
5 million Dropboxes - mqt
http://blog.dropbox.com/?p=339
======
matthew-wegner
Anyone else notice that Dropbox globally indexes files? If you upload a large
file already elsewhere on their servers (Linux distro ISO, scene-made TVRip or
DVDRip, etc), it "uploads" instantly, and will begin downloading immediately
on your other linked Dropbox machines.

Makes me wonder how hard it is to download a file by hash (via the Linux
client, parts of which are open-source), without having the file, or how easy
it would be for HBO or some other media company to say "here are the hashes
for scene rips of The Wire--please furnish matching account emails, thanks".

~~~
jon_dahl
The good news for video pirates is:

\-- Every time a video is encoded, it hashes differently. So a studio could
find a torrented file and find people downloaded that exact copy, but they
couldn't just ask for every copy of a show.

\-- If this became a problem, you could toss some random metadata on a file
and it would hash differently. Or zip a file/program with a text file
containing a guid. Etc.

~~~
sailormoon
_Every time a video is encoded, it hashes differently._

Really? Even with the exact same source file and exact same
codecs/methodology? Why is that, is there an "encoding time" metadata field or
something?

------
swombat
Awesome. Dropbox is an _awesome_ product. I install Dropbox on every single
machine I have.. it's one of the first things I install. And it's saved me
countless hours.

Now if only they could sort out the folder sharing model so large folders
shared by someone else (who upgraded) don't use up my personal space... (yeah,
I know they're working on it.. hurry up!)

~~~
mynameishere
Little bit of adjective inflation here? I mean, it basically just uploads and
downloads files.

~~~
teej
Yeah, it basically just uploads and downloads files.

Except I didn't have to teach my mom how to use it.

Except that I never have to worry if it's working correctly.

Except that it works on every platform I use.

Except that it's just a folder on my computer.

These aren't features you put on a retail box, but they are the features that
set Dropbox apart. "Just works" is incredibly easy to say but incredibly hard
to engineer.

~~~
mynameishere
My god people, he just described a toaster. Is a toaster _awesome_ because its
operation is straightforward?

Or, if you don't like that example, compare it to just about any online game.
Consider the incredible complexity and operation requirements of Call of Duty
(or whatever you like) and then come up with an adjective for it. How about
"awesome". Well, no, that won't do, because Dropbox is "awesome" and Call of
Duty is several 1000 times more awesome, by far.

Not to mention that most games are also playable by non-technical people.

Get some perspective people. Fanboyism is really pathetic and there's a lot of
it going on right here.

~~~
elblanco
> Is a toaster awesome because its operation is straightforward?

Yes. We all own one don't we? Ever tried to toast bread _without_ a toaster?
It takes far more effort, is far less efficient, and the results are usually
far less consistent.

~~~
mynameishere
There's a possibility that this guy's opinion is also the consensus opinion in
which case I'm not going to win any arguments. This was all a semantic
misunderstanding. When I think of the word "awesome" I think of something that
inspires "awe", which I think is beyond the scope of file syncing.

Let me ask you guys one thing though: Is there anyone here willing to admit
that they would be incapable of making a workable clone of dropbox in a
reasonable amount of time--not on the same scale, of course. The fact that
almost everyone who comes to this website could produce something of that
complexity is maybe a clue into all this irrationality. Most of us, by
contrast, couldn't make Call of Duty (a game which, actually, I've never
played). Maybe we're setting our standards where our capabilities are?

~~~
elblanco
> When I think of the word "awesome" I think of something that inspires "awe",
> which I think is beyond the scope of file syncing.

I see your point. But having struggled with file syncing for literally
_decades_ , having somebody come along and make it so easily that it seems
unimpressive and obvious really is very cool.

It's kinda like the old adage, "the best special FX in a movie are the ones
you don't notice."

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stanleydrew
Side note: does anyone know what visualization tool was used for the dropbox-
client-data-traffic-globe-thing video? I've seen that same visualization all
over Google's campus in various buildings showing the location of their
searches. Is it an open-source visualization library?

~~~
rdj
Check <http://processing.org> .. This globe seems to be one of the first data
visualizations used in several projects. Here's a cool one that uses Flickr
geotagging info: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/revdancatt/3398050524/>

------
andrewtj
The users by nationality statistics are interesting. Australia has a
population of about 21 million whilst the Netherlands has about 17 million,
and yet the former doesn't rate a mention whilst the later does — why? My
theory - bandwidth:

<http://xs4all.nl> \- € 29,95 per month for 4M Internet.

<http://internode.on.net> \- $49.95 per month for 1.5M Internet; 50 gigabyte
cap - downloads and uploads are counted.

~~~
felixmar
Xs4all is actually the most expensive consumer ISP in the Netherlands. The
cheapest ISPs offer 20 Mb DSL for 20 euros per month. DSL is slowly becoming
legacy technology due to high speed fiber and cable connections.

~~~
andrewtj
Oh, I thought it was middle of the range like Internode. The equivalent of
Xs4all in Australia would be Telstra who's ADSL services start at 1.5M with
2gb (upload/download) for $39.95; additional usage charged at 15¢/MB and
capped at an excess of $300.

