While Google Drive is shameful, DropBox is practically out of control

Welcome back! I guess I am too damn tired to write, here on in my Remo is tired twin blog...

But, here I am.

I complained here, a while back, about how shameful Google Drive is.
It's was so bad, I actually never bothered to recheck it. I don't usually believe in miracles, and I have no reason to believe it went to any hopeful direction.

Maybe it's not as bad with regard to cloud storage, integration with google apps, etc. This is their bread and butter. But for "DropBox like" service, i am still waiting.

But  - after quite a few years I was relatively happy with DropBox, I got to a point I am so frustrated with them, I am open to other suggestions.

I decided that I need a cloud based solution to store all my stuff. from kids home work, to excel file I scratch, and of course - all the tons of generated media, photos and videos.

This is a massive set of data. We reached the vicinity of 750GB.

Clearly, this is not a space I could reach with the free bonuses.. (I was close to 100GB!)
So, I took the plunge and signed for the 1TB program (yearly cost just under 100$/y).

The problem is that such volumes are too big for the original concept of DropBox.
Obviously you can't just duplicate such a blob into any connected device.
So - DB came up with Selective-Sync. It allows you to opt out on sub-folders.
Basically, it's a nice idea. only that it works awful.

When you link a new device, it by default syncs all. then, after it started you configure the selective sync, which takes forever to update and your'e half dead when until it manage to pull out of it.

The design flaws and implementation fails of DB are countless.

They are not design for big folders. and my folder, of less than a TB is really not that big.

The Magic Band

We just got back from a vacation at Disney World, Florida

I will not get into details of the vacation, but will only discuss The Magic Band.

We stayed in one of Disney's hotels. When we checked in, each one of us got a plastic band nick named "Magic Band". This band is actually some sort of an RFID tag. (meaning, I think it is RFID, but even if not - it's pretty much equivalent and for all practical purpose can be thought as an RFID tag).

This band is used in the hotel as a door key to your room, and if you enable it, as a pay device at the cashier. We enabled only mom&dad's bands, and then we had to set a payment PIN code, so that kids, or not so nicely finder will not be able to spend it out.

It's only a tag, but it's integrated with the visitor account, data and activities really well.

You can create an account with Disney's web site, and link your vacation reservation there (if you didn't create an account to order the vacation in the first place...), Then you can use the mobile phone app to request FastPass (AKA FP+), and consume those FP+ in the park using the band.
The band, needless to say, is also the admittance tickets to the park, and to other attraction you purchased (i.e. restaurants reservations).

If you lose a kid - nothing unusual in such place - when someone finds him, he is scanned, and they will call your phone number registered in the account to tell you to go grab the brat.
same goes to when you're losing the band itself. Personally, this was not that effective for me, as I was using prepaid sim with a different number on the vacation, but i could (and should) have updated the account with that number.
Depending on the technology of the actual tag - this can also be used for more aggressive usage such as looking for the missing child using band location. Other tag-location based applications are endless, if you open this door...

The most magical feature to me was the photo band assisted linkage.
When you dismount the mt. Splashmore ride, or any other attraction, you see the snapshot where you're topless hands-free or just dumb ass fearful, so you can go the counter and buy it (for a dreadful price). The Magic Band allows you to simply scan it, and have the photo digital file be linked to your account. ingenious!
Wait... that's only the smaller half of it.
When you go outside to the park landscapes, say, you watch the infamous parade, Disney's photographers take your picture over background of the castle, and when they are done - should it be one pick or a set of them - they simply scan your band (or any band of a party member that is under the same reservation), and the images are linked to your account.
So that you can eventually decide to purchase those images for a hefty price.

I found this level of use and integration MAGICAL.

Google Retired Sneak-Peek lab. booo!

The Sneak-Peek lab has been retired!

What a shame.

Google introduced a new feature that let's you do these or those common activity using right click.

so, in order to avoid the conflict over the usage of the right click - they killed the Sneak-Peek lab.

how lame...

The sneak peek was by far the lab I used the most, saving me lots of time when going over mail.

They should have tried better to merge the new feature with sneak peek, not to just replace it.

they have a preview pane feature, but even if it's ok in theory, it's crap.

bummer.

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Google Docs Protected Ranges - an annoying "almost there" story

Google Docs is great. simply put.

Being the man behind the mom in the PTA of all of our children,
I create many google documents and share them with the rest of the parents.
With spreadsheets, i am a huge fan of Protected Ranges. Especially I am fond of the combination of Protected Range and Data Validation.
The data validation allows creating  cool drop down list, where parents can just pick from the list ( I don't trust them to type correctly).
Range protection let me narrow them to modify only the fields I want them to touch.
(To a matter of fact, I don't trust them AT ALL).

This let me create sheets that are as powerful as forms, and as flexible and cool as spreadsheet can be.

