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Forum Discussion
ae2rigc
9 years agoNew member | Level 2
Ending support of public folder
Just heard from dropbox that support for the public folder is ending.
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As a result, we’ll soon be ending support for the Public folder. Dropbox Pro users will be able to use the Publ...
- 9 years agoLGM - the issue is that people are abusing it and causing issues for everybody by getting the Dropbox domains blacklisted which cause emails to fail and downloads to be blocked by firewalls etc.
In terms of changing the extension, sorry, no idea how you would do that!
Stefen H.
9 years agoCollaborator | Level 8
For those who are confused about what dl=0 and 1 is:
At the very end of a Dropbox link there'll be a 0. Change that to a 1 and it'll be a direct download instead of a download page, similar to how the old public folder links work.
Also for those who think they have to visit Dropbox.com to create links:
This is not the case if you have the app installed. Right clicking the file or folder you want to create a link to and choosing copy Dropbox link will create a link and copy it to your clipboard. You only have to visit the site if you want to set or modify link options or remove the link altogether.
That said, I'm not a huge user of public folder links, but I too disagree with this change and don't understand why there hasn't been any disclosure about the reason. All this importance placed on disclosure about government requests for data, and none about changes like this. A lot of the negative criticism comes from people not knowing anything about why this is being done.
Phoenix84
9 years agoNew member | Level 2
I had no idea people still used that folder.
I hated it.
The second they announced sharable links throughout dropbox I stopped using it.
I guess a good compromise might be to either allow existing links to function, but make all future files private and require you to generate a share link; or allow it for pro users, if it's costing them to maintain it.
I'm a pro user and don't care either way. I'm honestly surprised people still use it.
- Timon9 years agoHelpful | Level 6
Phoenix84 wrote:I had no idea people still used that folder.
I hated it.
The second they announced sharable links throughout dropbox I stopped using it.
I guess a good compromise might be to either allow existing links to function, but make all future files private and require you to generate a share link; or allow it for pro users, if it's costing them to maintain it.
I'm a pro user and don't care either way. I'm honestly surprised people still use it.
I've use dropbox for quite awhile and never read anything about not using public folder and create link. Had it been made clear that it wasn't needed I would have used shareable links with dl=1.
I see NO VALID REASON TO REMOVE OLD LINKS AND CAUSE LINKS ALL OVER THE INTERNET TO GO 404. REALLY STUPID!!!!!
- ym589 years agoHelpful | Level 7
I've use dropbox for quite awhile and never read anything about not using public folder and create link. Had it been made clear that it wasn't needed I would have used shareable links with dl=1.
I see NO VALID REASON TO REMOVE OLD LINKS AND CAUSE LINKS ALL OVER THE INTERNET TO GO 404. REALLY STUPID!!!!!
sorry to sound stupid but is the ?dl=0 option at the end of the link producing the exact same effect ***in BB*** as none ?
( I must also confess that I don't understand Phoenix84's ***radical*** stand, but this is another story ... ;-) )
- cdgoin9 years agoHelpful | Level 7
So what I want to know is why in the DropBox APP in Win 10 if I right Click something outside the public folder the links look like:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qvdo0ztun6jdi4/WP_20161209_20_43_27_Rich.jpg?dl=0
( Changing 1 to does let it embed.. which is FN stupid.. it should be 1 by DEFAULT )
While the public folder links they go like:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15491148/Trolls/bobby.jpg
BUT WONT be useable after March, then WHY DOES THIER APP STILL WORK THAT WAY !!!
ANYTHING in my public folder now gets a link formatted in a way that will expire in March. BY DEFAULT in Win10.. your own APP
Can someone at Dropbox explain that ? Or will the old links to files in the old Public folder still work
Also if you quit supporting the Public folder in 2012 why is it front and center in my Win10 File Explorer..? Makes it seem supported to me..
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