacker. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  35. ^ Ho, Erica (2010-05-18). "Use Dropbox to Monitor Your Computer Remotely". LifeHacker. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  36. ^ tehdavid (2010-04-30). "Use Dropbox to Share and Host Your Web Site". LifeHacker. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  37. ^ "PyDropboxPath Changes the Name of Your Dropbox Folder". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2010-4-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  38. ^ "Dropbox DMCA Policy". Dropbox, Inc. Retrieved 2010-04-26. Upon receipt of Notice as described below, Dropbox will take whatever action, in its sole discretion, it deems appropriate, including removal of the challenged content from the Site.
  39. ^ "Dropbox Terms of Service". Dropbox, Inc. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
  40. ^ "Digital Storage Options for Workers on the Go". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-4-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  41. ^ Dunn, Scott (2008-08-01). "Dropbox File Sync Service". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  42. ^ Mendelson, Edward (2009-03-25). "Dropbox". PC World. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  43. ^ Kincaid, Jason (2010-01-08). "Congratulations Crunchies Winners! Facebook Takes Best Overall For The Hat Trick". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  44. ^ "25th annual Editors' Choice Awards: the complete list". Macworld. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  45. ^ "14th Annual Webby Awards Nominees". International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  46. ^ Foresman, Chris (2010-05-25). "Reader's Choice poll for 2010 Ars Design Awards: Mac OS X". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  47. ^ "Dropbox Review". BestOnlineBackupDeals.com. Retrieved 2010-4-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  48. ^ "Thoughts on Dropbox". Paul Stamatiou. Retrieved 2010-4-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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