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?

[jigglywiggly j.]

Hmm, well as long as ?raw=1 works then I guess it's not the worst thing to happen ever. I don't know why this has to be a hidden feature though. It is very useful to be able to direct link.

[Photo O.]

Lets be clear about this.

However much Dropbox say that shared linking is a replacement for links generated in the Public Folder, it simply is not true and they are lying. If Dropbox were true to their word, then all those links would automatically become shared links with the new format, and that simply is not going to happen. While you will still be able to direct link, the existing Public Folder links will be broken on March 15. This will be an unmitigated disaster for a lot of Dropbox users, both personally and financially. I will have to spend hundreds of hours painstakingly tracking down several hundred of links I have made across a couple of dozen websites, blogs and forums over the last four years. I am not happy about it, so I while I will probably keep Dropbox for file transfers between home and work computers and other tasks, I will be going to another provider for direct linking because Dropbox can no longer be trusted to maintain my links... how do I know that they wont change their system again next year and I'll end up having to do this all over again?

It is difficult complain about Dropbox's customer service, because they don't have any.

No communication
No answers to customer's questions
No justification for the actions they are taking
No apology or remorse for trouble they are going to cause for their users

They have treated us like mushrooms over this issue... kept us in the dark and fed us manure.

[DolphinNoMore]

I'm off, dropbox. I can't even bring myself to say "goodbye" or "farewell" because I wish you neither. 

Whoever's in charge - you should be ashamed of yourself, you greedy avaricious individual. You represent everything that's rotten in the world. 

I committed to you more than 10 years ago because of your public links system. I have 10 years worth of images sitting across many forums - all of which now will disappear. You do not value people, communities or free thought - you just value wealth. 

At one stage you were part of the next generation of online identity and creation. Now you have become your own dads. 

For everyone else - buy yourself a cheap home server + host your own cloud - I'd recommend Resilio Sync. They no longer own the means to production.

It all just confirms what I've known all along - never be owned.

It'll be interesting to see whether this post remains, but will provide fine measure to me of what dropbox's true values are...

[dremodaris]

"Sorry, that file doesn’t live here anymore. It might have been moved or made private."

Now that, dear Dropbox, is a lie.

[jmx]

In the communication about the end of shared public folders, it never occurred to me that the links of hosted images inside would be made obsolete. Like DropBoxNoMore, I have links to images in various forums and emails that are now gone. It would be impossible (literally) to edit old forum posts and sent emails.

I hope this isn't the way it's going to be or I too will find something else and obviously stop recommending dropbox to family and friends.

[Server_Align]

Its not the way its GOING to be.

Its the way it IS.

Understand that Dropbox had the lead, and stumbled, now they are just some flailing running 20 yards short of the finish line, hoping for a buyout before they sink. Saddly its more likely to be a bye-out than the other.

[jmx]

It would seem that there should be a significant outcry from this.

Any point of holding out hope for dropbox coming to their senses?

[sladdaren]

This is so bad Dropbox..All my forum post are totally gone..:( all work on my forum is gone..many years of posting is gone...

You need to go back and make this right again..

My car forum have lost 1000 of picture today 😞

[jmx]

Headline:
March 15, 2017
DropBox sets new world record for most 404 errors in a single day.

[Matthew T.27]

@Server_Align

hoping for a buyout before they sink.

Rumour is they're planning to go public.

I imagine it will be a terrible IPO. 

They will soon fail.