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?

[Deide]

I was disappointed when Google removed their drive hosting support too. Could see it coming long before I got the email, because they removed any mention of it from their (then new) UI.

Now with dropbox, as I mentioned in an earlier post, this is the another step towards dropping support for hot-links. They removed HTML hosting last year, this year begins with the announcement of the removal of the public folder, and then your hot-linking workaround from the shared media will silently stop working too - because it's not an official feature any longer.

On the other hand, there's nothing that differentiates the big 3 anymore: One Drive, Google Drive and Dropbox. At least One Drive didn't pull any big features as far as I'm aware - they did decrease their free storage limit from 15GB to 5GB though. That wasn't very nice, but it's something a little money can at least remedy.

[wayneharropson]

We need to file for an injunction to force Dropbox to preserve all past links. The argument is simply that each user has an intellectual property in each link remaining permanent in every piece of work product produced prior to March 2017.

New files and their links can comply to dropbox's new model but if past links are broken Dropbox could be made to pay for damages and punitive relief for setting a nuclear bomb off inside every user's established property.

[VC]

I think we need to inform the media of this to make the public aware and to put some pressure on Dropbox to rethink this.

I have already begun to do this.

[lupussonic]

That's a great idea. How are you going about this?

Are you using the web or mainstream media?

How about a Facebook page?

What can I do to help?

[VC]

I sent the following to MIT Technology Review

A lot of people are furious about Dropbox killing their public folder because many have used those links to websites (blogs, news sites, educational sites),. Dropbox has, without explanation, decided to mothball it. You can see the long list of comments from frustrated people here: https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Sharing-and-collaboration/Ending-support-of-public-folder/m-p/201883....

Could you investigate this?

[rileyph]

I suggest you write to Julie, 'jbort@businessinsider.com' . She was very helpful with a previous problem with DropBox.

http://www.businessinsider.com/weird-feature-in-dropbox-deletes-files-2014-4?IR=T

Paul

[miclevine]

We may have a problem doing a class action lawsuit - check out this article:

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2487987/cloud-computing/update--dropbox-changes-its-terms-of-se... 

I agree though that this change will cost many of their users a ton of time and money, and they should not be able to do it without penalty.

Ideas anyone?

[Chris R.]

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@miclevine wrote:

We may have a problem doing a class action lawsuit - check out this article:

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2487987/cloud-computing/update--dropbox-changes-its-terms-of-se... 

I agree though that this change will cost many of their users a ton of time and money, and they should not be able to do it without penalty.

Ideas anyone?

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I'm not sure that changing their terms of service can legally prevent anyone from starting a class action lawsuit? The whole area of contract law and intellectual property cannot be overridden by individual companies.

[infotime]

Dropbox is the new LogMeIn.

LogMeIn was once a greatly-admired company with a huge user base, great name recognition, a leader in their category and had a great product.  First they abruptly discontinued their free product.  Then every 12 months they would double their fees to those of us who were glad to pay.  Pretty sickening.

Now it looks like Dropbox is doing the same thing.  As an IT consultant I've loved and used Dropbox since the beginning and have hooked up tons of clients to their service.  The news of them killing the Public folder links is a real kick in the gut.

I hope they change their minds.

[Chris R.]

Dropbox are now worse than Adobe. I never thought I'd hear myself heap that ultimate insult on anyone.