[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

You obviously don't know how Dropbox works. For starters, while it works best with a continuos connection, it doesn't rely on one. Problems at their end? Pray tell, because I've been using them since day one with...waitforit...not a single day of downtime.

My setup provides me with multiple backups in multiple geographic locations, including unlimited versioning. Whatever you're doing with optical media can't even begin to touch the level of security and flexibility I've got with dropbox.

Accidentally deleted a file, or overwitten a file? No problem.
My house burns down? No problem.
My office burns down? No problem.
My office and my house burn down? No problem.
Want to access a file I deleted a year ago? No problem.
Want to access the previous version of the previous version of a file I deleted a year ago? Guess what, no problem.
Want to share any file? No problem.
My laptop implodes? No problem, I'll be up and running within hours.
At a client with just my iPhone but need to show a file? No problem.
Internet connection down? No problem, because dropbox shares everything I create to a Mac Mini located at my home that's connected to a Drobo, where all data is saved across multiple, redundant, disks.

But yeah, optical media FTW. Sure.

Read. Comprehend. Post.

IS that so hard? Or is being a contrarian like you just so much fun?

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Read. Comprehend. Post.

IS that so hard? Or is being a contrarian like you just so much fun?

Dude, you are the one who's refusing to comprehend. You're making absolute statements about services and solutions you obviously neither use nor understand. I'm done with this nonsense.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Or is being a contrarian like you just so much fun?

Wait, did you just post that?

The guy who decided to take it as a "complement" [sic] when I described him as a bully and a troll?
Really?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

The guy who decided to take it as a "complement" [sic] when I described him as a bully and a troll?

I'm sure it was intensional [sic], as we all know that YOU don't speak English, only voodoo does.

-t

[Snow-i]

I'm going to make a DVD of this thread and send it all to you in 5 years to show you what you look like bickering....


That is, if you still have DVD drives by then

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Snow-i 

That is, if you still have DVD drives by then

Nah, they'll be Blu-ray drives.

[SpaceMonkey]

I can't wait until MacNN goes 3D.

[ajprice]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

I can't wait until MacNN goes 3D.

You mean you read this stuff in 2D ?? Where have you been!?!?



MacNMacNN3DN 3D

[Snow-i]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

I can't wait until MacNN goes 3D.

Thatll be after they figure out a way to make the PWL anything more than one dimensional

[ort888]

I'm waiting for 4D.

[The Final Dakar]

I'm waiting for 36DD

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I'm waiting for 36DD

http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou...s-picturefest/

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Just when you thought you were out...

… they pull you right back in the closet! Bastards.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Wait, did you just post that?

The guy who decided to take it as a "complement" [sic] when I described him as a bully and a troll?
Really?

Ah well, I did try to be nice to you, but that's clearly a waste of time. After all you wrote that my arguments were pretty good.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Phileas 

Dude, you are the one who's refusing to comprehend. You're making absolute statements about services and solutions you obviously neither use nor understand. I'm done with this nonsense.

Just because you don't take the time to read what I write, doesn't mean I'm the one who's 'refusing' to understand.

Either way, whether you're a part of this conversation or not is hardly relevant.

[el chupacabra]

How reliable is a flash drive? dont those things wear-out/die pretty quickly?

PS I only use my optical for ripping movies to my home network...and thats only a couple times a year. And burning dvd photo discs for family; it's still cheaper than sending family a flash drive.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by el chupacabra 

How reliable is a flash drive? dont those things wear-out/die pretty quickly?

Yes. They're at risk to getting corrupted (unless you never use them). When I get a computer hard drive or flash card with install software on it, the first I do is make optical disc backups of it.

Furthermore, the ones I have carried around in my pocket have physically broken after a while. I'm not too impressed with the strength of USB plugs.

And writeable optical discs are at risk of getting scratched and do degrade over time, even in storage. Nothing's perfect.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by hayesk 

And writeable optical discs are at risk of getting scratched and do degrade over time, even in storage. Nothing's perfect.

Though it must be said that the surface of a BD is very scratch resistant and pressed disks last forever. Thus install disks, for instance are good for the next decades, but an install flash drive, not so much.

You're right that nothing's perfect ... but listening to some shills here, one might think that the flash drive was a gift from the heavens while the optical drive was the uglier sister of the 5" floppy.

