Add .dropboxignore directory to exclude folders without using selective sync

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Look, maybe if Dropbox made "exclude-file type" a feature available with the paid tiers. Would that motivate the company to implement this feature? I'd be willing to pay for a tier that has it.

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You know..... I really want to be positive, say something encouraging here on this lovely forum.  I really do, it's just, I can't think of anything nice to say.  So I will just be positive.

I am positive that:

- Ed (Dropbox) hasn't posted anything even remotely close to a decent response on this thread, ever.

- Caleb (Dropbox) obviously is playing from the same rulebook and that response is just beyond disappointing.

- This forum is not a place for good ideas, it is simply a place where "support" peddles out non-answers and attempts to teach you how to make due with their product.  The "improvements and enhancements" are not to the product, they are to your brain so you shut up and just use the product the way it is.

So... that was kind of positive, right?

Selective Sync takes more than an hour to fully load (no kidding), and multiple times it deleted my files from file system, so I stopped using it.

Every node_modules update or git interaction (in .git folder) re-uploads megabytes of small files, kills the CPU and computer battery.

I started identifying when it happens - when my MacBook's fans are going crazy.

Hi all,

@Ed - I knew I could wake you up by mentioning Sync.com (competitor) and questioning Dropbox's so called "management".

Could you please post something that proves that you are a human being that cares about your job and the customers that are paying for your salary?

I'm thinking (with 99% certainty) that you @Ed is a bot that replies empty platitudes based upon the mentioning of certain keywords in a post on these forums. Please prove me wrong if you know how to.

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@Jason B. You do know that Dropbox uses ZenDesk.com, right?

Most likely Dropbox is using ZenDesk's "time-saving tools like triggers and automations" which can automatically reply empty platitudes to customer emails all day long without ever requiring a human being doing any real work.

It makes the support staff look good and efficient to upper "management", but does little for real customer support. (no offence intended to ZenDesk that are great)

By the way, you do also notice the "canned responses" formatting of all these 'official' Dropboxer answers.

IF I was a conspiracy theorist, I would suspect that this forum was secretly setup and staffed by Dropbox's competitors to dirty DB's name.

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@TAM+CZ A.  I think you were amazingly positive!! I'm trying hard and struggling to reach even 1% of your positivity ;-)

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@Stefano Valicchia s.

Sync.com does not really have an exclude pattern a la ".dropboxignore". BUT it does have a great Selective Sync feature in the control panel (see screenshot below) that actually works well!!

Simple speed comparison (on the same MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM):

Dropbox's Selective Sync: => a 99 year old with walking difficulties

Sync.com's "selective sync": => an F1 (Nascar / Indy) racing car at full speed.

If I worked at Dropbox and saw Sync's performance and usefulness and then compared it with the current (and long-time) Dropbox version, then I would be so ashamed I would wear a paper bag over my head for the rest of my life.

Look at this screenshot of Sync.com's control panel taken just now: 

With that Sync.com control panel I can exclude/include folders as I wish in seconds (syncing takes a bit longer). Trying the same thing with Dropbox is a pointless task that takes hours.

And @Ed, guess what, Sync.com's control panel window does not stay locked on top of all other windows like your's do. Amazing isn't it?? Them Canadian's sure are smart, yeah?

PS:  I'm not affiliated with Sync.com nor do I add any referral links to them. I am just an unhappy long-term customer of Dropbox that have found something much better. Thank God!

Is there a Dropbox competitor which:

1. Has support for "exclude files", preferably with pattern matching.
2. Works with FreeBSD/FreeNAS.
3. Still supports Dropbox-style shared folders, sharing, and (most importantly) file requests?

Right now I only continue to use Dropbox for the reasons in item 3. I have to work around the first two lacking features at the moment.

Hey Mat,

I'm not a bot (I have a family too!). Perhaps a gif would help proving that? :)

(or maybe I'm in fact an advanced bot.. )

@Ray C.

You can try Mega.co.nz's MegaSync. It's installable on linux (I'm using on a Raspberry Pi), has pattern exclusion (not using files but on the web interface) and file sharing/collaboration too. And it's cheaper.

But... you are giving your files (private and/or work related) to this guy:

... which is maybe not what you can consider safe.

Your choice. Give it a spin. 50GB are free.