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    Dropbox Limitations

    It has been a number of years since I have been active on ReunionTalk. I always figured my ancestors would be more proud of me for raising my children while they were young than pursuing a hobby. At any rate, my kids are almost all out the door now and I am turning my attention back to my hobbies.

    The Reunion website has a very well written page discussing the recent change by Dropbox to change their terms and limit the number of devices a free account can use (see https://www.leisterpro.com/reunionto...ns/db-sync.php). I simply find myself in a pinch because Dropbox's entry price point is quite high from my point of view, especially when it's a recurring cost to me. As someone who has worked with developers of school information system software for years as part of my job I certainly get the arguments Leister Productions makes here. I would just like to respectfully ask that the developers of Reunion at least reconsider their position of not offering an alternative to Dropbox sync in the near term.

    I don't mean to post this to be whiny. Other companies I work with have a system for user proposed features to be posted on their support site and the user base to vote on those ideas which can affect the development roadmap of the product. ReunionTalk simply seems to be the best place to do that in this case. Thank you for listening.
    Last edited by joeswann; 13 October 2019, 05:41 PM.

    #2
    Hi Joe,

    It's good to hear from you again.

    You gave us valuable feedback in the early days of this business, for which I am grateful.

    Your feedback now is valuable too.

    Because of the sheer size and complexity of the underlying technology supporting synchronization, the reliance on Dropbox won't change in the near term.

    Our comments on the FAQ you mentioned notwithstanding, we keep a close watch on user experiences and we do substantial evaluating and re-evaluating of functionality (and interface) as time goes by.

    As a small company, it's easy for us to receive and evaluate feedback, whether here on ReunionTalk or via support contact. But changing something as fundamental as the synchronization model is no small undertaking.

    The goal is always the same: we make what we believe are the best decisions for users, for the product, and for the business; however, that doesn't necessarily mean that things won't change. Yesterday's decisions will always be reviewed in today's light and circumstances.
    Frank Leister
    Leister Productions Inc.

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      #3
      Frank,

      I certainly get it. There are a lot of parts that have to come together to make what you do work. My hat is off to any developer who works hard to make a quality product for their customers. Again, thanks for hearing me out. It means a lot to know you're voice is not lost.

      Comment


        #4
        The "entry point is quite high" for Dropbox? It's zero for me.

        I'm a big fan of the Dropbox synchronization.
        Bradley Jansen
        OS 10.15.2 on a MacBook Pro using Reunion 12 and ReunionTouch 1.0.9

        Comment


          #5
          Bradley,

          You are correct. One can still get a free Dropbox account. I've had mine for years. And they did grandfather existing free accounts in to allow them to have more than three devices linked to an account. There is a catch, though. If you want or need to add another device to a free account you must first remove devices to get below the three device limit before you can add a new one.

          Here is my predicament and how this affects me. I am fortunate enough to have an iMac and MacBook personally that are linked to this account. My wife and I also have two cell phones which are linked and I have an iPad from work which is also link to Dropbox. So I'm two devices over, but since I am grandfathered they let me slide.

          My iPhone is old and the battery is starting to seriously show it's age. The phone is old enough that Apple is no longer updating the OS which can be a security risk. So I can replace the battery and run the risk or look for a newer used phone which is safer. Given that I do some banking and other business that needs to be secure on my phone, security is a big consideration. If I get a new to me phone I have to choose which two existing devices I want to take off my Dropbox account in order to get my phone on it. So, which devices will be the odd men out? I use them all.

          On average I use about 3 GB of my 5 GB space and my work habits have proven for years I don't use much more than that. The only reason I would be subscribing to their $10/month plan is to allow me to do what I'm already doing if I trade phones. This is why I think the entry price point is quite high.

          What I really wish Dropbox would do is offer a $0.99/month plan to have unlimited devices at a 5 GB limit. No company that wants to aggressively keep their revenue stream up would dream of doing something like that. There is no reason for them to accommodate miserly farts like me.

          So many developers are turning to a subscription model now. I get why. When this trend started in earnest a couple of years ago I added up the new subscription fees for all the software I was then using and had paid for. Ulysees is a good example here. If I wanted to continue receiving support and updates for software I had already paid for my total software subscription bill was going to be higher than my home electric bill. I have dumped a lot of software I used and enjoyed using because I feel all these combined price points are unrealistically high. They certainly don't fit my budget.

          Not meaning to rant. That's just where I'm coming from.
          Last edited by joeswann; 14 October 2019, 05:18 PM.

          Comment


            #6
            I agree completely my usage is so low and infrequent that I really can’t justify the cost for Dropbox. I am looking into software that will sync files on a local network and only use Dropbox with our phones.

            Comment


              #7
              Recently, I had to make that decision when I replaced my old iMac with a new one. Previously, I was grandfathered with four devices (iMac, MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPad). I chose to make the iPad the odd man without Reunion based my history of whipping out the phone when relatives have questions.

              Actually, file size is no where near being a problem. Like Joe, I need to have more than three devices. I would be perfectly willing to pay a small fee for more connections. Just to get more devices, their price for more storage that I don't need is simply a bad bargain.
              Bob White, Mac Nut Since 1985, Reunion Nut Since 1991
              Jenanyan, Barnes, White, Duncan, Dunning, Luce, Hedge and more
              iMac/MacBookAir M1 - iPhonePro/iPadPro - Reunion13 & RT

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