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by lmm 3177 days ago
> This sounds like such an insane proposition relative to the Dropbox we know today.

Does it? If you used WebDAV then you can mount a share in Windows or Linux even over the Internet, and windows at least is good at caching it while you're offline for short periods. For someone who has their own always-on Apache it seems like this would replicate most of the use cases for Dropbox. I think the point that's being missed is simply that most people would rather see a few ads or pay a small fee than administer their own Apache, not that what Dropbox offers is technically so far ahead.
1 comments
austenallred 3177 days ago
> For someone who has their own always-on Apache

I’m just guessing on numbers, but that probably describes <1% of the population. Most people think Apache is a word used only to describe helicopters.

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lmm 3177 days ago
Absolutely, and that's why Dropbox is successful. But I don't think the part you quoted is wrong as such; the typical HN user really could put together a few components and get something that does most of what Dropbox does.
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KGIII 3177 days ago
A small point really, but I'm not sure most people would only think it describes helicopters. I am guessing most people would think it is a tribe of Native Americans.

I admit that it's just a guess, but it does seem likely.

Again, not a major point.

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