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Forum Discussion
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...
- LGM - 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!
I don't want to put countless hours of work into finding and replacing all my links. DROPBOX CANNOT BE TRUSTED
It's also added complexity.
I think the main reasons Dropbox ever became popular were due to these 3 things that created simplicity:
1.) Public Folder - you just managed a file system. With the addition of a desktop application for seamless syncing and context menu URL copying, it was a dead simple and fully integrated way of effectively hosting a part of your file system on the internet for sharing and fun.
2.) Hot-linking - this was the logical addition to the public folder. It meant that if you shared an image, you'd get a link that ended in .png or .jpeg and was directly viewable or embeddable by anyone using well established SIMPLE technologies that people don't even think about anymore.
I think the main reason Dropbox are removing public folders is to phase hot-linking from their application. No longer will you get direct links. Instead, you'll get download buttons and media previews with proprietary comment systems and surrounding UI. Just like the file hosts of old. It's a shame, because this is initially what set Dropbox apart.
3.) HTML hosting - a sort of extension to hot-linking within the public folder. They disabled this one last year, which is a real shame. It allowed people with the knowledge to host small static pages that could be filled with other content in the Dropbox public folder.
For example, instead of being forced to use the Dropbox image gallery you land on when you click on a shared folder, this allowed people to design their own - write text and even embed things from other sites.
These things are going away - the main things that made Dropbox different. Now, if you want to develop your own applications or functionality, you have to use the Dropbox platform instead of the simplistic but powerful features of the past.
If you want to manage your files, you will have to manage both a file-system and a link sharing system that many people already confuse with the Dropbox shared folders; a feature that allows you to sync what things automatically with other people.
More cognitive overhead, less features, less power.
I think the main reasons Dropbox ever became popular were due to these 3 things that created simplicity:
1.) Public Folder - you just managed a file system. With the addition of a desktop application for seamless syncing and context menu URL copying, it was a dead simple and fully integrated way of effectively hosting a part of your file system on the internet for sharing and fun.
2.) Hot-linking - this was the logical addition to the public folder. It meant that if you shared an image, you'd get a link that ended in .png or .jpeg and was directly viewable or embeddable by anyone using well established SIMPLE technologies that people don't even think about anymore.
I think the main reason Dropbox are removing public folders is to phase hot-linking from their application. No longer will you get direct links. Instead, you'll get download buttons and media previews with proprietary comment systems and surrounding UI. Just like the file hosts of old. It's a shame, because this is initially what set Dropbox apart.
3.) HTML hosting - a sort of extension to hot-linking within the public folder. They disabled this one last year, which is a real shame. It allowed people with the knowledge to host small static pages that could be filled with other content in the Dropbox public folder.
For example, instead of being forced to use the Dropbox image gallery you land on when you click on a shared folder, this allowed people to design their own - write text and even embed things from other sites.
These things are going away - the main things that made Dropbox different. Now, if you want to develop your own applications or functionality, you have to use the Dropbox platform instead of the simplistic but powerful features of the past.
If you want to manage your files, you will have to manage both a file-system and a link sharing system that many people already confuse with the Dropbox shared folders; a feature that allows you to sync what things automatically with other people.
More cognitive overhead, less features, less power.
- I've already discontinued using my pro dropbox, I consider that 100$ just a loss (they announced this just weeks after I signed up).... I have found better accommodations for my particular needs. so for me it all worked out just fine without them, I hope all their customers leave like like rats on a ship. They better not charge me automatically for another year when my pro expires.
Can you divulge where you moved to? Irt might be of interest to others.
- try ammazonS3 or Google cloud storage both is cheap easy and public link works
- Rich
Super User II
MadDogDJ wrote:
They better not charge me automatically for another year when my pro expires.You signed up for a subscription service, so unless you cancel it before then, you will be charged, and rightfully so.
The ending of the public folders really concerns me, as I have spent YEARS posting content on web forums, including several of my own as personal blogs.
I confess I have not read 33 pages of this discussion, but can anyone tell me if all my content links will be lost, and if so, how to avoid this happening?
