Some changes in the latest release of dropbox have created a lot of noise in the forums. The summary is that Apple have made some changes in their macOS that gives less flexibility to how Dropbox can operate, and Dropbox have made changes accordingly.
Continue reading ⟩Dropbox and Google File Stream have big differences. Google Drive is best for publishing lots of files to multiple users. Dropbox is great to reliably sync files across your own computers. If you are used to Dropbox, don’t think of Google File Stream as being like Dropbox. Here are some of the differences:
See also:
What are the differences between ‘Google Backup and Sync’ and ‘Dropbox’
How to install Google Drive on OS X
What is the difference between ‘Google file stream’ and ‘Google backup and sync’?
‘Google File Stream’ and ‘Google Backup and Sync’ are quite different even though they are both released by Google.
Google describes the differences as one being for ‘Personal’ use and one for ‘Business’. That’s not a bad summary. They do different things and it’s important to understand the difference before you start using them. Google file stream is like an extra Hard Disk that lives in the cloud. Google backup and sync is more like Dropbox – a synced folder. Here’s why you may like to install both side-by-side to benefit from what each one has to offer.
Google Backup and Sync is very similar to Dropbox but there are some small differences. Google backup and sync has some extra options.
How to install Google Drive on OS X
What is the difference between ‘Google file stream’ and ‘Google backup and sync’?
What are the differences between ‘Google Drive’ (Google File Stream) and ‘Dropbox’?
You can mount a ‘Google Drive’ onto you Mac, it’s a neat cloud based storage solution from Google. The Google Drive sits on your desktop. It looks like a regular hard drive and the contents of the folder are automatically available to anyone else who has access to the same Google Drive.
Google Drive is similar but different to dropbox. When you move a file into dropbox the file is moved into dropbox, like you would expect if you were moving a file into a different folder. (The file is not copied, it is moved.) But when you drag a file into your Google Drive it doesn’t move the file, it creates a copy of the file. It’s more like copying the file to a thumb drive.
Because of this difference in the way they behave, Dropbox feels like it’s a folder on your computer like any other folder, it just happens to be shared with others. But Google Drive has a different feel. It feels like a foreign hard drive that is out there in the cloud and you happen to have access to it from your computer. Each have their advantage, and I use both.
Another big point of difference is that Google Drive requires an active internet connection. Last week our internet was down, and I went to access a file in my Google Drive, and I could see it, but not access it without a web connection. Dropbox syncs the 2 folders completely, so they are available offline as well.
We use Google Drive to share documents across our organisation. I use dropbox to share files that I am working on across my own personal computers. I find it really useful to have this distinction in my head. Files that I want to share with other people – Google Drive. Files that I want to share with myself – Dropbox. Of course, you could use these tools any way you want but that’s the way I have found myself using them.
Here’s how to get Google Drive going.
Running out of space on dropbox? Try some of these simple options!
https://www.dropbox.com/getspace
Don’t have dropbox yet? Get it here.
If you are travelling with your laptop (or iPhone) and your data is limited, here are a few simple ways to make sure you don’t use too much data. Continue reading ⟩
I recently was sent a link to a movie file in someone’s dropbox via email. No matter what I did I couldn’t get it to download. Safari wanted to play it. To download the movie I needed to click in the safari address bar, paste the link, and then press option-return which downloaded the movie instead of playing it.
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