8 ms·

Show HN: Boxster - A better Dropbox client

12 points by Icer5k 13y ago

nodata 13y ago
Tell us more! How does it work? One Boxster folder, with different sub-folders for each account?
- Icer5k 13y ago
  It actually exposes multiple removable drives (with independent drive letters) which can than be interacted with, just like a USB drive. On top of that, we add a cache which minimizes interactions with the various provider APIs so it feels local, even though we're actively making calls over the internet in the background.
matteotom 13y ago
Unfortunately, there is no Linux client, so it is not a better Dropbox client for me. And they did not indicate it was Windows only (with Mac support coming soon) until I signed up.
- ericmsimons 13y ago
  From the front page of the website: Starting with Windows, we let you access any file on any provider, all with a single login. Support for Mac, mobile and the web coming soon!
- chadnickbok 13y ago
  We're working on the Mac and Linux clients at the moment; if you sign up, we'll invite you to the beta once they're ready ;)
rlu 13y ago
The logo reminds me a lot of the Trillian IM client logo (which IIRC is itself taken from something?)
talles 13y ago
It's way more than a simple dropbox client, it's a integrator of those all cloud storages out there. Pretty useful, have been looking for something like that. One downside is that there is no Linux version planned (right?). One thing: "Your first 2 accounts are absolutely free!". What 2 accounts exactly means? Is it linking 2 accounts of those services (like Google Drive and Dropbox)? Another: on the pricing page, "Perpetual updates" is a pro of getting a paid subscription. How limited is the free version in terms of upgrades?
- chadnickbok 13y ago
  We're actually working on both Linux and Mac clients right now; we just started with Windows. Right now, you can add two different services for free, adding more requires a subscription - we're still trying to figure out exactly what the right pricing model is. We don't currently plan on limiting the free version in any way, or not providing updates and bugfixes in future (beyond the two-services limit), our wording could be better here.
  - crymer11 13y ago
    I realize the subscription model is likely more attractive from a business standpoint, but as a consumer, I don't see why I would want to pay a monthly or yearly fee for this app - I'd prefer ownership to leasing (which is the norm for applications not requiring server usage).
rll 13y ago
typo on your front page: "We even supports"
- Icer5k 13y ago
  I just fixed it, thanks!
Xymak1y 13y ago
What does this do? Does it map Dropbox and Google Drive to network drives on Windows (the image indicates so)? Is it a webapp? I'd love to see a more detailed explanation somewhere before signing up.
- Icer5k 13y ago
  Thanks for the feedback. You're correct - it does map Dropbox, Google Drive and Box to removable drives on Windows, and it also allows you to mix multiple accounts from (say) Dropbox so you can have a work and personal account mounted at the same time. It's not currently a webapp, although we have plans to create one.
hakunin 13y ago
Is there a list of providers it supports? And I'm wondering if Evernote can be one of those providers (not sure if they even have this type of API).
- chadnickbok 13y ago
  Right now it supports Dropbox, Box, and Google drive, with SkyDrive coming soon. We'll take a look into evernote - Hadn't thought about that before.
- rkv 13y ago
  +1 for Evernote support
- Icer5k 13y ago
  What would Evernote support look like? Do you want to access your notes, or are you more interested in attachments?
  - hakunin 13y ago
    Seeing notes as files (plain text or whatever they provide). Not sure about attachments, it could be abstracted in various ways. Then there are Skitch files, that have become part of Evernote.
glomph 13y ago
Is this better? If you have large files it requires a fast internet connection to use them without problems. Accessing files over the internet is completely different to what the standard dropbox software does. It also means you have no backup from say dropbox if anything goes wrong with them.

12 points by Icer5k 13y ago

nodata 13y ago

Tell us more! How does it work? One Boxster folder, with different sub-folders for each account?

Icer5k 13y ago
It actually exposes multiple removable drives (with independent drive letters) which can than be interacted with, just like a USB drive. On top of that, we add a cache which minimizes interactions with the various provider APIs so it feels local, even though we're actively making calls over the internet in the background.

matteotom 13y ago

Unfortunately, there is no Linux client, so it is not a better Dropbox client for me. And they did not indicate it was Windows only (with Mac support coming soon) until I signed up.

ericmsimons 13y ago
From the front page of the website: Starting with Windows, we let you access any file on any provider, all with a single login. Support for Mac, mobile and the web coming soon!
chadnickbok 13y ago
We're working on the Mac and Linux clients at the moment; if you sign up, we'll invite you to the beta once they're ready ;)

rlu 13y ago

The logo reminds me a lot of the Trillian IM client logo (which IIRC is itself taken from something?)

talles 13y ago

It's way more than a simple dropbox client, it's a integrator of those all cloud storages out there. Pretty useful, have been looking for something like that. One downside is that there is no Linux version planned (right?). One thing: "Your first 2 accounts are absolutely free!". What 2 accounts exactly means? Is it linking 2 accounts of those services (like Google Drive and Dropbox)? Another: on the pricing page, "Perpetual updates" is a pro of getting a paid subscription. How limited is the free version in terms of upgrades?

chadnickbok 13y ago
We're actually working on both Linux and Mac clients right now; we just started with Windows. Right now, you can add two different services for free, adding more requires a subscription - we're still trying to figure out exactly what the right pricing model is. We don't currently plan on limiting the free version in any way, or not providing updates and bugfixes in future (beyond the two-services limit), our wording could be better here.
- crymer11 13y ago
  I realize the subscription model is likely more attractive from a business standpoint, but as a consumer, I don't see why I would want to pay a monthly or yearly fee for this app - I'd prefer ownership to leasing (which is the norm for applications not requiring server usage).

rll 13y ago

typo on your front page: "We even supports"

Icer5k 13y ago
I just fixed it, thanks!

Xymak1y 13y ago

What does this do? Does it map Dropbox and Google Drive to network drives on Windows (the image indicates so)? Is it a webapp? I'd love to see a more detailed explanation somewhere before signing up.

Icer5k 13y ago
Thanks for the feedback. You're correct - it does map Dropbox, Google Drive and Box to removable drives on Windows, and it also allows you to mix multiple accounts from (say) Dropbox so you can have a work and personal account mounted at the same time. It's not currently a webapp, although we have plans to create one.

hakunin 13y ago

Is there a list of providers it supports? And I'm wondering if Evernote can be one of those providers (not sure if they even have this type of API).

chadnickbok 13y ago
Right now it supports Dropbox, Box, and Google drive, with SkyDrive coming soon. We'll take a look into evernote - Hadn't thought about that before.
rkv 13y ago
+1 for Evernote support
Icer5k 13y ago
What would Evernote support look like? Do you want to access your notes, or are you more interested in attachments?
- hakunin 13y ago
  Seeing notes as files (plain text or whatever they provide). Not sure about attachments, it could be abstracted in various ways. Then there are Skitch files, that have become part of Evernote.

glomph 13y ago

Is this better? If you have large files it requires a fast internet connection to use them without problems. Accessing files over the internet is completely different to what the standard dropbox software does. It also means you have no backup from say dropbox if anything goes wrong with them.