There's been a problem using Fargo with Dropbox for the last few days.#

Everything would seem okay until I had to reload Fargo (which doesn't happen often). Then I'd see an old version of the file. When I looked in the Fargo app folder in Dropbox, I'd see a huge number of conflicted copies. One of those copies contained the latest version. A bit of poking around, and renaming of files, and I was back in business. Until the next reload.#

Users started reporting the problem yesterday. I can't imagine what they must have thought. It's pretty distressing when the filesystem doesn't behave like a filesystem.#

I reported it this afternoon on the Dropbox developer bulletin board, and Greg got back to me right away. They're always very responsive when there are problems. It appears as if it was the same problem other apps that use the API were reporting. When they fixed the problem for the other developers, it seems to have fixed it for Fargo. That's why I'm writing this post now. To see if it's behaving rationally once again. Looks good. The most recent version of this file is the one without "Conflicted Copy" in its name. Whew. #

It really is the kind of problem that makes your gut hurt. You want to not have to think about your filesystem, it's one of those things that should "just work."#

Tomorrow 2000 reporters and bloggers will visit Apple in Cupertino, watch a stage performance with Apple's top execs, and write in gushing terms, the exact same story, every one of them, exactly as dictated by Apple Computer, Inc.#

Meanwhile, there's been a rebellion in Markdown-land, a real story, not a press release rewrite, but there has been, as far as I can tell, not one story by any tech reporter. Confirming the belief that they only write stories that are sanctioned by big companies. Or news about their stock prices. Or rumblings from competitors about eating their lunch.#

It's not as if there aren't some famous companies involved in this would-be takeover. But I'm not a reporter, and I'm not going to try to do their jobs. Suffice it to say, if you do a teeny bit of digging (hint: read my blog and follow the links) you'll find out who they are (GitHub and Stack Exchange) and you'll find one side of the controversy very thoroughly explored, with pointers included (as is fair) to the other side.#

I know reporters don't like it when non-reporters are critical of them. But this is the normal business of tech news. It just comes to an incredibly lunatic head when Apple has a press conference. They forget entirely who they are and what their jobs are. It's a good time for The Rest Of Us (thanks Steve) to use our critical judgement to decide whether we need real tech reporting or if this ersatz kind is sufficient. #

Philosophically, these rituals, esp when they're about Apple, are echoes of a great event that took place in 1984. There wasn't any news at that event either. But at least we had a great showman putting on the show of his life. It was theater of the first order. When the Mac came out of the bag, it was truly fantastic, even though I personally had already been playing with (couldn't really say "using") a Mac for several months at the time. He was Carl Sagan and PT Barnum wrapped up in one very smug arrogant package. And he did it so well. #