Can't stand new Google Drive - where do I go?
November 9, 2012 9:59 AM Subscribe
I hate the new 'look' of Google Drive and need an alternative.
I don't want to have to burrow down through my entire file structure to get to documents I'm working with every time I log in - what are some alternative services to look at?
Some concerns: Security and redundancy / ability to easily download and backup files / clean, UX-minded interface.
The option to tag documents from w/in the tool would be a bonus.
I don't want to have to burrow down through my entire file structure to get to documents I'm working with every time I log in - what are some alternative services to look at?
Some concerns: Security and redundancy / ability to easily download and backup files / clean, UX-minded interface.
The option to tag documents from w/in the tool would be a bonus.
Best answer: This sounds like something you can solve within Drive itself. I had the same reaction when it changed. Then I realized that the Recent and All Items are basically the old look, just renamed. So you'll get back your old functionality if you use those.
Look at the options on the left-hand side and click the More option. It gives you a couple ways to do what you want without digging into folders:
Recent: every document in your Drive, sorted by recency. There are options (under Sort at the top-right) for "Last opened by me," "Last edited by me," and "Last modified." (the last means modified by anyone, including collaborators)
All Items: Very similar to Recent, except you can also sort by Title and Quota Used (i.e., file size for non-Google Doc items).
Also remember that you can put items in more than one folder at once. I use that to keep some files organized, but easy to access.
posted by Tehhund at 10:18 AM on November 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
Look at the options on the left-hand side and click the More option. It gives you a couple ways to do what you want without digging into folders:
Recent: every document in your Drive, sorted by recency. There are options (under Sort at the top-right) for "Last opened by me," "Last edited by me," and "Last modified." (the last means modified by anyone, including collaborators)
All Items: Very similar to Recent, except you can also sort by Title and Quota Used (i.e., file size for non-Google Doc items).
Also remember that you can put items in more than one folder at once. I use that to keep some files organized, but easy to access.
posted by Tehhund at 10:18 AM on November 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Well, damn - I completely overlooked that, and it does go a long way to solving the problem. Thanks, hot soup.
I'm still curious to hear about alternatives, though - esp. offline options, and tools that allow tagging of individual files/documents.
posted by ryanshepard at 10:19 AM on November 9, 2012
I'm still curious to hear about alternatives, though - esp. offline options, and tools that allow tagging of individual files/documents.
posted by ryanshepard at 10:19 AM on November 9, 2012
Why not download the official Drive app for your OS? Both the PC and Mac versions create a folder on your local machine that you can browse like any other, but gets synced with each new/deleted/modified file.
posted by zombieflanders at 10:20 AM on November 9, 2012
posted by zombieflanders at 10:20 AM on November 9, 2012
Best answer: You'll find some suggestions in this AskMeFi topic, including Amazon Cloud Drive, Ubunto One, Microsoft Skydrive, etc.
posted by Dansaman at 11:53 AM on November 9, 2012
posted by Dansaman at 11:53 AM on November 9, 2012
Best answer: Also, if security is a high concern, check out Wuala and Spider Oak.
posted by Dansaman at 11:56 AM on November 9, 2012
posted by Dansaman at 11:56 AM on November 9, 2012
Logmein just launched Cubby, and if you pay for the pro version, it has client-side encryption.
posted by Dansaman at 1:29 PM on December 18, 2012
posted by Dansaman at 1:29 PM on December 18, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by hot soup at 10:06 AM on November 9, 2012 [3 favorites]