
Upload and store your files in the cloud with Google Docs - johns
http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2010/01/upload-and-store-your-files-in-cloud.html
======
aaronsw
$0.02 per GB-month is a lot better than S3 or Cloud Storage, which is $0.15.
It looks like you can only purchase 14TB per account[1], but the cost savings
are such that I wonder if we'll see people switching.

[1]: <https://www.google.com/accounts/purchasestorage>

But, interestingly, for business customers it's $0.20:

[http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2010/01/store-and-
share...](http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2010/01/store-and-share-files-
in-cloud-with.html)

~~~
sadiq
"For standard Google Docs users this will be 25 cents per gigabyte, per year,
while Google Apps enterprise users have to pay $3.50 per gigabyte, per year"

Looks more like $3.50/gigabyte for business users. That's a pretty massive
difference between consumer/business pricing.

~~~
DenisM
I don't think 14 times difference make sense. Could it be a typo?

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jerguismi
Someone create FUSE plugin, please :) <http://fuse.sourceforge.net/>

~~~
fizx
I almost got nerd-sniped by this (too busy today), but for anyone wanting to
try:

[http://code.google.com/apis/documents/docs/3.0/developers_gu...](http://code.google.com/apis/documents/docs/3.0/developers_guide_protocol.html#UploadingDocs)

<http://github.com/fizx/fusefs-osx> #Mac OS X fuse-ruby

<http://rubyforge.org/projects/fusefs/> #Linux fuse-ruby

[http://github.com/fizx/fusefs-
osx/blob/master/sample/openuri...](http://github.com/fizx/fusefs-
osx/blob/master/sample/openurifs.rb) # Sample FS

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fjabre
Dropbox was mentioned 3 times so far in the comments but it does not seem that
Google is going to release a windows client that would offer the same
functionality..

Still it's an interesting development. Maybe dropbox could respond with adding
support for google docs syncing if the API allows?

~~~
willwagner
If there is a simple google api, some third party / open source developer, not
having to worry about the backend infrastructure required, might create a
client app to do this, which would compete with dropbox to some degree.

~~~
lssndrdn
True. Until Google decides to code and release their client app, at which
point Google will be in direct competition with Dropbox, and any third-party
client to Google doc storage would be at a great disadvantage. I would guess
that based on the adoption rate, a Google client app is not far into the
future.

~~~
fjabre
I think we should look to history to find any clues if Google would release an
actual client that would be on par with the dropbox model.

They are notoriously reticent to do anything that installs on a client
machine, Chrome being an obvious exception. I'm still skeptical they would
release a client but it's definitely within the realm of possibility.

It may be more likely that either dropbox or other 3rd party tools will get
into the game and start integrating their offerings with this.

~~~
asb
They've had software installing on a client machine after acquisitions though
- SketchUp, Picasa and Google Earth.

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elblanco
Wonder how this will impact DropBox.

~~~
crocowhile
The difference in price between amazon S3 (on top of which dropbox relies) and
google is too big for dropbox to be competitive as it is now. Things must
change.

Scenario1: Dropbox will have no other choice but switch their client to
support google's API and, consequently, lower the price. They will gain a new
load of customers and do fine.

Scenario2: google acquires dropbox. See scenario 1

Scenario3: google releases their own sync client/dropbox clone. Dropbox dies.
Google wins doing evil (is competition evil?)

Scenario4: Google does like Pontius Pilate: releases API and let the market
decide. Dropbox still likely to win.

Did I miss anything? It seems to me Dropbox has 1/4 chance of getting screwed,
3/4 of win.

~~~
elblanco
For scenario 1: I guess a secondary question, if scenario 1 happens, what this
means for S3 as a cloud storage solution? I know the market is not _that_ big,
but google's cost competitiveness on cloud storage has to have some effect.

2: I think the likelihood of this is low, unless Google does it to kill off
dropbox.

3: I personally would probably use both, but for different reason, google's
sync so I can remotely manage documents I want to use in google's apps, and
dropbox for a quick and dumb file syncing for other stuff. I can see the
competitiveness still working out here.

4: I agree, I'm a huge fan of dropbox, see #3 above.

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elblanco
What Google really needs to just do is pin the bow on their enterprise class
document management system they clearly are building. Folks like documentum
must be quaking in their boots.

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josh33
Is there any concern over more privacy being in the hands of google with a new
product like this? They are on a slippery slope and are about to understand
everything about us.

~~~
brown9-2
It's really no more awareness than they already could potentially have if you
use them for email, existing Google Docs, Latitude, GChat, Google Health,
Checkout, Google groups, etc.

If you're concerned about your privacy you shouldn't be using any product that
they have.

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Kilimanjaro
An API would be welcome, I know they will provide it.

~~~
aaronsw
I think you can just use:

[http://code.google.com/apis/documents/docs/3.0/developers_gu...](http://code.google.com/apis/documents/docs/3.0/developers_guide_protocol.html#UploadingDocs)

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IgorPartola
Lift the 250MB per-file limit and I'm there! $0.25 for GB-year is the cheapest
guaranteed price I've seen so far.

~~~
eli
uhh, that's $0.25 per GB- _year_

~~~
IgorPartola
Ahh!! Brain hurts. Corrected. I saw that. $0.25 for GB-month is not cheap. For
a year it is very cheap. Just so used to everyone charging per month, I ended
up typing that.

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marltod
I will be moving from A-drive to google docs now. $.25 per GB a year is cheap.

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jasonwilk
it will be interesting to see how many users jump on this. Seems that if they
can nab 3 million users like dropbox, it will make sense to add a windows/osx
client and go head to head. hopefully not

