More DropBox Ideas

I’ve been having a blast trying to figure out fun and productive ways to use DropBox beyond simple file syncing. A few of them have saved me a ton of time and I thought I would share them with you. All of these tips involve using the symbolic link tip I shared in a previous post and are designed to work between two or more Macs. With a few simple modifications, these tips can be used on other OSs as well. Here’s my short list:

• Sync my LDRAW library – AFOLs using MLCAD or Bricksmith will really appreciate this tip as it ensures your LDRAW library is the same across computers!
• Sync my Desktop – sym link: /Users/username/Desktop – ensures the same files are on my Desktop from computer to computer
• Wallpaper/Screen Saver image syncing – create a Wallpaper folder in your Dropbox/Photos folder and set up the screen saver to use images from this directory – I further add additional wallpaper folders by theme: Halloween, Christmas, Fall, Family, etc
• Syncing 1Password data – sym link: /Users/username/Library/Application Support/1Password
• Sync Safari extensions to emulate Chromes ability to sync across computers – sym link: HD/User/Library/Safari
• Sync SketchUp plugins. I use SketchUp regularly and there is nothing more frustrating than looking for a tool and finding it is not installed – sym link: HD/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 8
• TextMate bundles are another good target for syncing since the ability is not native to the software – sym link: HD/User/Library/Application Support/TextMate
• I’ve created a single folder in Dropbox called MacSyncing. In that folder are additional subfolders that contain sync’d settings from many of the ideas presented above.

All of this syncing and I only have the free 2Gb service! So what cool and useful ways have you found to use Dropbox to keep data in sync and make your transition smoother from computer-to-computer? Leave a comment and add to this listing. As I discover more uses, I’ll add them to this post so check back occasionally to view more of my own personal tips or how Doc’s Tech Notes readers are using Dropbox.