I still don't know why DropBox is a thing. For a Linux user, you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem. From Windows or Mac, this FTP account could be accessed through built-in software.
I think you just answered your own question - that sounds quite painful for me to maintain and I'd rather pay Dropbox for the time they save me. + all the added benefits of features they can build with a dedicated organization improving this workflow.