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by npsimons 4886 days ago
The only thing Dropbox has over git is the auto-syncing, which will soon no longer be the case (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joeyh/git-annex-assistan...).

Does Dropbox do merging? Does it track history? Can you run it on server(s) of your choice? Can you setup Dropbox for centralized or distributed operation? Can you inspect the source for security holes? Can you write third party clients, servers, plugins, etc for it?

For once, the headline is perfect: true in every respect and descriptive of the article.
2 comments
SoftwareMaven 4886 days ago
Did you read the comment above you? As a person who bounces around between computers, the syncing part is much more than a "whatever" and, while git-annex-assistant looks cool, it will be some time before I trust it with my most valued documents. Further, niceties like access to code on my iPad, etc, are continued benefits of services like Dropbox.
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georgemcbay 4886 days ago
Did you even read what I wrote?

My whole post was based on the premise that using Dropbox (or another similar sync program) and git (or another similar version control system) aren't mutually exclusive. Yet you continue to make it an either/or argument.

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npsimons 4886 days ago
Yes, they aren't mutually exclusive; but I just don't see the point of Dropbox at all.

Edit: The fact that Dropbox won't merge just seems to me like going backwards, and makes it utterly useless for syncing, IMHO. Since git will merge, and it syncs, why do you need Dropbox?

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SoftwareMaven 4886 days ago
The point of Dropbox is the same point of git-annex-assistant. The fact that project exists proves there is a desire for this functionality.
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npsimons 4886 days ago
But the biggest thing annex-assistant adds is the automation of syncing; syncing is already builtin to git.

Edit: sorry for being so tendentious (yes, I like big words :). I'm just really having a hard time "getting" Dropbox as it seems like a poor, closed source replacement for rsync. Git can be used as a glorified rsync that will resolve 90% of multiply edited files, plus it gives you change history, and you're not locked into one company. I understand that git doesn't run on the iPad, but that sounds like a problem with the iPad, not git ;) Git runs fine on not just my Android devices, but my Maemo devices as well.

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