

Dropbox: What is Packrat? - mp3jeep01
https://www.dropbox.com/help/113/en

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jffry
Dropbox could identify users who are more likely to need to resurrect a file
(either because they frequently delete files, or because they frequently
resurrect them), and offer them a discount on packrat.

After all, the man most likely to value hurricane insurance is the man whose
house was just blown over by one.

~~~
jj567643
Anyone who cares about their data should be storing it under real VCS, not a
crappy Dropbox feature.

~~~
jffry
While I agree with you, have you ever tried explaining svn or git to somebody
non-technical? It's not at all easy. Now try and explain to them how to commit
and push files. Where does their repo live? How do they get at a file from
another computer? How do they share it with somebody else?

There's value in a solution that makes copying your data to multiple systems
drop dead easy and automatic, and Dropbox is in that niche. If you need more
{robust|reliable|scalable|detailed} file history, it's not right for you. But
you can bet there are tons of people in Dropbox who delete things a lot (just
like I have met people who store "important" email in the trash folder)

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mp3jeep01
I can't say I've ever noticed this feature before on Dropbox. I came across it
while searching for the correct use of the word/term packrat (with or without
hyphen). Nice use of the word on Dropbox's part.

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jj567643
Dropbox is yet another NSA whipping boy. Couldn't care less what lame features
they're adding.

