The Cloud is something so unreal but at the same time so real that it surprises us all equally, some for the speed of its extension, others for its service and others for its costs. There are many services based on this concept but perhaps the most popular is the virtual hard disk.
A typical basic virtual hard disk, not the one created by megaupload but the one that started companies like Dropbox, Canonical or Google.
And it is precisely the service of this last company that we are going to do today.
Google Drive?
Google Drive It is the Google service in which we can store our files. It is an atypical service as it is built on its predecessor: Google Docs.
The current space that gives Google Drive It is 5 Gb and can be extended upon payment of a fee. Come on like Dropbox. It offers a great advantage that is to be able to edit the documents stored as text files or spreadsheets. But unlike other systems, it does not have a desktop client to use. Well if you have but only for Windows and mac leaving aside the operating system they use: Ubuntu.
We've been looking and have only found two solid, moderately good clients that you can use to with Google Drive: Grive and Insync.
Thrush
Thrush is a thin client that gives us access to our account Google Drive with prior approval from us. It is not found in the repositories of Ubuntu so we have to add by opening a terminal and typing
sudo add-apt-repository ppa: nilarimogard / webupd8 sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install grive
Once installed, we go to the folder that we want to synchronize and being the first time we write
sudo grive -a
It is very important that we are located within the folder that we want to synchronize.
InSync
InSync is a more professional desktop client that after installation adds a applet next to the sound and we can access our files and folders. It is perhaps the client that most closely resembles Dropbox and Ubuntu One.
If we want to install it, we only have to go to its website and it will offer us a deb package for three desktops of Ubuntu, entre ellos Unity. As Thrush we need to give Google permission to use it.
If we want to have it in our repositories, we only have to add in a terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa: trebelnik-stefina / insync
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install insync-beta-ubuntu
This last installation system personally has not worked for me but being a repository maybe when you try it it will work for you.
Which one are we left with?
The question is very difficult, since none reaches the level of the application of Dropbox Ubuntu One or own Google Drive in Wiondows. But if you have to say a winner, I choose Thrush. The reasons are several but essentially two: the first is that InSync It asks you for more control over your account that in the future can give you problems. Thrush it asks for permissions like InSync but they are not so radical. And the second reason is that when installing InSync I got a message that I had never seen in Ubuntu and it notified me that the program was very unstable and dangerous if I wanted to install or cancel it. I have been running Ubuntu since version 5.04 and it is the first time that I see that message so the program must be a great danger and in case the flies I opt for Thrush. A possible solution is that you open a Google account and try it without taking risks. I am not taking any chances at the moment. I hope you like it. Later I will tell you about Ubuntu One y Dropbox. Two services as good or better than Google Drive. Greetings.
More information - Ubuntu One: Synchronizing Any Folder and Publish File, InSync, Thrush