Has anyone activated google drive yet?
https://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2374992&topic=14942&ctx=topic
curious how this will affect syncdocs?
There's also new pricing plans for additional storage
Google drive
(20 posts) (14 voices)-
jeffreyklassen
MemberI have and it is a better solution for me. I have already cancelled my account for syncdocs. I really loved syncdocs and I appreciate what they did for us but google drive is going to make their lives very hard.
Sync doc still has some of its unique features that I am sure some of you like and use, I did not. Myself I hated how it would convert my google documents to MS documents on my computer, this caused many issues due to the conversion process. This issue is 100% resolved with google drive and the reason I made the switch so quickly.
Other peoples usage may vary but the syncdocs team has their work cut out for them.
Again thanks to the syncdoc's team for providing a great solution for its time and good luck in the future.Posted 1 year ago # -
Ivy
MemberI just tried it and I'm going to stick with Syncdocs for a while longer. Google drive only synced once and does not sync any new changes I make. Also many of my Google docs are not actually synced locally, I only get a link to the file online! WTF? the purpose of sync is to keep a copy not just a link, otherwise I could save the Docs web page.
Maybe there is a way to set up Google Drive to do this? I don't see many config options.
I don't like beta testing Google software, especially Google using my real data for their test purposes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
jeffreyklassen
MemberHmm that is strange mine has been syncing almost instantly when I make any changes and very very fast. Are you sure the initial sync is done? The link thing I noticed with certain types of files and there is an easy fix. Basically just replace them with the original files and once they are synced to google using google drive they will work as expected. The problem stems from using doc sync which converts a lot of different formats. So if you had a blank slate and just starting adding files with google drive there would be no issues.
Posted 1 year ago # -
mpt
MemberGoogle Drive can be the turning point for Syndocs, but in a positive way! They don't compete with Google Drive, they compete with the Google Drive sync tool. And that tool is very basic. I don't think Google will ever put as many features in there as a dedicated company like Syncdocs can. If Syncdocs is smart Google Drive will help them because now the world's focus has been brought to Google Drive and everyone notices "Wow, I can have all my docs in sync across all my computers". Syncdocs has been doing that for a long time already and could jump on the train and offer it's more feature rich syncing tool.
I hope that soon the Syncdocs team will make an announcement regarding how Google Drive will affect Syncdocs. Especially I'd like to see a comparison of the Google Drive sync tool to Syncdocs.
There is so much hype around Google Drive but in my opinion it's not much more than a name change. Google Docs with Syncdocs already accomplished most of what Google Drive does. The biggest change for me is that the prices for the cloud space have more than doubled. Lucky who already booked enough space because the price plan doesn't change but anyone who needs to upgrade to more space has to change to the new plan.
Concerning the above comment about the docs conversion from Office to Google Docs, I agree. I never wanted it and even though I disabled it Syncdocs has stil created conversion problems. That should be fixed. My guess is most customers use Syncdocs for the syncing and not for the Office integration, and syncing is Syncdocs big change now with Google Drive.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Andrew
SyncdocsWe're still in the process of evaluating Google Drive. After first looks, it appears the Syncdocs client offers a much richer feature set and more control over syncing than the Google Drive client does. Syncdocs lets you sync any folder, select types of files to sync, do scheduled backups, resume uploads, share easily etc. Once we've done a proper evaluation, we'll setup a comparison.
Along with Google Drive and the 5GB free quota increase, Google also released a new programming interface (API) which should help us add many more powerful features, including the non-conversion of Gdocs, in future. There are a lot of new exciting things we can do with Drive.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Dan
MemberI wouldn't worry so much about the basic Google Drive App. You may want to read this article on why GDrive is not set to compete against all those "sync your files"-tools:
They don't care much about the "here are your files, now you take care of it"-tools. So there is a permanent place for Syncdocs and all the others. Because there is no value for Google to only store your private stuff ... It's not a Dropbox.
In my opinion, Page-Google seems to strategically center around collaborative content creation and sharing (consumption). Looks like they aim to serve all the unknown Walt Disneys around the globe to provide them with the tools they need to create an audience. That provides for the (user generated) content to run ads against or to sell apps or other stuff.
And over time those collaboration-techniques and habits will spread from the creative class towards the enterprise and then every where else. (A long way to go.)
But who knows if Google has a strategy at all.Posted 1 year ago # -
clairewalters
MemberI finally got to try Google drive a little while ago. GDrive is definitely not for me right now. The new Android app is ok - a little step up from what the docs app has been.
