Open sourcing the client could mean I run it off my own server, sitting in my apartment, for free. Granted, mostly geeks would be doing that, but I get the impression that many of Dropbox's user base _are_ geeks.
Like someone else said: it's not just whether or not it would HURT Dropbox (though, as I've said, I'd argue it could), but whether or not open-sourcing their clients would actually HELP them. I doubt it would.
I get the impression that many of Dropbox's user base _are_ geeks.
This is not my impression at all. Basically everybody I know uses dropbox, and very few of them are geeks. I was actually introduced to Dropbox by a non-geek boss I had who thought it was the greatest thing she'd ever used and insisted I also get it so we could share files.
Dropbox seems to have done a very good job of penetrating the general market, thanks in no small part to their pretty amazing and minimal UI. It's at the point now where I hear 'normal' people saying things like "can you share it to my dropbox" with the automatic assumption that the other person will know what it means.
Like someone else said: it's not just whether or not it would HURT Dropbox (though, as I've said, I'd argue it could), but whether or not open-sourcing their clients would actually HELP them. I doubt it would.