Mad Science: Dropbox-like Sync for SAND Pods #2
Description
The Vision
Dropbox-like seamless sync, but YOU own your data.
Dropbox → Seamless sync, they own your data
SAND Mount → Seamless sync, you own your data
The Roadmap
| Level | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | sshfs mount (desktop) | ✅ Works |
| 2 | Syncthing bridge (mobile) | ✅ Works |
| 3 | Native sync daemon | 🔬 Mad science |
| 4 | System integration | 🔬 Mad science |
| 5 | "It just works" like Dropbox | 🔬 Mad science |
Level 5: The Dream
What "it just works" looks like:
- Install one app
- Enter your pod URL
- Everything syncs
- Works on phone, desktop, tablet
- Offline mode with conflict resolution
- Native file manager integration
- Background sync daemon
- Selective sync (choose folders)
- Bandwidth controls
Technical Challenges
Desktop
- Cross-platform sync daemon (Rust? Go?)
- Native file system integration
- Tray icon / status indicator
- Conflict resolution UI
Mobile (no root)
- Background sync service
- Android Storage Access Framework integration
- iOS Files app integration
- Battery-efficient sync
Protocol
- Delta sync (only changed bytes)
- Conflict-free merge where possible
- Encryption at rest option
- Multi-device coordination
Why This Matters
This is what makes SAND mainstream. Regular users don't care about protocols - they care about:
- "Do my files sync?"
- "Can I access them anywhere?"
- "Is it as easy as Dropbox?"
Nail this, and SAND becomes the default.
Related Projects
- Syncthing (P2P sync, open source)
- rclone (cloud sync tool)
- Nextcloud client (self-hosted sync)
- SSHFS / SFTP