Keybase is nice, but it isn't a Dropbox replacement. Your files aren't accessible offline; that's kind of a core part of a file sync instead of a file store.
I take your point that they use different mechanisms to provide access to files which are not fully interchangeable. With that said, I think many people probably don't really care or have a need for offline access, since nowadays people almost always have connectivity. Given this I would say in many (maybe most?) instances Keybase could replace Dropbox in practice.
Also, when you consider that being offline for an extended period of time means that your files are not being synced, then the purpose of Dropbox is somewhat defeated. Basically Dropbox can't sync without connectivity and if you have connectivity then you would have access to the Keybase "file store" anyway.
> I take your point that they use different mechanisms to provide access to files which are not fully interchangeable. With that said, I think many people probably don't really care or have a need for offline access, since nowadays people almost always have connectivity. Given this I would say in many (maybe most?) instances Keybase could replace Dropbox in practice.
Yeah, no, I don't think so. If my bus or train goes through a tunnel, losing my dotfiles or my OneNote notebooks or whatever else is pretty bad.
Forget first world problems--"people almost always have connectivity" is some...like...zeroth world stuff.
Really? If you lose access to your dotfiles and OneNote notebooks for 5 or 10 minutes (that would be one long tunnel) that's completely unacceptable? This also sounds like a daily commute that could have easily been planned around if that time is really that important. Besides, when I work with Keybase I copy the files to my machine ahead of time to a local directory, so I likely would never notice such a drop in connectivity.
I really doubt that in most modern environments (i.e. where smartphones are pervasive) that you are going to go very long without connectivity in an unplanned scenario.
When OneNote freaks out because it can't access its drive during an auto-save and hard-locks? When zsh can't start because it can't find files sourced in .zshrc? Yeah, that's kind of important and that should nev-er happen.
"I copy files out of it to get around that it's not good at what I'm trying to use it for" is not a super winning argument, either.
KBFS is fine. I use it for stuff like SSH keys. It's fine. It's not Dropbox and it isn't substitutable and it doesn't need capes.
You use the tool as it is intended. With Keybase if you are opening and working directly from the Keybase folder that is mounted then you are using it wrong, so your scenario wouldn't happen if you are using Keybase correctly.
The point I was trying to make is that for many people being able to copy back and forth between a local folder and a mounted directory is no different than what they do everyday at work with networked folders. Many people are just moving the occasional document, picture, or folder. For those people Keybase could definitely work as a Dropbox replacement. I don't think the typical Dropbox user is expecting their ZSH profile to be omnipresent on their multiple computers/laptops/tablets.
> You use the tool as it is intended. With Keybase if you are opening and working directly from the Keybase folder that is mounted then you are using it wrong, so your scenario wouldn't happen if you are using Keybase correctly.
I don't think so. The encrypted git functionality in Keybase operates differently from kbfs. AFAIK the encrypted git ability just functions as a git remote helper that doesn't use the local kbfs mount on your system, so you wouldn't run into the same situation as say a file you are copying to your private keybase folder.
Also, to be clear, you could use the mounted files directly, but you just have to be aware that if you lose connectivity you may run into issues. If I was traveling somewhere and I'd like to work on a document in transit then I would recommend copying that to another folder on your local machine first.
Airplanes are a common case where people have long stretches without connectivity, either due to not paying for wifi or any if the other reasons it might be unavailable or unusable.
Being on a NYC subway train is an even more interesting case, because depending on the precise client setup there's often intermittent or bad connectivity but rarely a good sustained connection between stations.
As in most of the world, smartphones are pervasive in both of these contexts.
Mobile and computer apps used to support these cases a lot better. As Bay Area connectivity has gotten better in those areas where well-off techies congregate (e.g. not underground Muni Metro), apps have gotten much worse at this except for apps targeting developing countries like India and Africa.
Agreed, but these are planned events where you won't have connectivity, so you can copy the files to a local folder prior to the trip. I recognize that might not be as convenient as having the system perform a push to your machine to sync it. I think in those cases I'd probably just run rsync against the keybase folder.
I know that in a day where I have to produce a live show, write a raft of code, negotiate a new job offer, and take my dog to the vet, I want to remember to copy files to a local folder.
No, wait.
I want my computer to do scutwork for me instead because that's its job.
Planned events in one sense, but routine daily life for those in NYC, or unplanned events in cases where airplanes unexpectedly lose WiFi. Among other examples.
You're describing useful workarounds for the status quo when one can foresee dealing with these situations occasionally. Those are certainly good to document.
But they're workarounds and not true solutions, especially not for frequent needs.
Good point. I realized at the time that it wasn't quite right, but didn't figure out how to fix it. I should have written "those in Africa," or even "most of those in Africa."
Sorry for letting a rushed comment perpetuate the common Western stereotype of conflating all of Africa as if one single thing.