Syncdocs features are way better. I especially like that I can edit files in MS office/native format locally & it syncs up to Gdocs when I save. Gdrive will work good for those who don't rely on MS Office
With the new API I look forward to what sync docs has in store going forward! :)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Alexander
MemberJust as Jeffreyklassen I really loved syncdocs and I regret to say that I'm going to switch to GDrive. In fact syncdocs was so good and convenient that for quite a long time I used it even on mac (via parallels desktop). But in March 2012 there appeared a cheap app ($4.99) in App Store - GoSync - designed specially for mac computers. And now we are havin' GDrive which is crossplatform. Despite what Clairewalters was saying, GDrive does provide local editing of files in MS office/native format with syncing up to Gdocs when saving. I've checked it myself. I agree that at this very moment Syncdocs has more features and settings than GDrive but it is only a matter of time. Maybe Syncdocs team which is very strong should turn to something very new - maybe a syncing app for Bitcasa infinite storage (www.bitcasa.com)?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Mike51
MemberI wouldn't worry about Google Drive. I tried Google Drive and it is very basic, and slightly buggy. It has enough functionality for basic users,
You guys have a reliable and mature product, with useful features not in Google Drive. Just keep on what you've been doing.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Davey126
MemberI think a variation of the 80/20 rule applies. A small number of users will appreciate the power, flexibility and user support offered by a third party synchronization tool. Google will never match the feature set of Syncdocs - nor will they want to. The vast majority of Drive users will be satisfied with the limited capabilities of the native sync app. Sadly, I count myself as a member of this community. Syncdocs was intoxicating a first but the sheen wore off as little blemishes spoiled the promise of transparent syncing. Files were randomly duplicated, erased or moved to root on more than one occasion. Postings in this forum suggest the Google APIs are not entirely reliable. I feel for the developers as they clearly try hard to work around limitations beyond their control. But in the end more time was being spent monitoring for and reporting defects then the benefit I was receiving from the product.
No doubt Google's native sync app will have its issues. But the overall simplicity of the tool and potential for tight integration into all things Google is a net positive. Chrome extensions are already starting to appear which will further the appeal once refined.
Posted 1 year ago # -
mpt
MemberAgree to Davey126, I haven't started using the full potential of Google Drive and Syncdocs because files were duplicated, moved to root etc. I wish that will get fixed or at least some tool included that reports missing files or problems so I don't have to worry about it anymore.
Posted 1 year ago # -
edthetruth
MemberTried syncdocs a couple months ago but had the duplicated files problem mentioned above so gave up.
I primarily use LiveMesh and SkyDrive, but now with Google Drive I'm considering making the switch over to all Google. Syncdocs is obviously scrambling now to figure out how to add value to plain vanilla Google Drive. My advice: go after disgruntled Live Mesh users. Long story, but in a nutshell Microsoft has slowly degraded their support of Live Mesh as they have upgraded SkyDrive. Hard to believe, but as they transfer functionality over to SkyDrive, they are actually reducing functionality. Classic example is the required use of a Dropbox-style single folder; in Live Mesh you could easily sync any folder you wanted to on your c: drive 3 years ago. With SkyDrive today you can't.
If Syncdocs can make the case that they can give Google Drive all the functionality of LiveMesh, they will open themselves up to a new market of Microsoft customers. I feel from looking at the Syncdocs website that they have traditionally just looked at Google customers who wanted expanded functionality. Right now each of the major players offers some unique advantages; Syncdocs can potentially upgrade Google Drive in such a way that Drive + Syncdocs is clearly superior to both Live Mesh/SkyDrive and Dropbox as well as other small players. Anyway, I can hope, can't I?
Posted 1 year ago # -
NickA
MemberMy two cents'... after playing with Google Drive for a week or so, I'm coming to appreciate more and more the (for me) critical features that Syncdocs offers that are not available in the Google Drive app, e.g.:-
- conversion of Google Docs to Word, Excel etc
- Google documents can only be viewed (but not edited) offline in Google Drive
- control over Sync frequency and time sensitivity
- far greater ability to sync shared documentsWhile it still needs a bit of work, Syncdocs is much closer to a business-grade proposition than Google Drive, and its pricing is compelling.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Davey126
MemberTo echo MPT's post I do believe the release/branding of Google Drive is an opportunity for Syncdocs. Drive legitimizes the use of Google for general purpose storage and will bring a large, untapped community to the table. Some will ultimately want more capability than the basic sync tool provided by Google. That is where Syncdocs can capitalize by delivering unique, value adding features and filling voids left by Google. The trick (of course) it to find the right balance of usability, functionality, cost and time-to-market. In some respects extensions may pose the biggest threat. Easy to crank out, single purpose and relatively visible in the various 'web stores'.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Coming back to SyncDocs after using Google's Drive. GDrive says many files are 'unsyncable' without any reason, and no support reply from Google. SyncDocs just works more reliably.
Also I feel better on SyncDocs than GDrive, like I feel the SyncDocs developers care more about how well their product performs.Posted 1 year ago # -
ChouDoufu
MemberGoogle Drive, like many other Google Apps products, does not support simultaneous use with multiple Google Apps accounts. For better or worse, I have to work with three Google Apps accounts. SyncDocs is the only tool I know that allows me to sync multiple Google Apps accounts on the same computer, while logged into a single Windows user account.
The other Google Drive fail is that native Google Apps documents are only sync'd as links. If you are offline, you can't access them, so it isn't providing a simple backup of your Google documents. You can work around this by installing offline access to Google Docs in the Chrome Browser, but I believe that is storing your data in a separate storage area. Google is designing for an always connected world, but the world is messier than that. I still frequently need to access documents when I have no Internet connection (international flights, internet outages, etc.) and I want to have a complete backup of my Google Drive.
I will say, however, that Google Drive's performance seemed to be better (probably because it wasn't actually downloading any Google Docs, Spreadsheets and Presentations as full files.
Posted 1 year ago #
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