Google Docs spreadsheets have all that!
You can get into this small example table of product (1..10).
the red cells are editable. the area of the products is protected.
pretty cool huh!?

I tried doing the same with the new Office 2013 365 or whatever it's called. I was sure it gonna leave nothing but dust to gdocs.
pkhhh. Current version of 365 doesn't support neither range protection,  nor data validation nor conditional formatting. in other words - OFFICE EXCEL 365 is a NON STARTER CRAP.

So, we're back and happy in the good old familiars arms of Google Docs.

So why is it just "almost there"?

well, have a look at the snapshot below (i don't really trust you to have tried the link above...). The protected range appears as a striped no-flight zone area. The striping is disastrous. makes your entire sheet looking terminally ill.

This is configurable, one can change that in its browser, by going to google doc View menu and un-check the Protected Range item... But show me one PTA mom that will un-check this. duh.

GOOGLE - Please make the protected range un-checked by default, or make the protected range marking less annoying (or just non-existent).

snapshot of the gdoc i created. note the striped protected range.

Google Drive is shameful

When Google launched Google Drive, more than a few months ago, I was thrilled.
Even though I am a Dropbox enthusiast (managed to get almost 22GB of free storage space in my Dropbox),
I was thrilled.
Dropbox is not allowed at my work place, and also their domain is blocked.
Also - the combination "dropbox like" service, and Google Groups was appealing, not to mention Google Docs on top of it.

For example - this way, I can very easily maintain files that I want to share with a big and dynamically changing list of users
(I maintain a couple of those for the PTA regularly).
No need for upload, publishing, making sure all files are in synch - just save once. America.

But Google Drive is a non-starter.
I am not even talking about its issues with very poor performance, reliability and resource hogging. I didn't get to those show stoppers.

I had two other issues that made GD DOA. (Dead On Arrival).

1. Cannot co-share Google Drive folder.
   I have multiple user accounts on my PC. one for regular user, one for admin etc.
   In my case, I also want all my accounts to connect to the same GD account, and to point to the same folder. no go.
   when the second PC user conencts (using the same GD account) try to map the folder, it yells at me that this folder is already a GD folder. duh.
   Then, I have to define a different folder. and then - unbelievably, I ended up with two sets of the same files mirrored.
   C:\Users\RemoAdmin\Google Drive\myfiles...
   C:\Users\RemoRegUser\Google Drive\myfiles...
   I was so appalled  I didn't even bother to look how network wise smart is this local duplication is. oh boy.
   Needless to say, DropBox has no issue with multiple pointing.
   
   
2. Cannot follow links
   For quite a few years already (since Windows 2000 i think) NTFS supports links. symlinks, juncture -
   everything you expect from a modern FS.
   It's not as commonly known as Unix hardlinks/symlinks where it's really a part of the folklore, but it's still very useful.
   With respect to GD (or DropBox for that matter) - where you have one folder of synching using links can be
   an elegant way to include files and folders from the outside within the synched folder.
   For me - who had been using DropBox when GD launched - I thoght to myself - I will give it a try,
   let's link my documents folders from the GD, so they can be synched there,
   thinking maybe I will switch to GD exclusively when I would see I am happy with it.
   DUH. Links (symlinks, hard links, junctures, punctures, you name it) are not followed in the synch. DUH.
   More than half a year since launching, not only that it's still not supported, I couldn't find Google stating when (and if) it will support that.
   Needless to say, DropBox has no issue with following links.

Given 1 & 2 - I didn't see a point in really using this service. I as a convenient back end to the few documents I post on the PTA site I maintain,
but this is really small number of files.

Google Drive - with it's ridiculous volume and 5GB (for free) and endless show stoppers is simply shameful.

I hope they fix it soon -  as DropBox other competitors (Box, SugarSynch) are so far behind, they will be irrelevant soon.

Outgoing Labels

I am not sure when it was added, but that's a really good one.

Until recently, in order to label an outgoing mail, you had to trick it via a filter that would catch the outgoing message and attach a label to it.
Not very spontaneous.
alternatively, you could browse the sent mail and put labels. even less ..

Now - the simple and needed thing was added to the GUI. you can simply attach labels on mail in the compose window.
so simple, you can hardly believe it took 8.5 years to have it done. now it's done.
Mazal Tov.

Groups can add members directly again - a change in the right direction

I posted here last time about google taking off the possibility of adding members directly.

Apparently, the cries were just too loud. not only mine of course..

This is a feature that is simply a must.
So, now Google did the reasonable change, and found a balance between allowing that, and preventing an abuse on that.

They put this option back in, and put a clear limitation on the number of added members (10 at a chunk), and a CAPTCHA to ensure it's not a robot.

It's even better than before (before the removal of this feature).

The good thing, is to see that google is thinking clearly again, after so many counter-users changes.

I can manage mailing lists again!