The Verge: Dropbox has a new feature it hopes will make getting work done from within its cloud storage product even easier. Called Extensions, these third-party software plug-ins will let you perform basic tasks you’d normally need to launch a separate app or in-browser window for all within Dropbox on the web.
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5 comments:
I think there is a lot of value here. The power to edit in the cloud has been around for many years at this point, but I can't remember a time where you could edit directly through to another software platform. I think this idea has a long way to go before people start to see the real value given that the capability is so small. I would image that popularity will continue to increase as software platforms get added. The software platform that would genuinely trump all the rest is Autodesk integration. The CAD world is in desperate need of cloud integration, and some software programs have touched the fringes of this technology, but the integration has a long way to go before we see consumers reliably use the capabilities. Partnering with a platform like Dropbox would only accelerate this process for a company like Autodesk given that the client base and framework is already in place at an organization like Dropbox. I will be interested in following this more and looking forward to seeing future discoveries.
It seemed to be a major trend among the software companies to do this kind of integration of products across different genres. I am a multiple software user myself and it is mostly the result of working with different groups and people – they all have their preferences on software. Sometimes it is not about how the software performance on designated purpose, it is just about the industry memory. Currently, we can read the situation clearly through how people trying to use Vectorworks and Cad on their daily basis in PTM office. In the article, Dropbox is trying to make a simplification among the different apps used based on their own choices of apps, which seemed a bit impractical to me for the reason I just mentioned. Rather than everybody working on their own small pool of apps, I would like to see a breakthrough on tools that handle converting files across similar purpose apps as a whole. In this way, people can share their file on Dropbox and others can open them with whatever app they like to use. However, I understand this idea is capped on how a company can profit from it, for the profit is the element above all.
This is an interesting trend that I am seeing nowadays among many cloud-based storage systems. It is interesting to think back to a time that feels not that long ago where in order to keep files you had to save them to one of your floppy disks because the computer didn't have much room and there was no such thing as cloud storage. It has been an interesting few years seeing the cloud systems and automatic sync grow to the point of unquestioned everyday normalcy. The power that you have no days to be able to instantly edit from the same place that you are keeping your files is another huge step in the natural computer evolution that is happening before us. This creates a much faster workflow and hopefully will greatly improve peoples productivity in the long run. I also think that it will begin the decline of needing a ton of space on one's computer and everything moving to simply run off the cloud.
Dropbox is a tool that I wish was more comprehensive in this way. I love how easily it integrates it’s file sharing capabilities with the existing file explorer on Windows machines. The idea of not having to upload and store files via web browser is great. I just wish there was a way to integrate more shared editing options. I feel like this shift toward in-browser apps is Dropbox signaling they are moving in this direction. I will be interested to see how well these apps integrate into the web experience, since that has the potential to be very limited or glitchy. But I think this is a move in the right direction. The idea of partnering with existing developers to integrate apps people are familiar with is a huge plus. This is where Dropbox can really surpass their largest competition, GoogleSuites. Because while I understand why Google would think creating their own word processor (etc.) is a good idea, it’s difficult and annoying to learn a new software like that.
I have been using Dropbox for the past two years now and I have to say that it is definitely my favorite cloud based file storage system. The fact that I can both open and edit files saved onto the platform on my computer as well as on the website makes it a great way to collaborate on large project. I wish the CMU would also use Dropbox because that way I could have my school work and my professional work on one platform. This new Extensions platform seems like it will be a really great way to streamline Dropbox's services, and as Emma said it may help them to compete with the Google suite of programs. I really like the idea presented in this article of integrating other companies already existing software into Dropbox, as this way users won't have to learn how to use a new program when this update is released.
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