Dropbox: What exactly is being stored?

[mwphelps]

While I am intrigued by several of the new features in version 11, my main concern is what the Dropbox feature will require me to do. Specifically, I have over 5 GB of images in my Reunion Pictures folder, linked to my various database files. Do I need to have ALL of those pictures uploaded to Dropbox in order to sync my data between my iMac and my iPad/iPhone? I only have a free 2 GB Dropbox account, and am not looking forward to adding to my monthly expenses for the Pro account at $10 a month.

P.S. This Dropbox option is kind of a good news/bad news development for me. I have been frustrated with all the hoops I have to jump through to manually sync from my Mac to mobile device (i.e., set up direct WiFi connection, kill my virus program, etc). So any new approach was appreciated. However, while I have had my Dropbox account for a long time, I was never thrilled with the need to relinquish "possession" over my various files by having them resident "in the Cloud" in order to access them. My original impression of how Dropbox worked when I signed up was that it merely built a link to a cloned file and that my actual file stayed on my computer. I was disabused of that notion the first time I tried to save one of my files there and it disappeared from my hard drive. Never really used it since then. So this approach kind of threw me.

P.P.S. Have you completely removed the manual sync option from Reunion 11 and the mobile app?

[ttl]

Re: Dropbox: What exactly is being stored?

Specifically, I have over 5 GB of images in my Reunion Pictures folder, linked to my various database files. Do I need to have ALL of those pictures uploaded to Dropbox in order to sync my data between my iMac and my iPad/iPhone? .

The Reunion 11 Family File has versions of your photos embedded within… these are the photos accessed by the mobile devices.

FWIW, I have about 1.5 GB of photos in my Reunion Pictures folder and my Reunion 11 family file is about 80 MB in size.

[ttl]

Re: Dropbox: What exactly is being stored?

Here's a fuller explanation:

http://www.reuniontalk.com/showpost.php?p=44439&postcount=5

[Mark]

Re: Dropbox: What exactly is being stored?

My original impression of how Dropbox worked when I signed up was that it merely built a link to a cloned file and that my actual file stayed on my computer.

Dropbox stores your files both on their servers and locally on your hard drive/device, but note that changes on one sync to the other - if you delete a file through the Dropbox website, it will be removed from your Mac. If you delete a file from the Dropbox folder on your Mac or through the Dropbox app on your iOS device, it will be removed from the Dropbox servers/website (as well as any other devices connected to that Dropbox folder).

Basically, anything you do in the Dropbox folder will be propagated out to any other device that's connected to that same Dropbox folder.

However, if you login to the Dropbox website you can restore deleted files.

P.P.S. Have you completely removed the manual sync option from Reunion 11 and the mobile app?

Yes, manually syncing is no longer an option with Reunion 11/ReunionTouch.

HTH

[mwphelps]

Re: Dropbox: What exactly is being stored?

Thanks for the explanation, Mark. Did not realize that Dropbox does a dual storage mechanism. That will make it easier for me to deal with. Guess I will go ahead and upgrade. The other new features seem pretty useful as well. :-D

[Bob White]

Re: Dropbox: What exactly is being stored?

Mike: Nearly all programs that "store in the cloud" work this way... duplicate files that are automatically synched for you.

They aren't always obvious. Example: Your iCloud files are duplicated at Macintosh HD/Users/yourname/Library/Mobile Documents in a folder with the appropriate name (Pages, Keynote, etc.).