Dropbox

[ZenDruid]

Do any of you use Dropbox for storing personal files in the "cloud"? Do you like it, fear it, what are your thoughts about it?

 

[Artyczar]

I use it to pass files between friends, galleries, and others, not so much to "store" anything. There is a limit as to how much you can store on Dropbox unless you pay. I use something else for storing my backups to a cloud, which is a program called Backblaze. It backs up all the files on my computer every night (any new changes to the existing previous data) and it's been working great.

Another place you can store limited files (but a lot if you pay for a business account) is Google Drive. It also is good for sending large files in your email because you typically can't send files over 25 MB in emails.

 

[stlukesguild]

I don't use my computer anywhere near as often as I used to. Most of what I do now is on my iPad... and this includes saving images, video, and streaming audio. I currently have some 45,000 images immediately accessible anywhere I go with the iPad as well as several thousand videos. These are all backed up on the iCloud with 2TB of space.

My computer has a 2TB Hard Drive... far more than I'll probably ever need... at least not before I replace it a couple of years down the road. I don't use the computer for much beyond doing my schoolwork (and everything is copied and forwarded to my school account and school laptop via jump drive and/or email. I also use the computer for most of the time I spend on Creative Spark because I prefer the keyboard to the touch screen... although I do know I can get a Bluetooth keyboard to use with the iPad. Everything on my PC is backed up with an external 2TB hard drive.

 

[ZenDruid]

My computer has a 2TB Hard Drive.

OMG. Mine has a 465GB hard drive of which I've only used about 70. It's a Hewlett Packard tower desktop that I bought used about 15 years ago. Runs just fine. A $60 HP color printer/scanner/fax I got from Staples. A 24-inch Dell monitor. I'm still using Windows 7 Home Premium, but with the latest Firefox browser. I just like the interface and feel of both. Open Office 4 word processor. Spectrum internet connection. And Adobe Photoshop 7, which came out about 20 years ago, but I like it and don't see a need to update. I think a gerontologist would see a pattern here.

I asked about Dropbox because my son-in-law, who is a web manager for a large hospital (and has small patience for my quaint computer mashup) is urging me to get all of our critical personal files onto it. I know nothing about it and trying to Google it didn't tell me much.

 

[stlukesguild]

I upgraded to my current computer around this time back in 2020. We were going online in teaching due to COVID and so I upgraded to what is essentially a gaming computer... built for speed in streaming and online tasks. We had to rapidly learn to use Microsoft Teams, ZOOM, Schoology, Seesaw, Class Dojo, Loom, Virtual Classroom, etc... We had to make video lessons that we'd post in several places accessible to students during our "free time". During the usual school hours, we'd hold classes on ZOOM or Teams, record these classes, and post these to Schoology so that students who missed class could see these there. Teachers were hearing crap from idiots suggesting that we were getting paid for just sitting at home and doing nothing during COVID when honestly, we were putting in more hours than ever. It was far easier when we finally got back into the actual classrooms in the following March. Most of the time when we were teaching online, I was working until 6 or 7 in the evening making videos and audios of lessons for students, and often I'd be taking phone calls or text messages well into the evening... even as late as 11 PM... from students or parents... trying to figure out how to submit a project digitally.

I got an iPad about 7 years ago or so with the idea that it would allow me to take a large array of images with me to the studio to use as references. I did use it for this purpose... and soon discovered so many other uses. I was able to play music that I had downloaded or stream music from Spotify eliminating the need to carry a stack of CDs to the studio. Of course, I use the iPad for almost all of my time spent on social media or looking up images for references., checking texts and email, doing banking, paying bills, etc... I could use the iPad for Creative Spark if I ever get around to saving my password for the site on the device... but honestly, I'm just a bit too lazy. Sites that don't have an app are more of a pain in the butt to use through the iPad so I can always access these on my computer or laptop.

Every picture taken with my iPhone is automatically copied to the iPad so I have all the family pictures with me at all times as well as records of all my paintings as they evolve. As the size of the pictures taken with the iPhone is quite large, I tend to transfer most of the pictures I take of students and student work over to my computer and then delete these from the iPhone and iPad.

Last year around this time I upgraded to an iPad Pro, picked up an Apple Pencil, upgraded to the 2TB of space on iCloud, and downloaded the Procreate app for creating digital imagery. I did all of this as I was taking a college art course as part of the requirements for renewing my teaching license. As the course was an independent study I was able to write what my proposed course of study would be... as long as this was OKed by the college and my school district. I proposed spending part of the time exploring digital art in order to be able to use this with my students who are ever more techno-savvy. Of course, most of their efforts with technology involve making TikTok videos of themselves dancing or playing video games.

