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Using OwnCloud To Integrate Dropbox, Google Drive, and More In Gnome

Posted by timothy on from the all-in-one-and-one-for-all dept.

Jason Hibbets writes Jiri Folta was looking for an easy way to have all of his online storage services, such as Google Drive and Dropbox, integrated with his Linux desktop without using any nasty hacks. He shares this solution in this short tutorial, and shows you how to integrate ownCloud with the Gnome desktop and then add your favorite cloud providers to use all of your cloud accounts in one place just as easily as if they were local drives.

30 comments

  1. Dropbox Emulation by qpqp · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anyone know, if there's a Dropbox API emulation/implementation somewhere that could be used to transparently replace Dropbox calls with my own storage backend?

    1. Re:Dropbox Emulation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah its called ownCloud, integrates auth and ldap parameters with user accounts in AD or Azure and proxied libsmb connections with native windows file servers.. no need for a Cloud data center.. just host the Connection Engine in the Cloud.. "FreeJack" 1992 style using the "Spiritual Switchboard" otherwise known as "ownCloud". If Anothony Hopkins and Emilio Estevez can do it.. why not Speed "Network" Racer?

    2. Re:Dropbox Emulation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A product called ownCloud, and you think it's private. I assure you it calls home and relays lots of data you should have issue with.

      If you have a server and a internet connection, you have everything you need to establish your own "cloud"

    3. Re:Dropbox Emulation by qpqp · · Score: 1

      what part of "transparently replace Dropbox calls with [calls to] my own storage backend" is so difficult to understand?
      I'm looking for a drop in replacement, so all the crapware that thinks it's enough to implement the dropbox API suddenly becomes usable.

    4. Re:Dropbox Emulation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you consider the dropbox compatible application crapware I don't see why you'd use them...

      Is this a bad case of "It doesn't do precisely what I (0.00001% of the users) want therefore it sucks really, really bad! But you know, I'll keep using it anyway. that'll show them, suckers!"?

    5. Re:Dropbox Emulation by x_t0ken_407 · · Score: 1

      You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. OwnCloud is something you install on your own server.

  2. Own loud is great! by HatofPig · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have some cheap hosting I wasn't using so I sprung for a static I and SSL cert and now all my devices are synced. I keep my KeePass wallet up to date on my Android phone and all computers. The sync settings are very fine grain. And yeah, accessing other online storage seamlessly through OwnCloud is a killer feature. Free storage upgrade anytime.

    --
    Silicon & Charybdis McLuhan Kildall Papert Kay
    1. Re:Own loud is great! by ncc74656 · · Score: 1

      ownCloud's worked pretty well for me the past few months, but v7.0.3 caused all sorts of breakage on Android when accessing WebDAV shares. Switching photo uploads from FolderSync to the ownCloud Android client fixed that, but Keepass2Android still won't open my password archive directly. I can get to it over WebDAV with ES File Explorer and open it read-only in Keepass2Android, but that's a kludge I didn't need with the previous version. I'd downgrade, but the previous version is only available as source and the downloaded .deb for the previous version is gone from /var/cache/apt/archives. Hopefully they'll undo this breakage in 7.0.4.

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
    2. Re: Own loud is great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you can't find an older deb for a very popular app like owncloud, you need to go to school to learn to use Google.

    3. Re: Own loud is great! by HatofPig · · Score: 1

      Using the OwnCloud client I keep the wallet file synced to my phone. There is a checkbox to do that and the wallet is local on my phone Accessing it over Webdav seems cumbersome.

      --
      Silicon & Charybdis McLuhan Kildall Papert Kay
  3. Re:IceWM == frosty by puzzled_decoy · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Why does gnome desktop get such a bad rap? I find it to be very usable....

  4. Re:IceWM == frosty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why does gnome desktop get such a bad rap? I find it to be very usable....

    Oh, so this is GNOME 2 we're talking about? Shit, why didn't you say so?!

  5. Re:IceWM == frosty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why does gnome desktop get such a bad rap? I find it to be very usable....

    Some people have a dislike for the arrogant parts of the GNOME attitude.

  6. syncs with NSA! by mexsudo · · Score: 0

    so cool, saves those valuable resources! I just knew Gnome3 was good for something...

  7. Re:IceWM == frosty by Lilith's+Heart-shape · · Score: 1

    Dude, you have no business being a snob. You're still using a stacking window manager. Come back when you've learned to use a tiling WM like Awesome, i3, Xmonad, etc.

