
Kicksend (YC S11) Grabs $1.8M From True Ventures For Dead Simple File Sharing - skyfallsin
http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/03/kicksend-grabs-1-8-million-from-true-ventures-sv-angel-more-for-dead-simple-file-sharing/
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hristov
Unfortunately, they do not offer Linux so I will not be using them. One thing
they have definitely failed to learn from Dropbox's early success is that for
services like this Linux support is very important.

File sending services are usually first adopted by tech savvy users. The
service then becomes more popular as the tech savvy types recommend it to
their less tech savvy friends. And Linux is actually quite popular among tech
savvy users.

So here is some free advice for Kicksend -- create a Linux app asap.

~~~
angryasian
I was able to try it out using the windows versions with adobe air on Ubuntu,
but its terrible and don't suggest it. For anyone that wants this type of
functionality, get s3 and create signed urls.

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pork
I like the premise of "dead simple" file sharing, but it seems to me that the
minute you start charging for the service, the "dead simple" moniker goes away
(my wife, for example, would rather grab the nearest nerd than pull out a
credit card to sign up for a file sharing service).

I ask because I don't see any way forward other than charging for space after
a certain point, since you actively advertise no size limits. What am I
missing?

~~~
savrajsingh
From what I can tell there's no [edit: long term] cloud storage involved.
Looks like a great app, congrats to the founders on the raise!

~~~
pork
I think there is. From their FAQ:

> We store your file on our secure storage server for a brief period (2 weeks
> at the moment)

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thematt
It's amazing that in 2011 the problem of simply transferring a file to
somebody else remains such an inconvenience. Glad to see Kicksend is taking a
stab at it.

<http://xkcd.com/949/>

~~~
jdludlow
Transferring a file is a long-since-solved problem. It's large files that are
troublesome. The original Internet protocol designers weren't thinking about
multi-GB HD video files.

What upsets me the most is that I've been annoyed by transferring large files
for years, but never enough to do something about it. Good for these guys.

~~~
jpdoctor
> _It's large files that are troublesome._

Not even that, large file transfers have been done for decades.

The real issue is that large file transfers take enough resources that hosts
want people to pay for it, but users want it to be free, like email.

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dpapathanasiou
Doesn't Dropbox solve the same problem?

~~~
dpapathanasiou
Not sure why all the down votes... it was a serious question, and not obvious
to me as a Dropbox user why I'd want to switch to Kicksend

~~~
angryasian
agree with you, i don't even see how its different from s3. Just upload and
create shareable link.

~~~
parallel
The difference is that most people don't know how to do that. What they can do
however is load a website and follow simple step by step instructions.

~~~
angryasian
the funny thing is, thats its the same on s3. Create bucket, same analogy as a
folder, upload and right click create link. Its just as simple, cheaper, and
unlimited storage.

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lionhearted
This sounds like a great product, but what's it do that Dropbox doesn't?
Sharing files was a massive pain in the ass a few years ago, but Dropbox makes
it dead simple now.

~~~
hristov
I actually had this problem, and tried to use Dropbox, but Dropbox does not
fully solve this.

Last time I checked there were two options for transferring large files on
Dropbox. (1) if the recipient has dropbox as well you can just share the file
privately. (2) If the recipient does not have dropbox, then the only way to
share the file is to put it in a public folder where it will become publicly
accessible to anyone.

It is obvious that this does not solve things for all situations. In my case I
had to send a copy of our software build to a potential client. I did not want
to make our software build public. And it would be certainly considered rude
to ask a potential client to sign up for dropbox just so they can test our
software.

I think most HN readers kind of assume that everyone has dropbox by now, but
this is not something you can rely on once you get out of the US tech sphere.

So yes a service like this would be pretty useful.

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jreposa
That was a great user experience after signing up. I was hooked on earning the
extra 550MB. I rarely share when apps ask me to, but I couldn't help myself. I
especially liked the 5 minute time limit.

I didn't want to lose out on 550MB...

Update: although now that I use the desktop app, I find it really creepy that
I can search through all the users that have signed up for it.

Does anyone know how "private" the files are that I upload?

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vilius
Earlier today on HN - <https://castle.so/> \- upload your files, beautifully.
Now this. And I even thought that it was already solved by
<https://wetransfer.com/>

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desireco42
What I would like to know, is how do you get money ie. funding for such
services. Let me google True Ventures website and give them a call ;)

One more thing: How come their service is called easy and requires sign up
before anything? It is simple question really...

I am pretty certain that there are other file sending services that ask you
for signup after you decide to send file.

~~~
desireco42
Actually let me answer this, their service is 'easy' not 'simple', these are
two different things.

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betterlabs
I am not sure what is new about this. There are multiple alternatives
(similar) and ways of using other services like Dropbox to do this. Its a
"marketing" and "user experience" game and will need a lot of luck too, in
order to make it big. Having said that, I really like the UX of Kicksend and
hope that they do well.

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eel
Congrats on the funding! Still.. I can't help but notice there are a lot of
players in this space.

Wetransfer, Yousendit, Let's Crate, Sendoid, Ge.tt, etc.

My day job consists of working for a file sharing company. I can't help but
wonder what other people find unique or more likely to grow in one new company
versus another.

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wturner
I use letscrate [dot com] for this. I like the fact that log in is not
required and files can can be dragged/dropped. Their UI is a great hook and
lure for potentially paying customers.

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rokhayakebe
There is only one way to win in this space: unlimited file size. Unlimited.
Desktop app, fancy drag and drop, etc... are just "putting lipstick on a pig".

~~~
parallel
Why is this the only way to win? Computers don't have unlimited storage.

Also, don't underestimate the "lipstick", in this case the user experience.
Dropbox beat jungledisk (another s3 backed cloud storage company) on UX.

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itsnotvalid
For those who didn't know the name change it was called Receivd
(<http://receivd.com>).

