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Feature request: direct remote file synchronization [Answered]
RRRob
Junior Member ✭
[size=4]I was about to make a somewhat bitter reply about iOS syncing in another thread, but, upon reflection, canceled it. It seems fairly clear to me that AgileBits has been honest in its attempts to deliver a seamless remote (as opposed to local WiFi) synchronization experience between 1Password clients. However, the solutions it has implemented so far—using Apple's .Mac/MobileMe iDisk and Dropbox.com—have demonstrated problems that are largely out of AgileBits' control:[/size][list]
[*][size=4]iDisk syncing had speed issues that created problems with 1Password's active file manipulation, and [url="http://help.agilebits.com/1Password3/idisk_syncing.html"]AgileBits now actively recommends against using it[/url].[/size]
[*][size=4]Dropbox.com syncing is developing multiple issues:[/size]
[list]
[*][size=4]Apple's requirement of sandboxed applications in the near future is already causing difficulties for anyone using a non-root Dropbox folder with 1Password 3.9, since the application is proscribed to look within only very specific areas of the file system for the data files.[/size]
[*][size=4]Precisely because it's easy to install and is quick, automatic, and dependable, the Dropbox.com domain is rapidly becoming a target for corporate network administrators to block due to the security risks it creates (it facilitates intellectual property theft as well as inadvertent- or deliberate malware distribution inside the company firewall, and has created some new file sharing legal gray areas, to name three reasons one of my own employer's IT administrators cited). Use of the Dropbox web API will not help in this case because communications with the Dropbox.com domain is actively blocked.[/size]
[/list]
[/list]
[size=4]As I understand it, the basic issue is that AgileBits does not wish to-, nor is not well-equipped to deal with the complexities of client-server file synchronization, preferring to leave those issues to independent third parties such as Apple and Dropbox and concentrate instead on its encryption products. And while this approach has merits of its own—quicker, simplified cross-platform product development comes to mind—it also seems to be creating a growing number of increasingly complex problems for users that AgileBits must react to after the fact because it doesn't control its own synchronization strategy.[/size]
[size=4]From the [b]user[/b] perspective, the simplest solution would appear to be for AgileBits to bite the bullet and redesign the 1Password desktop clients to optionally function as servers permitted to store data on- or off-site that would [b][i]directly[/i][/b] synchronize other remote clients without the use of a third-party intermediary. This would:[/size][list]
[*][size=4]Eliminate the dependency upon third-party solutions, which can break without warning and for multiple reasons (proxy block, API or architectural change, bankruptcy, business model shift away from "freemium", etc.)[/size]
[*][size=4]Give users near-complete control where their data physically resides[/size]
[*][size=4]Increased network security granularity. Where network access to a service like Dropbox, Google, SkyDrive, or iCloud might be blocked because of its general storage and file sharing capabilities, access to a [b]specialized[/b] server used specifically for controlled access to secure (password) data might be permitted[/size]
[*][size=4]Permit the creation of a new 1Password product: the multiple-user server, for centralized password database management (the datafiles, not the passwords themselves) and backup.[/size]
[/list]
[size=4]I'm well aware that AgileBits has looked into a variety of options for remote datafile synchronization, and that designing a new client-server architecture from scratch—much less one that is secure from end-to-end—is a significant undertaking. I'm just increasingly frustrated with the decisions AgileBits has made and the solutions it has chosen to date for remote synchronization. At some point the frustration is going to exceed the utility of 1Password, and I'll have no choice but to switch to another product.[/size]
[*][size=4]iDisk syncing had speed issues that created problems with 1Password's active file manipulation, and [url="http://help.agilebits.com/1Password3/idisk_syncing.html"]AgileBits now actively recommends against using it[/url].[/size]
[*][size=4]Dropbox.com syncing is developing multiple issues:[/size]
[list]
[*][size=4]Apple's requirement of sandboxed applications in the near future is already causing difficulties for anyone using a non-root Dropbox folder with 1Password 3.9, since the application is proscribed to look within only very specific areas of the file system for the data files.[/size]
[*][size=4]Precisely because it's easy to install and is quick, automatic, and dependable, the Dropbox.com domain is rapidly becoming a target for corporate network administrators to block due to the security risks it creates (it facilitates intellectual property theft as well as inadvertent- or deliberate malware distribution inside the company firewall, and has created some new file sharing legal gray areas, to name three reasons one of my own employer's IT administrators cited). Use of the Dropbox web API will not help in this case because communications with the Dropbox.com domain is actively blocked.[/size]
[/list]
[/list]
[size=4]As I understand it, the basic issue is that AgileBits does not wish to-, nor is not well-equipped to deal with the complexities of client-server file synchronization, preferring to leave those issues to independent third parties such as Apple and Dropbox and concentrate instead on its encryption products. And while this approach has merits of its own—quicker, simplified cross-platform product development comes to mind—it also seems to be creating a growing number of increasingly complex problems for users that AgileBits must react to after the fact because it doesn't control its own synchronization strategy.[/size]
[size=4]From the [b]user[/b] perspective, the simplest solution would appear to be for AgileBits to bite the bullet and redesign the 1Password desktop clients to optionally function as servers permitted to store data on- or off-site that would [b][i]directly[/i][/b] synchronize other remote clients without the use of a third-party intermediary. This would:[/size][list]
[*][size=4]Eliminate the dependency upon third-party solutions, which can break without warning and for multiple reasons (proxy block, API or architectural change, bankruptcy, business model shift away from "freemium", etc.)[/size]
[*][size=4]Give users near-complete control where their data physically resides[/size]
[*][size=4]Increased network security granularity. Where network access to a service like Dropbox, Google, SkyDrive, or iCloud might be blocked because of its general storage and file sharing capabilities, access to a [b]specialized[/b] server used specifically for controlled access to secure (password) data might be permitted[/size]
[*][size=4]Permit the creation of a new 1Password product: the multiple-user server, for centralized password database management (the datafiles, not the passwords themselves) and backup.[/size]
[/list]
[size=4]I'm well aware that AgileBits has looked into a variety of options for remote datafile synchronization, and that designing a new client-server architecture from scratch—much less one that is secure from end-to-end—is a significant undertaking. I'm just increasingly frustrated with the decisions AgileBits has made and the solutions it has chosen to date for remote synchronization. At some point the frustration is going to exceed the utility of 1Password, and I'll have no choice but to switch to another product.[/size]
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Thank you for your input. Currently the only recommended way to sync your data across multiple platforms is via Dropbox. We are working on expanding upon that.
For one, once the Dropbox API has solidified, we hope to take advantage of that. This will eliminate the "non-root" problem.
In addition, not everyone likes Dropbox. We want to be able to offer another option, and as such we are looking very closely at iCloud.Flag 0
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