    --

    I write sci-fi for metalheads

  8. Owncloud option that is _NOT_ written in PHP? by Hadlock · · Score: 0

    Anyone have a suggestion of a dropbox/owncloud replacement that is NOT written in PHP? PHP projects tend to be "babby's first project" and riddled with issues, security holes etc. Owncloud has been out for a few years but I'd like to avoid PHP if at all possible in the age of Ruby, Python, etc.

    --
    moox. for a new generation.
    1. Re:Owncloud option that is _NOT_ written in PHP? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      Anyone have a suggestion of a dropbox/owncloud replacement that is NOT written in PHP?

      IIRC seafile is written in c & c++ with some python bits for web. Based on the git model, but more of a pain to set up than it should be.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    2. Re:Owncloud option that is _NOT_ written in PHP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh.. let me get my MASM out and dusted off and we can code that webserver in Assembly for you... or Django or AJAX.. par le vouz HTML5 ? its all a database in the backend anyway. Would .NET with a little ASP be okay? or Tomcat?

    3. Re:Owncloud option that is _NOT_ written in PHP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      riddled with issues, security holes etc. Owncloud has been out for a few years but I'd like to avoid PHP if at all possible in the age of Ruby, Python, etc.

      How about something that is written in JavaScript? :-p

      PHP is not the enemy, oh, and neither is JavaScript.

      Have you ever thought about submitting a patch to the feature you found "riddled with issues, security holes etc."?

      Maybe you should write a competing service in Ruby? :-)

    4. Re:Owncloud option that is _NOT_ written in PHP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      write your own, open source it, and quit bitching...sheesh.

    5. Re:Owncloud option that is _NOT_ written in PHP? by bit · · Score: 1

      I've been using seafile for some months now and it works quite well. OwnCloud (v5 or so when I tried it) was slow and full of bugs, it would just find random sync errors and start placing copies of files everywhere. An initial sync of a 5-7 GB directory would take hours. Seafile takes one fraction of the time.
      They also have frequent updates, so the missing features have also been implemented or will be implemented in the near future.

    6. Re: Owncloud option that is _NOT_ written in PHP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bittorrentsync.

      (And yes, OwnCloud is amateurish).

  9. Re:IceWM == frosty by mrvan · · Score: 1

    +1

    Switched to xmonad a couple years ago, and I realized that all I ever need is (shortcuts for) multiple workspaces, terminal, and a program launcher.

    (Interestingly, I actually much prefer the way floating windows are handled in xmonad in the rare occasions that they are useful (move with super+drag, resize with super+right-drag, what more do you need... plus those small and difficult to reach resize handles or title bars are a really stupid idea)

    ~$ sudo apt-get install gnome-desktop-environment
    [...]
    After this operation, 441 MB of additional disk space will be used.

    non, merci!

  10. Ubuntu security issues by jkonrath · · Score: 1

    Worth noting that the Ubuntu repo still has the 6.0.1 version, which has critical security issues, and the developer can't get it removed or updated.

    http://www.webupd8.org/2014/10...

  11. Re:IceWM == frosty by Lilith's+Heart-shape · · Score: 1

    I'm not quite hardcore enough for Xmonad, mainly because I don't feel like dealing with Haskell at the moment. However, I'm looking into AwesomeWM now that I finally took the plunge and switched from debian-based distros to Arch Linux, and I configured Openbox to maximize (within the margin) all non-dialogue windows and strip off the decor, which makes Openbox act enough like a tiler to work on a laptop screen.

    --

    I write sci-fi for metalheads

  12. OwnCloud = Excellent by TheNinjaroach · · Score: 3, Informative

    Saw OwnCloud in the title, stopped by to say that it is EXCELLENT. One of the most exciting (new) packages to hit open source in many years. Some things I use mine for:

    Syncing OneNotes across multiple devices - 2 PCs, a Mac and a phone.
    Automatic file sync (with binaries for Mac, Win & Linux)
    Publishing documents to clients
    Contacts & Calendar sync across multiple devices
    WebDAV file shares offer native access for Mac, Windows and Linux.
    ... In a seriously slick interface with fairly simple and flexible deployment.

    Seriously, can't recommend it enough. This reminds me, I should get back to submitting my patch for LibreOffice Spreadsheet previews..

    --
    I went to eat some animal crackers and the box said, "Do not eat if seal is broken." I opened the box and sure enough..
    1. Re:OwnCloud = Excellent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would love to hear more about how you sync OneNotes with Owncloud

  13. Original post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why not link to the original author's blog? It's here: http://i-pholta.rhcloud.com/?p=168