I kill all dropbox processes/tasks with Activity Manager and restart. Unsure what the app is doing but it is a memory hog on M1 Mac Mini (16GB unified memory). And unlike email attachments, you don’t have to worry about file size limitsshare files as large. By just sharing a link, you can send anything from photos and videos to zipped folders and large CAD files with anyone, even if they don’t have a Dropbox account.Share links and files from anywhere, using your phone, tablet or computer. File sharing with Dropbox is quick and simple.Since I have the base model M1 Mac Mini with only a 250g drive, I am a little jealous of my drive space. Also, my iPhone uploads photos to Dropbox, so they’re also available on my Macs.External SSD's for M1 Mac Mini, for Google Drive and Dropbox. This will upload the documents to the cloud storage at Dropbox.Dropbox also lets me selectively sync files, so some files are only on my old Power Mac G4 and G5, some only on my Intel-based Mac mini and MacBook. On the computer, move all the desired documents files to the Dropbox folder.For example in the coming months we will need to make a change to how we represent the underlying identifier we use for certain types of folders. This would not work because from time to time we must make non-backwards compatible changes to the way the desktop client communicates with our servers. It would be a disservice to the vast majority of our Mac users running recent versions of OS X if we did not update to the latest versions of these components.Several of you have suggested allowing people to continue using the current version of the desktop client (which in time would become an old version of the desktop client).
Is There an Alternative for Tiger and Leopard Users?I don’t know of any Dropbox alternative that works with OS X 10.4 and 10.5 on PowerPC Macs. It’s simply not practical.This is especially important if you are still using a G3 or G4 PowerBook or iBook in the field, perhaps even away from the Internet, or if you’re using a PowerPC Mac with Tiger or Leopard away from your primary setup. When I go through the original Low End Mac HTML files and globally update old links to new URLs, I’m not going to wade through dozens or hundreds of folders to identify and update the changed files to my old reliable Power Macs. Starting on May 18, I can no longer know whether the files on my Power Macs match those on my MacBook and Mac mini.Dropbox counters that we will still be able to use the web interface, but that won’t automatically sync changes. For those of us still using Tiger and Leopard as part of our production environment, this is going to really throw a wrench in the works. Microsoft OneDrive – 15 GB free. None support OS X 10.4 Tiger or PowerPC Macs. Only one supports OS X 10.5 Leopard, and that requires a 64-bit Intel CPU. Requires OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or newer. Version history from $5/month. Requires OS X 10.7 Lion or newer. SugarSync – From $9.99/month. Requires OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or newer. Google Drive – 15 GB free. Requires OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or newer and 64-bit Intel CPU (Core Duo not supported). Requires OS X 10.5.3 Leopard or newer on Intel Mac. Requires OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or newer. Requires OS X 10.7.5 Lion or newer, some features require newer versions. Apple iCloud – 5 GB free. Dropbox Mini Free For UpRequires OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or newer.In the end, lots of options for Intel Mac users. OwnCloud – Free, open source. Requires OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or newer. AeroFS – Free for up to 3 users, then $10/user per month. This is what Dropbox has been doing since 2008. However, according to its statement, that is not viable going forward. What Can Dropbox Do?In the best of all possible worlds, Dropbox would maintain support for PowerPC Macs in the current version of its software. None support PowerPC.As far as I can tell, Dropbox is the only game in town for Tiger and PowerPC Macs, and in just four months, it will no longer support us. Only one supports Leopard, and then only on Intel. As long as one machine on the network syncs to Dropbox itself, the rest would keep up to date by syncing to its Dropbox folder. Instead, a supported Mac or PC running Dropbox might handle all the details on behalf of the Tiger and Leopard Macs.Yet another possibility would be a separate program that could track changes between folders on different machines (Macs, PCs, Linux boxes) and sync them locally with no need to deal with Dropbox servers, not even through a proxy. Or maybe some programmers are willing to step up to the plate, as the TenFourFox team did with Firefox, and create a parallel product (assuming Dropbox would bless such a project) to keep Dropbox working on Tiger and Leopard.Another option would be to develop a Dropbox compatible client that might only work over a local network, so these old Macs would never have to actually connect to Dropbox cloud servers. If Dropbox does not want to fund such a project, perhaps a Kickstarter campaign would show sufficient support for it. Make excel 2008 default for spreadsheets macWe need to find a way to continue accessing Dropbox from our Tiger and Leopard Macs or find a solution that will work as transparently on both our OS X 10.4 and 10.5 Macs as well as our newer Macs, PCs, etc.You may also want to sign our petition asking Dropbox to find some way to continue to support Tiger and Leopard users. With a cloud solution, you need to be connected to the Internet and work from the cloud server.If you know of a good alternative, please share it in the comments. This would be less efficient and put more of a load on the sharing Mac, but it’s definitely an option.Setting up a personal cloud system sounds like a good possibility, but they don’t tend to offer the same kind of automatic sync to each client machine that Dropbox has been giving us for years.
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