Hence such a 'profound' topic as this thread has. Because some DVD-less laptop came with a USB stick for system install. One would have to use something, and optical is not included on the MBA, but a USB port is. I'm surprised it took Apple this long.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

Hence such a 'profound' topic as this thread has. Because some DVD-less laptop came with a USB stick for system install. One would have to use something, and optical is not included on the MBA, but a USB port is. I'm surprised it took Apple this long.

I think the profound part is that we can replace two components with one component. You'll never be able to manage without USB, but you can manage without optical, and less is more (plus unlike optical the USB can stick out the side of the machine instead of having to fit inside it, making the machine even smaller). That's all it's about. If we could do A/V out, ethernet and power the whole computer through USB the same doodad (doesn't really matter which one I suppose), each of those would be just as big a deal, IMO.

[CharlesS]

I use optical discs all the time, and removing the drive would be an inconvenience for me, but I'm not too worked up about it since optical drives can work just fine while hooked up to a USB or FireWire port. It's not like ExpressCard or FireWire, which got dropped without any way to replicate their functionality at all. Hell, maybe we could get ExpressCard back with the space that they'd save by getting rid of the optical drive.

The one problem that I think will keep software distribution on USB sticks from gaining wide acceptance for the short term is that USB drives are still about an order of magnitude more expensive than optical discs. Once you're able to get a 25-pack of 4 GB flash drives for the same price a 25 DVD-R spindle costs, optical will be toast.

Originally Posted by Eug 

Yes. They're at risk to getting corrupted (unless you never use them). When I get a computer hard drive or flash card with install software on it, the first I do is make optical disc backups of it.

I've only had one flash drive get corrupted, and that was in the very early days of flash drives (when 128 MB was still quite large for one).

Furthermore, the ones I have carried around in my pocket have physically broken after a while. I'm not too impressed with the strength of USB plugs.

Check out some of the flash drives LaCie makes. They have a bunch of key-shaped ones that are made of metal, instead of the cheap plastic most USB drives seem to use. I've had one of them on my keychain, getting constantly scratched by the other keys and exposed to all the kinds of abuse that keys generally get, and it still works after about a year.

[Eug]

I deal with some corporate types sometimes. I've noticed that when I ask them to send me some big files, they now sometimes just courier me a 2 GB flash drive. It used to be that they would burn a CD and send that, but the transition to flash is happening.

Not surprising, since 2 GB flash drives are almost cheap as borscht these days. Borscht locally is $4.99, and a 2 GB flash drive is $6.99.

Originally Posted by CharlesS 

Check out some of the flash drives LaCie makes. They have a bunch of key-shaped ones that are made of metal, instead of the cheap plastic most USB drives seem to use. I've had one of them on my keychain, getting constantly scratched by the other keys and exposed to all the kinds of abuse that keys generally get, and it still works after about a year.

My USB drives break after about 1.5 to 2 years, and at least one that has broken was metal. It's not the casing that breaks, but the plug itself, where it mates to the circuit board. If anything I'd expect a thick molded plastic one that seals off the attachment region of the plug to be the strongest.

However, FW800 plugs for example just seem inherently stronger. They're short and stout, unlike USB 2 which is long and thin. Lots of potential leverage there.

P.S. I just installed OS X onto a 16 GB flash drive just as an experiment. I wonder what would happen if I pulled out the drive during usage. I betcha it'd be a great way to corrupt it.

[imitchellg5]

I have had the LaCie iamakey for the past year and a half and love it. It's been through the wash and still works. I bought my parents two.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Eug 

I deal with some corporate types sometimes. I've noticed that when I ask them to send me some big files, they now sometimes just courier me a 2 GB flash drive. It used to be that they would burn a CD and send that, but the transition to flash is happening.

Not surprising, since 2 GB flash drives are almost cheap as borscht these days. Borscht locally is $4.99, and a 2 GB flash drive is $6.99.

Yeah, but you can get top-quality DVD discs for 35¢ each. I think flash still has a way to go before it will be cost-competitive with optical media.

My USB drives break after about 1.5 to 2 years, and at least one that has broken was metal. It's not the casing that breaks, but the plug itself, where it mates to the circuit board. If anything I'd expect a thick molded plastic one that seals off the attachment region of the plug to be the strongest.

According to LaCie's marketing, the connector on the iamakey (and the CooKey, which appears to be a newer, even smaller design for the same thing) is specially scratch and water-resistant. I guess time will tell, but my iamakey has been doing great so far.

[turtle777]

My Cruzer Titanium has been holding up for many years.
Very sturdy design.



-t