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Re: Dropbox full because of shared folder

Dropbox full because of shared folder

Michele A.
New member | Level 1
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Hi, i have a dropbox account and the free space that i have is full because of the files inside the shared folder that i have with some friends.
Is there a way to avoid that the shared folder that uses the free space of my account without cancelling those folder?
Because i have no more space and i haven't uploaded any files

Excuse me for my english but i found problem on trying to traduce this message from my language

132 Replies 132

Phil C.12
New member | Level 2
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It's irritating me, too. I feel like I've been taken for a ride - deceived. I just wanted to share photos and videos with people but I can't, so that sucks. Bye

Geoffrey A.
New member | Level 1
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I'm no techie so I was definitely mislead when I was encouraged to join DB. It's my own fault soI will not be recommending my friends to join.

Server_Align
Collaborator | Level 10
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Im no fan of some of the things DB do.

However on this "Using of space in my account for files in shared folders" issue, I would like to point out the following.

 

FACTS:

1. DB do not store separate copies of files no matter if you share that file or not, if it is the same file in two accounts of people totally unconnected, DB only store one copy of the file.

2. SHARED FIILES SHOW IN YOUR ACCOUNT, SO YOU HAVE THEM.

3. SHARED FILES SHOW IN OTHERS ACCOUNTS, SO THEY HAVE THEM.

4. SHARED FILES UPDATE IN ALL ACCOUNTS WITH THEM, COOL BONUS!

 

Now many people dont understand (1), but thats how its done, you didnt think they actually gave 100's of millions of people freely 2GB of actual storage space did you?

If your accounts empty it doesnt use any space anywhere!

If you fill your space with unique files (say photos you have) then good for you, you managed to squeeze 2GB of actual storage out of them.

If you uploaded the ISO image of Office2010 well I suspect someone else has already so they point your image of it and that persons image of it and the other 45,728 people with that images to the SAME FILE! (how is that possible when you might change your file? If you change your file then they make a separate copy with your changes and point your one at that).

 

So maybe now it becomes clearer that you dont actually have ANY files in your account, just pointers to files they store for everyone.

 

So what is a shared folder, all they are doing is instead of pointing each file listing in your account at the file they have stored, they point the folder (the shared one) at the same folder every one else is pointing at, so anyone updates a file in the folder and everyone gets the update. (try renaming a big folder in your account, and watch how long that takes, it takes so long because they must move each file from the old folder name to the new folder name, they cant actually rename the folder doe to how they make them, try renaming a shared folder, and BANG its done, because all they did it renamed YOUR pointer to the folder, rename a folder in the shared folder and watch it take ages again)

 

 

 

Many say, but its not MY shared folder, will it IS YOUR SHARED FOLDER, your sharing it arent you? you have the files in the folder dont you? Why do you insist its not yours, you have the files, you have what permission you agreeded to have on accepting the files, stop whining that your expected to have room for the files!

 

Imagine you were offered a photocopier that can reproduce on demand any book in a library in your capital cities archive, and now your crying that you have to use your paper in the copier!

WHY WHY WHY when its someone elses book your getting a copy of! HOW DARE THEY!

mahahahahahahah

Ben L.26
New member | Level 2
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the Web o.: Your entire poorly-written reply comes across as arrogant, condescending, and smug. We already understand how shared folders affect storage quotas. The problem is that this behavior is both (1) utterly non-intuitive and (2) never explained to the user.

Even those with technical knowledge have complained in this tread, myself among them. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how well the user understands the underlying technology because Dropbox accounts are marketed at a given capacity of storage.

You don't seem to grasp that this problem extends to paid users as well. For example: Alice signs up for a Dropbox Pro account, giving her a total storage capacity of 1 TB. She has paid for this space, and is happily using it without problems. She brings in Bob, a Dropbox Basic user, to collaborate with her on a project. Alice creates a folder and shares it with Bob, and they're all set...until the files in Alice's shared folder exceed the free space in Bob's own Dropbox and his ability to sync anything is revoked. Why, though? Alice paid for the extra space, so Bob shouldn't have to.

At no point, during the process of sharing or joining a folder, is the user made aware of the fact that files in that folder will count against the storage quotas of all users involved.

The problem at hand isn't that we think this should change (although some of us do have that opinion), it's that this behavior is counter to the overwhelming majority of users' expectations, and by not making an active effort to inform them of this, Dropbox is failing to properly communicate to its customers. I'll prove it: this thread exists.

Server_Align
Collaborator | Level 10
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@Ben L. 

