Topic: Yahoo to close down Briefcase

[Clive]

Yahoo Briefcase, an online storage service, will be closing down at the end of the month, the company has announced.

An email to users of Briefcase informed them that the service would be shut on 30 March and that they should upload files back to their computers.

"You need to take action before we close, after which any files remaining on Yahoo Briefcase will be deleted and no longer accessible," the email reads.

Yahoo Briefcase also offers a paid-for Premium service, which will also be shut. Yahoo promised refunds for affected customers.

Yahoo said in a statement: "Yahoo Briefcase is being discontinued because usage has been significantly declining over the years as users outgrew the need for Yahoo Briefcase and turned to offerings with much more storage and enhanced sharing capabilities, such as Yahoo! Mail and Flickr.

"Discontinuing the service will allow us to focus our efforts on more broadly-used products, in line with our commitment to deliver the best possible user experience," the statement continued.

AOL's Xdrive, another online storage service, was shut down in January.

[Rik]

I'm sure we'll see more of this, Clive.

[Simon]

I fail to see the need for online storage, given that you can pick up 1Tb external hard drives for less than £100 now, which, I am sure, would satisfy most people's needs.

[Clive]

I quite like online storage because you can access it from anywhere.  I used yahoo briefcase myself. 

[Simon]

I guess there is that, Clive, but you could also take an external hard drive anywhere, although, admittedly, not quite so conveniently.

[Clive]

External hard drives can be easily lost or stolen.  And they cost money!   

[Simon]

So, what are you going to do when Yahoo packs it's briefcase and buggers off?

[Clive]

Yahoo mail offers free storage!   

[Simon]

I wouldn't trust them with a bargepole, but I'm sure Google must do something similar as well.

[Clive]

Yes they do.   

[Rik]

To me, the big issue is trust. I'd much rather carry a pocket-sized USB HD.

[Simon]

Me too, Rik, but I guess it depends on what you're asking to be looked after, and how secure and private you need it to be.

[Rik]

Truecrypt will make it private enough for most people.

[Simon]

It's Google itself that would worry me. 

[Rik]

I wouldn't trust Google or, for that matter, any online storage facility, with anything but the most banal of information.