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[tee_bee]

Dropbox hacked and my data compromised: let's say 1 in 10,000

I think this is an underestimate.

When Dropbox was caught lying last year about employee access to user data, they changed their security statement, not the actual security levels.

Articles about universities exposing student records show up regularly on CHE and elsewhere, usually it is just through one faculty or staff member's negligence, and it often results in the university having to spend millions on settlements, credit reporting services, etc.  It is not a small thing.  Of course, the damages are far less if it is only a handful of classes that are compromised.

Any of my computers going belly-up: 1 in 1000

I'm certain this is an underestimate, unless your computers do not use hard drives.

Conclusion: there are risks to using Dropbox. But it makes backup efficient.

The point is that there are backup systems that are at least as easy and far more secure.  Services like Spideroak and Crashplan, for example, both back up automatically in the background, are free-to-cheap, and have very strong client-side encryption. - DvF

Yes. I've balanced security needs with convenience and workflow requirements.

I'm doubtful that there's much more than a 1 x 10^-5 probability of my data getting hacked. But I have no risk data, and, frankly, neither does anyone else. So that's my guesstimate.

The probability of all my computers failing is very, very small. I have about six different machines--new pc, old pc, Mac air, iMac, old linux box--I can work on, so if the chance of any one of them failing is 1x10^-4 in any given week (a very conservative estimate), the chance of all them failing nearly simultaneously would be about 1x10^-24 (I realize that the odds of a failure are lower in a given week than across the lifespan of a typical computer.)

Also, YMMV, but I've not had a computer fail due to a HDD failure in over 15 years. The last machine that failed outright had a faulty motherboard, the result of, I think, a power surge that didn't hurt any other device in the house (and yes, that machine was connected to a surge protector, albeit a cheapie).

That said, I agree I can do better with security, and will look at these other solutions. But I have to weigh reasonable risks against real world working conditions, and I am just not that worried. This may come back to bite me later (that is, it's a non-zero probability), but the chances of having something bad happening are low.

An exception, though: if I had identifiable data for research subjects, I would never entrust it to Dropbox. Indeed, I am not sure I would even store it on a machine accessible via the internet, because the consequences are just too great.

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Also, YMMV, but I've not had a computer fail due to a HDD failure in over 15 years.

We've had three household machine drives fail, and I've had two office desktop drives fail.  This is over a slightly longer period - around 25 years - but most of the failures have been in the last 10.  - DvF

[proftowanda]

I've had an Acer netbook for years, picked up (at only $150 on sale!) for traveling, and it's terrific.  I picked the Acer in part because it was the only one, at least then, with three ports (I like a mouse instead of a fingerpad) and because its keypad is excellent (almost full size, molded corners on the keys like a regular keypad, etc.).  Btw, that price was wtih a three-cell battery; I picked up a six-cell, cheap, so now have almost ten hours of battery power (another reason for the Acer was that it's very easy to take batteries in and out and in again).

I also now have a tablet.  I had the luxury of being able to borrow an IPad for about a month, and it's great, but it's as big as my netbook (if not as thick) and does less, with the lousy keypads on tablets -- I can see why I have read so often that tablets are for consumption, not production.  But they can be converted to be better for consumption; the answer, I am told, is to get a case that comes with a wireless blutooth keyboard.  Of course, adding that would have made an IPad the same size as my Acer netbook, so it seemed to me.

So I also played with a friend's Kindle Fire, and that's the tablet that I have now.  It's terrific and goes everywhere with me for ebooks, email, Facebook, and much more by the day, after having it for only a week.  (I just found out about what to get to make its microport connect to a flash drive or to my computer, so new vistas of opportunity are ahead! and many other things that I will do with it soon, as I found a freebie ebook wtih lots of tips, a Kindle guide -- there are several online.) 

For a third of the price of an IPad, and for someone who already has a netbook, as well as someone with small hands that made the IPad cumbersome, the Kindle Fire is a happy solution.  For someone who doesn't have a netbook, you may prefer to get one (again, I'm very happy with Acert) or get an IPad plus blutooth keyboard.

I hope this helps -- as discussions on these fora helped me in making my decision and in finding free apps, ebooks, etc.  I recommend those thread to you, too.

[proftowanda]

p.s.  I meant to add, as you asked about PowerPoint:  I haven't tried my PP files on my KindleFire yet, but I've done loads of PP work on my Acer netbook, using a flashdrive as my PP files can be huge (lots and lots of art, not just text), with absolutely no problem.  I do use Open Office, too, to not have to buy Word, and all is well.

[systeme_d_]

Thanks, Proftowanda.  Dear SO has an Acer netbook, and unfortunately, I can't say very good things about it.  It crashes a lot, and I've never been fond of it.  

As I mentioned upthread, though, I did get the Lenovo X120e, and I am very happy with the decision.  

I was particularly interested to read about your experience with the Kindle Fire.  Thanks!

[prof_cj]

I'm just gonna throw my two cents in;

For portable work, ie presentations? Netbooks are definitely the way to go, Acer's got some really nice ones that are small, light, and perfect for a quick bootup and hookup to a smart podium/projector. For home research/computing? I'd recommend a "regular"-sized laptop, because as others have pointed out, a netbook's screen is too small for serious long-term reading and writing.

While I'm sorta anti-tablet, something like a Kindle Fire or a Sony (something running Android OS) is good for just messing around at home, email, movies, etc.