 

[stlukesguild]

OK… I stopped being lazy and saved my password for this site to my iPad. Now the danger is I’ll be spending even more time here.

 

[JStarr]

OMG. Mine has a 465GB hard drive of which I've only used about 70. It's a Hewlett Packard tower desktop that I bought used about 15 years ago. Runs just fine. A $60 HP color printer/scanner/fax I got from Staples. A 24-inch Dell monitor. I'm still using Windows 7 Home Premium, but with the latest Firefox browser. I just like the interface and feel of both. Open Office 4 word processor. Spectrum internet connection. And Adobe Photoshop 7, which came out about 20 years ago, but I like it and don't see a need to update. I think a gerontologist would see a pattern here.

I asked about Dropbox because my son-in-law, who is a web manager for a large hospital (and has small patience for my quaint computer mashup) is urging me to get all of our critical personal files onto it. I know nothing about it and trying to Google it didn't tell me much.

I use Dropbox for photos. It keeps bugging me to buy more space, but, instead, I go in and clean out photos- references I'm not going to use, three of the four pics of the smallest dog catching a ball, WIP pics I'm not going to use- I delete them, et voila`! I have more space. I also have many, many external storage drives- holy carp have I got a lot of those. Seems by the end, every employer was tossing them out to Staff at meetings like candy or Prozac (where I often worked, same thing) and if I want to lighten the cloud load, I download to an external drive, put a number on the drive, then add that number and a content description to DH's list- his idea and it makes sense- then empty the Dropbox.

It's as safe as any cloud service, and, really, what are the chances of someone meddling with my stuff? Minuscule. But I think the external storage with oversight documentation (even rarely used passwords- the military retirement system is awful wanting new passwords, nothing from before, eleven characters, three upper case, two numbers and one special but NOT underscore or hashtag---- who has the brain for that?) is best for sensitive or personal stuff.

Your son is kind of right, although getting all long-suffering over the fact you've managed to keep using Windows 7 with Windows Ten on, like, its second iteration- not the same as update, but platform- is to be applauded. Tell him when he can do that, he can advise you on what to buy....

 

[stlukesguild]

JStarr... yes... I need to start using the jump drives/flash drives more as a backup. Hell, I've already seen flash drives capable of handling up to 16 or even 32TB!!! There are even flash drives for iPads and iPhones.

 

[JStarr]

JStarr... yes... I need to start using the jump drives/flash drives more as a backup. Hell, I've already seen flash drives capable of handling up to 16 or even 32TB!!! There are even flash drives for iPads and iPhones.

Just make sure you label them, and somewhere keep a running list of what is on which labeled drive or else all you have is a housefull of closets that all look the same....

 

[ZenDruid]

and somewhere keep a running list

Like an address book? Back to the paper chase.

 

[Artyczar]

For all protected passwords, I use 1Password. It automatically remembers all your passwords, your bank, addresses, and credit cards, or anything you have to fill in to fields in your browsers. It is completely secure (as secure as possible). It's a godsend. I have a few things I have written down in my passbook "just in case" but I've never needed to reference it because you can easily edit and change your things in 1Password. There is a main KEY that gets you into your account that you can keep in a safe if you want.

 

[JStarr]

Like an address book? Back to the paper chase.

Kinda. We just have a little flip up-and-over notebook in which it says, handwritten, like, D(rive) #08, photos 2-22 to 6-23 or D #12 Old Time Baseball/Bisbee

Nothing more. Just a way to be able to know where to look for something.

Better than Dropbox which is waaaaay more like a shoebox full of-- stuff, in any which way-- from birth certificates to selfies to deceased-pet's collars. I'm sure Dropbox has a way to get things into order, but I've found those widgets to be more bother than a flip-over notebook and a one-line pen entry: D #12 Family Xmas 2023

 

[ZenDruid]

I've found those widgets to be more bother than a flip-over notebook and a one-line pen entry

I keep my websites, user names and passwords in a common address book on a shelf by my computer - handwritten in ink! Bizarre and arcane, I know! But it's safe from cyber hackers to look at.

 

[Artyczar]

I keep my websites, user names and passwords in a common address book on a shelf by my computer - handwritten in ink! Bizarre and arcane, I know! But it's safe from cyber hackers to look at.

That works too. And it's free.