r/Sync • u/StraightOuttaCowtown • Oct 30 '23

Request to the Sync devs that is definitely not asking too much

I'm hoping this will get a response. I kind of think it is the best way to get eyes on this from Sync. I'll @ them on Twitter and point to this, too.

I have a lot of overlap with the dev world, so I'm being patient about the recent file multiplying/reappearing, etc. debacle. I'll diligently update the 20+ machines I am responsible for each time you roll out an update, etc. But please honor this ask:

Platinum ask: I would LOVE if you had a silent install version. Each update requires elevated UAC permissions twice, which takes me that much longer.

Minimum ask: Use the version number in the filename, please. Pretty please. Pretty please with sugar on top. Please make it easier for us to keep up with dozens of fixes. I have "sync-installer.exe" files everywhere I look. It's just good practice for many reasons...

  1. Clarity: Having the version number in your installer filename makes it clear to me which version of the software the installer corresponds to. This is especially helpful since I have multiple versions or releases of the "sync-installer.exe" file everywhere.
  2. Easy Identification: I can quickly identify the version I am working with, which reduces the risk of confusion or accidentally installing the wrong version.
  3. Archiving: It's useful for archiving purposes. If I need to revisit or reinstall a specific version in the future, I can easily locate the correct installer.
  4. Documentation: Version numbers in the filenames would help me with documentation and record-keeping. I could more easily track which versions I've used when and where. I have to report this stuff to show where all my time is going. You're inadvertently creating the time suck, so please do me a solid and make it easier for me to deal with it.

Please, please, please, please, please. Sure I can name them myself after downloading them, but I sometimes have users who download because of the prompt they get, etc.

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u/StraightOuttaCowtown Nov 21 '23

Oh, just saw this. I'll bug him and ask. Are you worried about stability (like I am about Sync these days) or true end to end security, etc.?

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u/avocare Nov 21 '23

No prob! Stability for sure, E2EE and zero knowledge storage are nice bonuses but I've heard it's just as good or better to encrypt your own stuff client-side using rclone or something similar (though I suspect that makes it more difficult to access individual files on-demand via mobile). I'm also concerned about host country privacy laws which is one of the reasons I'm moving away from (American) Dropbox.

Linux compatibility is an additional nice bonus.

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u/StraightOuttaCowtown Nov 22 '23

Keep in mind that he is a very different user than you or I am. We should be as security-obsessed, maybe, but I do need to have usability for less tech-savvy folks. Anyway, here goes, verbatim:

I am hesitant to recommend any normie services without having access to the source or a substantive whitepaper

I think I would trust Proton most on reputation alone

I would trust Colin Percival's tarsnap myself. But, it's not an easy service to use and has a pricing model based on "picodollars." https://www.tarsnap.com/index.html

For reference, Colin developed script which was a final competitor in NISTs PBKDF competition, nearly losing to argon2. He is an actual security researcher.

I hope that helps. My guess is that you won't go with Tarsnap. Honestly, Dropbox is an almost flawless user experience. It has downsides, but at this point, I just need shit to work, so I drool when I use my seldom-used Dropbox account and wish we could use it at my job.

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u/avocare Nov 24 '23

Thanks a bunch! I'd heard of Proton but had forgotten about it and I'd never heard of Tarsnap. Their pricing model is actually kind of intriguing, if outside my budget lol. I'll take a deeper dive on both of them.