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Re: Ending support of public folder

Ending support of public folder

ae2rigc
New member | Level 2
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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?

659 Replies 659

Mark
Super User II
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@Pablo f.6 wrote:
Friends we need to unite and fill the email support@dropbox.com with our dissatisfaction with this change.

Just to chime in again here, please do not do this as your email wont get anywhere. Dropbox DOES NOT offer email support so you will be, sadly, wasting your time and nobody will see it.

 

Instead use the correct routes to request support which is via the ticket system at http://bit.ly/cm-support. These can then be tracked at http://dropbox.zendesk.com


 


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JoshV
New member | Level 2
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I would also ask that DropBox suspend this change indefinately. It is one thing to remove the ability to render HTML... DropBox isn't a web hosting platform, its a file hosting/sharing platform. It is another to break millions of photo links across tens of thousands of forums and webpages. If you want to remove the public folder as a feature for free users, that is one thing, but for people that are long-time paying customers, this is unacceptable.

 

abriteguy
New member | Level 2
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Please consider joining me in a Class Action suit against dropbox.

While they have every right to cancel future public folder entries, they do NOT have the right to make all public folder files private.

Case in point.

As a professor I have made cousre documents. tutorials, course documents and paid for advertisement forms available on my public folder.

Once these links become private noone will have access from any of the advertising hyperlinks on various sites to my files.

 

This will cause me irreperable financial harm, negatively impact registration and close down a college program.

 

Please comment below.

Dropbox....Are you listening????????????????????

 

 

 

kiaz h.
Helpful | Level 6
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@JoshV wrote:

I would also ask that DropBox suspend this change indefinately. It is one thing to remove the ability to render HTML... DropBox isn't a web hosting platform, its a file hosting/sharing platform. It is another to break millions of photo links across tens of thousands of forums and webpages. If you want to remove the public folder as a feature for free users, that is one thing, but for people that are long-time paying customers, this is unacceptable.

 


It hasn't got ability to render html... your browser does it after it's downloaded the html from dropbox. With direct download, browser can do this, but won't after the download button downloads, while it's the same for dropbox.

Edvard
Helpful | Level 5
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Bump.

Can we not just move the shared files/folders to a new location outside Public?

https://www.dropbox.com/help/9194

"Previously, if you renamed or moved a file or folder, any shared links to them would "break." This means that anyone clicking the links would see an error message. Now, you can reorganize and rename files and folders in your Dropbox without impacting any shared links to them."

Edvard

bHogan
Helpful | Level 6
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IF this is ever read by corporate:

 

Your letter about "looking to improve the Dropbox sharing experience" was the same cheap BS that has become prevalent lately. But you know that.

 

You also are aware of the harm you are causing with this business decision, but you surely had your reasons. That has to be profit - somehow. Ads? less traffic? We don't know.

 

You may call this naive but if you left the public folder for Pro & Business users you'd have a lot of those free users ponying up. You have a huge amount of free subscribers by the short hairs. 

 

 

rfdesigner
Helpful | Level 6
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Hasn't even started working for me..  I've just tried with a shared image to a forum, once moved it disappears from the forum.

JamesUK
New member | Level 2
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I have used DB public to share reading materials with students in the school via links on the school website: this is a decision that makes DB pretty well useless for us.

Stefen H.
Collaborator | Level 8
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@abriteguy wrote:

Please consider joining me in a Class Action suit against dropbox.

While they have every right to cancel future public folder entries, they do NOT have the right to make all public folder files private.

Case in point.

As a professor I have made cousre documents. tutorials, course documents and paid for advertisement forms available on my public folder.

Once these links become private noone will have access from any of the advertising hyperlinks on various sites to my files.

 

This will cause me irreperable financial harm, negatively impact registration and close down a college program.

 

Please comment below.

Dropbox....Are you listening????????????????????

 

 

 


No go. This is from dropboxs own terms of service, which everyone agreed to when they started using the service.

 

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, EXCEPT FOR ANY LIABILITY FOR DROPBOX’S OR ITS AFFILIATES’ FRAUD, FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION OR GROSS NEGLIGENCE, IN NO EVENT WILL DROPBOX, ITS AFFILIATES, SUPPLIERS OR DISTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR:

(A) ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR

(B) ANY LOSS OF USE, DATA, BUSINESS OR PROFITS, REGARDLESS OF LEGAL THEORY.

THIS WILL BE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT DROPBOX OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES HAS BEEN WARNED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND EVEN IF A REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.

ADDITIONALLY, DROPBOX, ITS AFFILIATES, SUPPLIERS AND DISTRIBUTORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICES FOR MORE THAN THE GREATER OF $20 OR THE AMOUNTS PAID BY YOU TO DROPBOX FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS OF THE SERVICES IN QUESTION.

Some places don't allow the types of limitations in this paragraph, so they may not apply to you.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/privacy#terms

 

Updated version for 2017:

 

WE DON'T EXCLUDE OR LIMIT OUR LIABILITY TO YOU WHERE IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL TO DO SO—THIS INCLUDES ANY LIABILITY FOR DROPBOX'S OR ITS AFFILIATES' FRAUD OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION IN PROVIDING THE SERVICES. IN COUNTRIES WHERE THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF EXCLUSIONS AREN'T ALLOWED, WE'RE RESPONSIBLE TO YOU ONLY FOR LOSSES AND DAMAGES THAT ARE A REASONABLY FORESEEABLE RESULT OF OUR FAILURE TO USE REASONABLE CARE AND SKILL OR OUR BREACH OF OUR CONTRACT WITH YOU. THIS PARAGRAPH DOESN'T AFFECT CONSUMER RIGHTS THAT CAN'T BE WAIVED OR LIMITED BY ANY CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT.

IN COUNTRIES WHERE EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY ARE ALLOWED, DROPBOX, ITS AFFILIATES, SUPPLIERS OR DISTRIBUTORS WON'T BE LIABLE FOR:

i. ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR

ii. ANY LOSS OF USE, DATA, BUSINESS, OR PROFITS, REGARDLESS OF LEGAL THEORY.

THESE EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT DROPBOX OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES HAS BEEN WARNED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IF YOU USE THE SERVICES FOR ANY COMMERCIAL, BUSINESS OR RE-SALE PURPOSE, DROPBOX, ITS AFFILIATES, SUPPLIERS OR DISTRIBUTORS WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT, LOSS OF BUSINESS, BUSINESS INTERUPTION, OR LOSS OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. DROPBOX AND ITS AFFILIATES AREN'T RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONDUCT, WHETHER ONLINE OR OFFLINE, OF ANY USER OF THE SERVICES.

OTHER THAN FOR THE TYPES OF LIABILITY WE CANNOT LIMIT BY LAW (AS DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION), WE LIMIT OUR LIABILITY TO YOU TO THE GREATER OF $20 USD OR 100% OF ANY AMOUNT YOU'VE PAID UNDER YOUR CURRENT SERVICE PLAN WITH DROPBOX.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/terms2017

RichardK26
Helpful | Level 7
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@SolitareLee wrote:

I'm kind of amazed to see this: Dropbox has deleted the thread requesting they not remove public folders, moving all the comments within it here instead. 

It seemed to happen right after the news hit the front page of Slashdot.  Before removal, the feature had overnight become the 7th most requested one in their tracker.  The request and its first several pages of comments are recreated here as they originally appeared.  In fairness, at least they didn't censor the content altogether.

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