You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.
Forum Discussion
Dropbox full because of shared folder
Hi, i have a dropbox account and the free space that i have is full because of the files inside the shared folder that i have with some friends.
Is there a way to avoid that the shared folder that ...
Your English is very good Michele - well done!
And no, if you need read write access to that folder if will use your quota. If you just need read only access leave the share and ask the other person sends you a read only Shared link.
You can LEAVE and REJOIN a shared folder when ever you like.
So one method of getting space is to LEAVE the shared folder. And REJOIN it when you need it.
If you ONLY need some files from the shared folder and ONLY at some times, I would additionally ask the owner of the shared folder for a LINK to it, in that way you can use the link to it and download via web the files you need when you need them.
Although I don't agree with Dropbox, and this is the primary reason I won't spring for Pro, I understand why they did this.
It's simple, really. Say, someone creates 10 free accounts. 10 x 2GB = 20GB. Now, that person, from each account shares a folder with his main account. That person just got more, free, space.
@Adam C. : Its not a CRAP explanation, its the one that causes them to charge in the way they do, just becuase you dont like it doesnt make it crap, you just dont like it.
As to file ownership, I dont think you understood what I said about how they store files, so again.
You go to microsoft site and download the DirectX offline install file (say 300MB), and upload that to your dropbox. They store that into 300MB into their storage space, and link it to the file record in your account. I then upload that same file, I have from a MSCP DVD, and they see that the same file is in their storage space, and they link it to the file record in my account. Now we BOTH are the owner of the file. We have never shared a folder, or the file in anyway, its just the same file so they store it once. YOU have the file dont you, so it uses YOUR quota, I have the file so it uses MY quota, your logic is I should get it for no quota use because YOU uploaded it first. THANKS DUDE FOR THE FREE STORAGE ON YOUR DIME! (If only!)
Addressing your disk usage over your allowance, Usage is what you have access to, allowance is what you have purchased access rights to. Your logic here seems pretty skewed, you want access to files, but you dont think you should pay for that access, QUOTA is how much you can access and sync, its not 1TB of physical hard disk space, you would have to be insane if you thought every user was getting that, you can force that usage by uploading files that would be unique to you only, but each time you upload something they already have they link to the already have file. (as do other cloud storage sites).
If your talking of some other kind of inconsistencies between diskspace used locally and in DBs quota usage on your account, be aware that DB does not see local file replication nodes as one file, it counts each instance your storing against your quota, (see symbolic links and/or iphotos)
DBs business model is to give you a quota of space you can access, and charge you for it, if you use half thats your bus, if you use all thats on you, if you use all with unique files no one else has, thats all good too, but your paying one fixed fee, end of. Now if you have 3 devices and upload a file via the cloud then 3 devices download that file each one costs DB to withdraw that data from the Amazon s3 storage backbone, each new file , each changed file, also causes this, and if you have 30 devices thats 10 times as much cost, whats the change in cost to you.... nill change, you pay one fixed flat fee.
As to your curiousity about me, I dont defend Dropbox, I defend how they are charging for this service as how they charge to make some $$$ and survive, they are not google or MS who have a billion dollar bank account to fall back on as they scoop up market share, to then sell you other stuff interconnected, this is all they do. If you saw some other threads I post on you would see I have some serious issues with how dropbox does some things, one being slack as performance to business customers. But really I might throw back your final question, with this "Why does it mater to me so much? .... if you're leaving and said so twice now, why do you care?"
PS: Office365 is NOT 5 copies of office it's one licence to use on 5 devices, there are several inter device dependencies, that are not present when you have multiple licence to use, but thats a whole different forum discussion.
