Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by rsync 4312 days ago
If only there were a cloud storage provider that took a strong, substantive stand against government surveillance and supported true security and privacy for their users.

As long as we're dreaming, wouldn't it be great if you could use this make-believe product with standard unix tools on the command line, and access over SSH ?

I suppose a fanciful firm like this would offer a deep "HN readers" discount to anyone that asked.

If only such a company existed ...
1 comments
Someone1234 4312 days ago
rsync.net aren't really competing with DropBox so I don't see the relevance.

DropBox has multi-platform support on all major mobile and desktop platforms. They also have a GUI application that will "just work" for syncing your files off site.

rsync.net is really UNIX only since the offering doesn't work particularly well when not combined with popular Linux/UNIX tools (e.g. rsync). On Windows you're left using FTP and doing the sync-ing yourself somehow and there is no mobile presence at all.

The software is 1/2 of DropBox's (and Google Drive's) value. rsync.net is certainly inexpensive but not really competing for the same business or customers.

link
rsync 4312 days ago
Remember that "unix only" means all macs. That's significant and interesting (or at least, we think it is).

You are correct that there is no mobile presence at all ... except for every single android phone.

There is a "must be this tall to ride" bar at rsync.net and that's working very well for us and our customers.

link
Someone1234 4312 days ago
I agree and disagree on Macs.

With Macs there are predominantly two "types" of users. Those who use a Mac because they want a UNIX machine that works well as a desktop/has a widely supported GUI, and then there are those who use Macs because they find them easier than Windows (due to the better consistency and less clutter).

I think rsync on OS X will widely appeal to this first group, but not appeal at all to the second group. As far as those people are concerned if it isn't in the store then it doesn't exist, and if it doesn't have a GUI it definitely doesn't exist.

As to Android you guys don't, as far as I know, offer an app? Maybe my information is out-of-date on that one.

I completely respect that you guys want to appeal to a certain demographic and there is something to be said for that. I was just pointing out above that rsync.net is niche and isn't "really" competing 1:1 with DropBox, Google Drive, or to a lesser extent One Drive.

Your prices remain quite impressive and I'm sure you do what you do very well.

link