~~~
felixmar
That's pretty bad. Bandwidth caps and charges create a different mindset that
hurts many providers like Dropbox. If i transfer a large file i only think
about how long it will take, not how much it would cost. Unfortunately
bandwidth caps are often due to a lack of competition between ISPs.

~~~
noarchy
Which is exactly how it is in many parts of Canada. I can choose between cable
and DSL, and both have bandwidth caps. While mine is a fairly generous 100
GB/month (good enough for me), I still keep a watch over my current totals, so
I stay a little bit paranoid.

------
hop
This could be an MIT alumni composite - <http://www.dropbox.com/about>

Scary smart folks.

------
jkincaid
They've edited the post so that it no longer includes anything about 5 million
users. Apparently it was premature (still love Dropbox though).

~~~
jimmybot
Looks like it's 4 million, which is still worth announcing.

With more users, I'm curious if paid accounts are growing at the same rate as
free accounts. I also pretty much assume that a much higher percentage of all
users in the US will be paid accounts versus other countries, but would be
curious what their actual experience is.

~~~
stumm
They already stated that they had 4 million users a month ago:
<http://blog.dropbox.com/?p=289>

------
sadiq
Would be interesting to know what % of those users are paying any money.

I really hope they get their API sorted soon, i've been holding off looking at
alternatives because it's always "close" but now i'm starting to consider
other options.

------
nazgulnarsil
has dropbox gotten acquisition offers? i feel like if I was microsoft I'd be
chomping at the bit to integrate this into windows as a major selling point.

~~~
rudyfink
Microsoft does already have Live Mesh ( <http://www.mesh.com/> ) which is a
very similar product/service. Live Mesh does per folder synching and you can
invite other users to share or read only on an individual folder basis.

~~~
alabut
They also acquired Foldershare years ago and it was remarkably similar, even
had Windows/OS X integration, although they haven't done much with it since
the acquisition. Dropbox feels like the much better designed younger sibling -
the Web version is a first class citizen rather than some clunky admin panel,
for example.

------
bj
I really like the dropbox experience but I really wish they didn't limit the
download bandwidth.

My dropbox is about 35 GB, I just installed dropbox on a brand new computer
and the download speed is 7KB/sec. It will literally take almost 20 days to
sync my files.

That's terrible.

By the way, I'm an early adopter and have introduced dropbox to many people, I
just hope download speeds were somewhat decent.

~~~
derefr
Where are you getting 7KB/s? Did it start that way, or decelerate after a
while? I usually get ~700KB/s, at least.

~~~
bj
By the way I just ran this speed test:

<http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?flash=1>

My network downloads 4MB/sec

The computer has a fresh install of snow leopard and everything else is fast.

~~~
derefr
Very interesting; try downloading a file from your Dropbox public folder via
HTTP, and see if that's any faster. If it is, your ISP is probably
throttling/QoSing Dropbox, the ports it uses, or the kind of traffic it
generates specifically, and you should get in touch with them about it. If
it's slow as well, your ISP might be having a peering problem to Dropbox's
colo.

------
sinzone
Thanks for the Linux Dropobox Client.. we exist!

------
davidedicillo
I just wish Apple will let to save the files you create on the iPad your
Dropbox account. Sadly they will probably do that with Mobile Me (I have an
account already), but it doesn't work as smoothly as Dropbox, especially for
sharing with other users,IMO.

~~~
protomyth
Isn't there already an iPhone / iPod touch app? I would imagine access to the
new file area might not be a huge adaption.

------
pp
Just in case someone from the Dropbox team is reading this, I wanted to
compliment on the web UI. Really, it kicks some serious ass. I'm usually very
picky when it comes to websites and their design, but this one is just a piece
of art.

------
eogas
For anyone who hasn't used it before, dropbox is great if you're in college. I
use it to sync notes and assignments across all of my machines. I take notes
in class on my laptop, and I can access them on my desktop. Furthermore, I can
start assignments on my desktop at home, and work on them on my laptop between
classes.

------
systems
They gave nice stats by country and platform.

I would also like to see stats, by free vs paid accounts? How many of the free
account actually use their account are close to their quota limits?

It would be nice to know how big can Dropbox scale, how many servers they can
afford, etc ... .

------
c1sc0
I especially liked the video. Just wondering: I see no activity in China. Does
Dropbox work in China & is it just a matter of not enough traffic to show up?
Can anyone confirm this?

------
Vladik
Wow, 5 million is impressive. More impressive, that the US is not even 1/3rd
of their user base. Talk about global adoption!

------
CoryMathews
Congrats to them. I really like dropbox myself have it on most all my
computers.

------
mhartl
Awesome work, guys. I propose that, at least in HN circles, the official
plural of _Dropbox_ should be _Dropboxen_.

~~~
ugh
Dropboxen /drɒp'bɔksn̩/ (German): (lit.) candy boxing. Compound word of „Drop“
(old fashioned) and „Boxen“.

~~~
c1sc0
same in Dutch ... Drop as in licorice-like candy ... the black evil stuff ;-)

