Download Links / "non-File-Blocking Sync"

[andi]

Hello,

 

Let me say first i´m really impressed of your work, the client is really the best free solution out there! You´ve fixed all bugs, the new UI is really good and looks professional, good job!

But i would have a few things to improve:

 

 

The most important thing would be a file-download over http links, without the need of installing the client. Just like Dropbox, there is also the ability to share Files and Folders inside the sync dir over her web page. That is really important for me, when you send some pictures or files that are too big for mail, not everybody will install btsync for a one time download, and also won´t sync the whole directory if he needs only one file out of it.

 

I would see a few ways to do that:

- Integrate a bt client in your homepage (what i thought you would have done with getsync.com?), load the file temporary on your server and give a http download link on it - dunno if you have the ressources for that...

 

- Integrate a bt-client as java applet, so its running on the user´s pc and you dont have to handle the traffic. you would have to create sub-secrets if a user wants to share just one file/folder, otherwhise he would have the key for the whole directory, not save! Also, i dont think that will work for companys, cuz they will not install a java applet / blocking torrent by firewall,etc.. Not the best solution

 

- use the GUI´s webserver of the linux distributions for the sharing. User can use a server outside or port-forwarding to give the world access to their files

The linux client has the webserver already built in, with ssl security, that should not be the problem. Also, the client has the ability to access all the files on the shares and can mess around with links to sub-files and folders, no need to share a secret at all. This list of Links/Files-Folder can be shared between the peers automatically.

By that, i could do right-click - btsync - share file/folder - choose peer.. to get a temporary link to one of the port-open peers. Think that would be the easiest and best solution?

 

If you build in that feature i can ged rid of dropb0x.. I really dont want to see my files somewhere on their servers, but that´s the easiest (and only) way to share big files for me at the moment!

 

 

Another thing is the File-Lock while syncing. I don´t saw it as a problem, till my phone provider locked down the speed to 56k while i was coding a GUI and rapidely rebuild the binary. That gave me access errors, till i recognized that btsync was not finishd with syncing due to the slow connection. So i had to wait.. and wait.. and wait.. and wait again..

I think you do not have to lock the file while you are reading it? Calculating the checksum again after sync and resync if neccersary would be better for me.

Or if that dont work, mabe you can copy the file to temp and sync that (with a upper file size limit of course..)

 

 

Last but not least, the newest windows version seems to have problems with refreshing of the main window. I´ve synced a lot of stuff the first time a few days ago, waited the whole weekend cuz it showd me 15%.. But after clicking something it refreshd and showed it was finishd. Mabe a event is missing..

 

 

 

So, it would be really good to see if you build in the downloader, then you´re really the best and only syncing tool out there!

 

Best regards,

Andreas

[andi]

another thing i wonder, do you plan to add password protection to the links? I know its virtually impossible to "hack" a key.

But imagine, someone is bored, starts a random keysearch and deletes every share he finds.

Even if its realy highly unlikely that someone randomly generates a RW - hash, chances for that increase with rising usage of btsync...

[GreatMarko]

another thing i wonder, do you plan to add password protection to the links?

 

Why would this be needed? You can already set links to require "approval"!!

 

For example:

Step 1) I generate a link for you

Step 2) You click the link

Step 3) I receive a notification in my Sync that you've clicked the link and can then confirm/reject whether you're allowed to start sharing with me

 

....give that, what would be the point in having "password protection" as well!!??

[NodCommander]

Yeah, a file-linking function that works without having to download Sync would make me throw Dropbox out the window in an instant. Is it possible at all, though?

[andi]

Marco, yeah thats true, but i think only for the generated links?

The underlying "main key" (which relies to the torrent protocol and make the magic happen) is still not protected, so if i try millions and billions of random generated keys i will hit one with write premissions and can acess/delete a share of a random person in the world?

 

But thats a really non-important whish, compared to the file blocking..

[GreatMarko]

if i try millions and billions of random generated keys i will hit one with write premissions and can acess/delete a share of a random person in the world?

From this blog post:

 

"to guess one random secret it will take up to 15 septillion, 437 sextillion, 700 quintillion years.

....

Basically if every person on the planet was sharing 9,000 folders and trying to guess another secret, then the sun would be out long before one person got someone’s secret."

[andi]

hm ok.

 

but whats about the requests, non-blocking sync and http file download?

 

thanks