Basically my point is that, however you cut it, this service introduces complexity because you have to set up a server.
What makes dropbox so successful is the utter simplicity of something that used to be hard. The internet is littered with companies that have tried to solve this problem but didn't gain traction because it didn't just work. Dropbox is (to my knowledge) the first service of its kind that you install and forget. The thing that most people forget on HN is that 95% of the population don't even know what a server is - and they don't care.
The thing is, sadly, that open source has a pretty dismal track record of creating software that is easy and intuitive to use. There are many reasons for this. One is that open source software tends to be targeted towards developers instead of end users. Another is that it's often design by committee and mailing lists.
I'm not saying that this project doesn't have merit, or that it wont work. I'm just saying that they'll never be able to target my mom.
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Basically my point is that, however you cut it, this service introduces complexity because you have to set up a server.
What makes dropbox so successful is the utter simplicity of something that used to be hard. The internet is littered with companies that have tried to solve this problem but didn't gain traction because it didn't just work. Dropbox is (to my knowledge) the first service of its kind that you install and forget. The thing that most people forget on HN is that 95% of the population don't even know what a server is - and they don't care.
The thing is, sadly, that open source has a pretty dismal track record of creating software that is easy and intuitive to use. There are many reasons for this. One is that open source software tends to be targeted towards developers instead of end users. Another is that it's often design by committee and mailing lists.
I'm not saying that this project doesn't have merit, or that it wont work. I'm just saying that they'll never be able to target my mom.