LostInTechnology

5 Excellent File Sharing Websites

Posted on 17. Sep, 2009 by Sharninder in Internet Tools

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There was a time when the only way two computer users could share files between them was using a bunch of punched paper cards. And then came the tape drives which revolutionized file sharing and of course, who can forget the clumsy floppy disks. Those were the days!

By the time the USB flash keys came on to the scene, I’d officially started believing in miracles. I had to! How else could one explain the fact that something so tiny could store much more data than an entire data center, back in the day?

Well, in these days of broadband Internet, sharing data has become even easier. I don’t even think about sharing data physically anymore. File transfers via IM, email and file sharing websites have taken over the business of file sharing. Today, we’ll be talking about 5 free file sharing websites which let you share data with your friends without worrying about clumsy floppy disks, tiny USB keys or punched paper.

Drop.io

True to it’s name, Drop.io is one of the simplest ways to share files online. Just drop the file and let it do the rest. Well, not really, but they claim the two click upload as one of their features and it really can’t get simpler than this.

You can also use the Firefox plugin for uploading files or use the iPhone application called doppler for interacting with the service.

DropBox

DropBox is not only a file sharing service, it is also a file syncing service. The service is free to use for the first 2GB and costs a bit more money after that but as far as file syncing services go, it really is one of the best.  They provide clients for Windows, Mac OS and Linux so it doesn’t matter which operating system you’re using, your files will always be accessible to you. No need to carry portable hard disks or USB keys anymore.

FileDropper

The best part about FileDropper is the size of the file that let you upload to their service. 5 GB! When most other free services talk of file sizes between 100 to 200MB, FileDropper’s 5GB limit sounds downright crazy. That and the fact that they make it so darn easy for you to use their service. Why would anyone want to use anything else ?

Unlike most websites, FileDropper also lets you use embed the uploaded files to other websites, so you can actually use FileDropper for hosting video and images for your website free of charge. Just upload the file that you want to embed and use the HTML they provide when the upload is complete.

Senduit

Don’t let the plain jane appearance and the straightforward layout of the website deceive you. Senduit is as capable as any of the other sites featured on this page. And to top it off, they also provide a privacy feature of sorts. All uploaded files have an expiration time associated with them ranging from 30 mins to 1 week. So, the file that you upload will be automatically be deleted after the specified time and no one will have access to it.

PipeBytes

PipeBytes is like file sharing on IM, except that there is no IM client involved. The files in this case are not stored anywhere and the file is directly transferred from your computer to the recipients’. When you share a file using PipeBytes, the service generates a code which the recipient has to enter, at the same time, to start the upload (and download at his end). PipeBytes is still in beta but it quite stable and is an excellent service to use when you don’t want the files to reside on a public server and would rather have the files directly be delivered to the recipient.

(By) Sharninder is the resident Ninja at Geeky Ninja and likes to think about the answer to Life, the Universe and everything over at NomadicRider.

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Tags: drop.io, Dropbox, file sharing, filedropper, free file sharing websites, pipebytes, senduit