I still want my iDisk back

[RDijkgraaf]

Has Apple ever offered any help on back-upping installers, PDFs, programs etc.? I still pay for extra space in my iCloud, but I am not able to use it the way I want to, so it's mostly empty. I seriously consider giving my cloudspace back to Apple and switch to non-Apple storage, like Dropbox.
I still don't understand why Apple is so blunt: iDisk was great!

[benwiggy]

If you're not using what you paid for, then i wouldn't pay for it.

There's a lot to be said for Dropbox -- you can get a fair amount of space free, for starters.

However, you can save PDFs from Preview into iCloud. Installers and apps -- not so much. You might be able to upload them (there's a folder in your user Library called "MobileDocuments", which is the home of iCloud), but I'm not sure about getting them back.

[NovaScotian]

IMHO, Dropbox is head and shoulders ahead of iCloud except for syncing calendars and contacts, i.e. except for syncing some Apple app stuff. I use Dropbox extensively, iCloud hardly at all (and I don't pay for any extras). I've never had Dropbox go down when I cared (though I suppose it has), and although it was broken into once sometime ago, that didn't seem to affect me. I sync 1Password, Yojimbo, quite a few documents, some photos, a database, and my entire AppleScript folder there using symbolic links where necessary. I have a shared folder there in which my brother and I exchange photos. It works with my iPad.

[RDijkgraaf]

I think I already made my choice ... There must be loads of people out there who feel the same, does anybody know Apple's arguments for maming iDisk to become iCloud?

[agentx]

iDisk was woeful WebDAV and littered with bad programming on server/client side. It was however the first Cloud like offering really which people got used to using. Apple binned it as it was piss poor ! Apple and Web Services do not have the best track record.

Dropbox hands down is so much better than iDisk/iCloud. There are other options to like SugarSync/Google Drive/Skydrive etc which all do the same/similar job. Get over it and move on IMHO.

iCloud is good at Mail, Contact and Calendar sync, that is primary use for it IMHO.

[agentx]

You can use iCloud space to sync documents between your computers just like dropbox but at your own risk Apple could mess it up ;-)

http://hints.macworld.com/article.ph...20803092156975

[benwiggy]

Quote: Originally Posted by agentx iCloud is good at Mail, Contact and Calendar sync, that is primary use for it IMHO.

Sorry for tangent, but what's the point of using iCloud for syncing email? I have IMAP servers on my three Apple devices, and that's pretty synced as it is.

One thing I don't like on iCloud is that if I have an iWork file in DropBox, then on my iPhone, the iWork apps copy the doc to iCloud before opening it, and then use that copy. But the syncing of Calendars, contacts, Notes and Reminders is a godsend.

[NovaScotian]

I agree, syncing email is a waste. I use POP3 because my ISP charges too much for IMAP storage (you have to become a commercial customer) and use On My Mac smart folders to sort what I keep, but I wouldn't consider for a second trusting that to iCloud.

I've never looked into moving my ~/Library/Mail/ and ~/Library/Mail Downloads/ folders to Dropbox and leaving a symbolic links in their place; don't even know if that works. Instead, I just screen share to the Mac with the mailboxes and read it that way when I'm away.

[agentx]

My Point was their free mail service pretty good. Nothing to do with sync.

POP sucks if you have more than 1 device.

[NovaScotian]

Absolutely. I have three devices; an MBP, an iPad, and an iMac. All mail has to be on only one of them if you intend to keep it, so the iPad, for example, can only run gMail. I suppose I could buy a mail redirect from Dyn, for example, and send it all to gMail, but somehow don't like that solution.

Do you know, btw, whether it is possible to symbolic link the ~/Library/Mail & Mail Downloads folders to Dropbox? I've never found a reference that said it would or wouldn't work.

[agentx]

I very much doubt that syncing the mail folder through Dropbox will work as if at any point you had both open i think things would go bad. And once your mail got big it may not be practical or stable.

I still have users that use legacy POP accounts but i tend to set them up with forwarding into a Gmail account and use send as function and server side filtering to keep it all separated for those who need it that.

So perfect sync of all your mail between all your devices is very much needed !
The real Bonus is having your folder structure and sent/drafts all in sync between your devices.

[NovaScotian]

Yojimbo has that problem (two copies open) but they solve it. When you open the second copy on another machine, it tells you that there is one open and you must close it before the new one will open. Easy to do -- they just leave an indicator when the first copy is opened that's checked when you try to open a second. I think sandboxing prevents them from asking if you want to close the first opened copy and closing it for you.

[hksimsek]

guys the problem is not finding a cloud drive like idisk. The problem is other storage is not an apple product like idisk and is external solutions. The best thing about apple is having everything all together and just for apple devices. I tried lots of them like dropbox, go daddy workspace etc but none of them is like idisk. I love idisk and want it back. If I would use external products like other android and windows users why do I use apple ? They have to bring idisk back.

[agentx]

Please try and explain what iDsk did that other products don't do.
As I said I am still am mystified that people miss that unreliable quirky service.

[NovaScotian]

Ditto, agentx; my experience with iDisk was quirky and unreliable for the brief time it took me to realize it was a bust. What I find difficult to understand is what underlies Apple's failure to get Internet storage right. They never have.

[benwiggy]

Quote: Originally Posted by hksimsek The best thing about apple is having everything all together and just for apple devices. If I would use external products like other android and windows users why do I use apple ?

There is a thriving third-party software market supplying things that Apple doesn't do. I would never expect Apple to provide EVERYTHING that I needed. People's needs are too diverse. While there is some good integration, I don't think that's the best thing about Apple by far.

In fact, Jobs tried to buy DropBox and have it just for Apple. Would you have used it then?

Quote: Originally Posted by hksimsek They have to bring idisk back.

You should tell Apple, because I don't think they know this.

[fracai]

Quote: Originally Posted by NovaScotian Absolutely. I have three devices; an MBP, an iPad, and an iMac. All mail has to be on only one of them if you intend to keep it, so the iPad, for example, can only run gMail. I suppose I could buy a mail redirect from Dyn, for example, and send it all to gMail, but somehow don't like that solution.

I'm not sure who "Dyn" is, but you could always set Gmail, or most other email services, to POP out your mail from your existing service. Then start using the new Gmail address and eventually you won't be receiving any mail on your old address.

Quote: Do you know, btw, whether it is possible to symbolic link the ~/Library/Mail & Mail Downloads folders to Dropbox? I've never found a reference that said it would or wouldn't work.

You can do it, but you'll need to ensure that you're only running Mail on one machine at a time. Concurrent access will lead to multiple "conflict copies" in Dropbox and I think it's likely that you'll break your mail database.

[NovaScotian]

Dyn is what used to be dynDNS.org. I've been using them since there were about 3 of them in Manchester, New Hampshire, as a way to direct a name to a DHCP IP Address.

I've already got lots of "conflict copies" on Dropbox, but not for anything important.

[NovaScotian]

Here's a good article by Ted Landau on the differences between iCloud and Dropbox that explains why they'll stay that way: "Why I hope Apple never buys Dropbox" and incidentally forms the basis of why I don't use iCloud and do use Dropbox.