Ending support of public folder

[ae2rigc]

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 Public folder until
September 1, 2017. After that date the files in your Public folder will become private, and links to these files will be deactivated. Your files will remain safe in Dropbox.

If you’d like to keep sharing files in your Public folder, you can create new shared links. Just make sure to send the new URLs to your collaborators.

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It is one of the most useful features of the service for me as I use it to get links to single files that I can send to people without setting up shared folders and requiring them to have dropbox accounts.

(Save file to my public folder locally, syncs, right click, get publick link, paste. Doesn't get any easier than that.)

It's also useful for bb style forum posts where you can link to images with an easy tag.

With the public folder support being removed, is there going to be an alternative solution to allow easy public sharing of single files?

[Volter]

What bothers me the most is the lie they told us about why they're taking it away. 

They say they are always looking for ways to improve dropbox, however taking this grandfathered feature away from the few who still use it is not an improvement in any way. Literally, taking something away when it wasn't an issue isn't an improvement.

Everyone knows this is about control. They don't like the way we're using something that they made, and so they are going to show us who's boss by just turning it off in exchange for an extremely guided method of sharing which is not what i just bought a year of. 

Good thing i can use it for 9.5 months of the 12 i paid for, at which point i'll have figured something else out. They will never get another dollar or recommendation from me, and i'll make sure and let everyone know that they shouldn't invest time in a product that will randomly change their mind.

**** you dropbox. Seriously.

[dolphinUser1]

This is completely ridiculous. 

Dropbox, please reconsider. 

Or else it's time to consider leaving Dropbox.

[colvins]

This is super bad news for me as it breaks my podcast archive, very disappointed particularly since I'm not just using Dropbox for free but have a paid account. I don't make money off my podcast, rather I pay to make it and store it and this is a huge hassle.

[Goatbert]

Yeah, this is going to break all of the links to images I posted on forums. Since this was the primary use case for my Dropbox, I'll probably be cancelling my pro sub and reducing my usage to things that fit within the free tier. I can get by with Google Photos anyway.

[Elwappo]

I use this feature to update documents on my corp website without having to continually work in the cms. Just save the new revision over the old file in the public folder and move on. Reconsider this change... The public folder is a key component for me.

[Jon C.10]

My company has long used the Public folder for sending links to clients at the end of a job, so they can permanently access the work we've done for them..    We actually replaced our old public client fileserver with this functionality.

And now all of those past links are going to break?   This is the opposite of professional.

If you trash all of our old client-disbursed links so we have to recontact them all one-at-a-time (how embarassing..) why should we as a company stick with you?   We already use Google Drive for sharing some projects as it's cheaper per user - but have kept Dropbox on for this feature and because we actually like you guys! 

You are destroying customer loyalty with this move, not to mention having a huge effect on forum archives across the net.   I urge you to reconsider.

[aneori]

I agree fully. The Dropbox team should refrain from doing it.
Many people, to many for me to get back to, have access to my Dropbox Public folder. Removing it will cause me and them lots of trouble.
What on earth has caused you, Dropbox team, to make such an illogical useless change?

[GuidoDockx]

As already indicated by so many others, this is an absolute desaster.

We spend 4 years making 100s of documents with 1000s of internal and external links. Whenever a user reads something of his interest, he just has to click on the word and the relevant document will open. We even dare to say no website is needed anymore.

We already send a request to the support team but the only answer we got was an "auto-reply" which looks at first glance sympathic and constructive but basically is the exact opposite.

Although we don't used normally the word "begging" in our vocabulary, we actually begged the Dropbox-team to reconsider and keep the public folder as it is, at least for the actual users. Make it eventually impossible to use it by someone who's thinking starting doning so in the future. I would like to repait here this scream for common sence and understanding!!

If not, it'll take us months of work to recreate and rewrite everything. I'm convinced many other, up to now very loyal, users will have the same gigantic problem. Once again, do NOT implement this dramatic action!!

Best regards,

Guido

[Giangi H.]

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@Pablo f.6 wrote:

Alternatives from Dropbox ; If it is to help I can indicate the following:

Google Cloud https://cloud.google.com/storage

You just need to select the public link option and click on it to copy the link

Canceling my dropbox account yet this month I suggest a bulk cancellation!!!

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Up to two days ago my personal preferences was: Dropbox, OneDrive and then Goggle Drive (actually only via web because I hate their UI frontend!).

As soon as I'll test GD "public" link I guess my personal preferences will be reversed.

I'm really upset with this decision and do not tell us "is for your security". I'm not a dumb user and I know perfectly what I have inside my public folder: nothing more that files and pictures linked to 3rd party forum.

Some years ago I moved away from ImageShack for their terms changes, I have decided to go with DB because I said to myself "that's my private space, no one will close it". Shame on me...

The fact is: if you what to HAVE/KEEP control on your cloud files Do NOT EVER use what ever 3rd party company.

Anybody were using the "Copy" cloud provider too? Then you know what I mean...

So, thank you DB... "So long and thanks for all the fish" now I will really start on looking for something else.

I really wish you (Dropbox company) all the worst for the next Year and maybe someday you will realise that without users you'll do the same as the Barracuda's cloud service "Copy": close because costs will be higher than revenues.

Well, I am proud of my self...  I had so many bad words in my mind that I cannot believe I didn't use one!!

[rfdesigner]

Giangi H.

Well done you.  I am now looking at taking the next step:  personal website with own domain name and file storage and sharing the way I want it, I set the rules.

IMHO going to a different cloud storage service risks exactly the same problem again at some point.

Having my own domain will mean if the host decides it doesn't like my business, I can take it elsewhere without it changing a single link.

Costs look similar to Dropbox's minimum paid for price.