Your mentioning my writing quality and your perception of arrogance etc etc, just goes to show your a troll rather than a contributor, just because you don't like my opinion, does not authorize you to make a personal attack, so ill reply to that attack with a "Boo hoo for you crybaby"

 

 

Question : If BOB downloads these shared files why isnt ALICE who shared them with them billed the internet traffic used to download them, why is it that BOBs isp uses up his traffic quota, I mean they are ALICEs files right?

Answer : Because Bob is getting the files, his ISP doesnt care where they came from, he got them, he pays for them, where they came from doesnt effect that he has them. Oh wow just like DB.

 

 

Gerald Y.1
New member | Level 1
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the Web o.:  In your controlled, simple scenario, you sound very smart and correct.  You spend verbiage trying to sounded technically knowledgeable, looking down on actual users who don't care about indirect links, symbolic links, whatever.

But if you wipe that foolish smug smile off your face, and actually READ what people are complaining about, you may (or may not, I suppose) understand that the complaints are very different from your limited scenario.  Users are not complaining being charged on what they themselves uploaded.  Instead, they are ... well READ and try to keep up.

 

 

 

Edit 2016-09-05 4;13pm Hong Kong Time:

Wow the way that Richard P. "conveniently" shut off this thread was very fishy.  I smell censorship.

I think we are all taking the minor "personal attacks" reasonably well.  Using that as an excuse to halt discussion on some serious complaints is wrong.

A new thread is opened to continue the discussion:  "Dropbox full because of shared folder, part 2".  If users want to further describe their unique scenarios with this problem, please proceed there.

Server_Align
Collaborator | Level 10
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@Gerald Y.

Since you feel the need to commit to a personal attack, ill reply as an example with with "your a jerk, that only your mum would love" , see how that means nothing 🙂

 

As for your logic that users are complaining that there space got used up because someone else uploaded files, well then they should not have agreed to join said shared folder where they knew others could upload files to, but of course they did, because they wanted to get those shared files in there account, and get them in they did and so that used up the space. That they expected something for nothing and didnt get it, isnt valid reason for complaint.

DB commit to some very unsettling acts such as prompting that they are about to erase files but its ok as they are on the cloud, when that is not always the case. Compare that to "I want something for free" and you might consider there are some far more significant things to complain about.

 

And really the case has been put on both sides, dont like it, use another cloud provider, DB wont change this, they dont change anything on user request, I doubt they even read this forum.

Andreas G.17
New member | Level 2
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"DB wont change this, they dont change anything on user request, I doubt they even read this forum."

That appears to be the case... Too bad...

Ben L.26
New member | Level 2
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the Web o.: A personal attack would be to insult someone based on qualities they themselves lack or posses, e.g. calling someone a troll. My comment was aimed at your words, not you, and I'll back my assessment up.

  1. condescending: You are doing exactly what I pointed out was wrong with this thread a whole page ago. We already understand what happens to storage quotas when you share folders. We do not need you to explain that to us.
  2. arrogant: Your insistence on explaining what we already understand instead of addressing our complaints suggests a lack of comprehension of the actual problem.
  3. smug: You literally ended your message by laughing at us.

Now, in reply to your next posts:

Who said anything about ISP's? This is about Dropbox; stay on subject. In any case, of course Bob still pays his ISP to download those files. The example still points out that Alice has paid for the storage of those files on Dropbox's servers, so why should Bob have to? Dropbox is marketed by capacity of storage, and touts "simple file sharing." You might have a point if the marketing was done by data throughput, but it isn't.

The very real, legitimate complaint here is that users are not ever made aware that the files within shared folders count against the storage quotas of every user with access. Regardless of the technical reasons for this, it's not intuitive and it confuses users who hit their storage quota because of shared folders they joined.

Explanations about deduplication, bandwidth costs, file systems... It's all irrelevant because users are expecting a certain behavior. Operating counter to that expectation shouldn't just be documented; it should be communicated to the user during the folder sharing and joining processes.

"dont like it, use another cloud provider": This is exactly why this complaint matters. People are leaving. Paying customers are leaving. This complaint isn't about getting more space out of Dropbox for free; it's about improving the experience so that threads like this one aren't necessary. All Dropbox has to do is just tell users how storage quotas are affected when they share or join a folder. That's it. It's so simple, and yet it isn't done. That is our complaint.

Edit: Good job closing a thread of legitimate complaints, guys. Just a fantastic way to run things.

Richard P.
Super User alumni
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This thread is closed, personal attacks are not acceptable.

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