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Ask HN: Do people need direct file sharing or they go cloud?

7 points by i_vetrov ↗ HN
I've started file sharing service (Web and Android for now) where all the files go directly to the addressee (no server storage):

http://fppr.co

What do you think? Do the people need that kinde of service or they will prefare use clouds to share files?

6 comments

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throwaway420
* I'm not sure what you mean when you say "no server storage". It seems like it temporarily does have to be stored on your server to facilitate transfer. Please correct me if I'm mistaken or update your site to explain how your site works.

* People that care about privacy are probably a target market for you if your service is able to deliver.

* The name of your site is "fppr". Pronounced quickly, that sounds like "Fapper". Please tell me that this is intentional because that's amusing.

Scryptonite
My best guess is that it uses WebRTC for P2P transfer. It may also use WebSockets to connect to a private room (which only one source-client and one destination-client may join) and streams it.

EDIT: It would appear that it is the latter, in that it uses Socket.IO to stream it to the server and down to the recipient. The server could copy it as it is streamed, and I didn't really delve into the source of the webpage to know if it has any encryption or anything.

i_vetrov
Yes, it is Socket.IO. And there is no encryption yet, just some tricks to prevent multiple download.
i_vetrov
Yes, data gets to the server, but never on the harddrive.

Thank you for your advice. Next step is privacy and encryption!

I've never thought about "Fapper"!... :) Well, it is "FilePopper" and fppr is for short url...

flipcoder
I have a similar project that attacks this problem from a different angle: http://deployanything.com

I find direct transfer really convenient and preferable to dropbox for certain things (like large files that you only need to send once and to one person). I could see something like you're doing being helped by being built into a chrome plug-in or something so people can automatically receive. The angle of my project is being in the background and automatic, but giving the receivers full control over what types of things they want to accept.

i_vetrov
Yes, it easily can be chrome plugin, or Java app. It is designed to be accessible from any modern device or browser, and I hope it is only question of time.