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?

[Timon]

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@Stefen H. wrote:

For those who are confused about what dl=0 and 1 is:

At the very end of a Dropbox link there'll be a 0. Change that to a 1 and it'll be a direct download instead of a download page, similar to how the old public folder links work.

Also for those who think they have to visit Dropbox.com to create links:

This is not the case if you have the app installed. Right clicking the file or folder you want to create a link to and choosing copy Dropbox link will create a link and copy it to your clipboard. You only have to visit the site if you want to set or modify link options or remove the link altogether.

That said, I'm not a huge user of public folder links, but I too disagree with this change and don't understand why there hasn't been any disclosure about the reason. All this importance placed on disclosure about government requests for data, and none about changes like this. A lot of the negative criticism comes from people not knowing anything about why this is being done.

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Using the dropbox application on my mac it looks like you can't right click on files and use copy line anymore. 

[Timon]

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@Phoenix84 wrote:

I had no idea people still used that folder.

I hated it.

The second they announced sharable links throughout dropbox I stopped using it.

I guess a good compromise might be to either allow existing links to function, but make all future files private and require you to generate a share link; or allow it for pro users, if it's costing them to maintain it.

I'm a pro user and don't care either way. I'm honestly surprised people still use it.

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I've use dropbox for quite awhile and never read anything about not using public folder and create link. Had it been made clear that it wasn't needed I would have used shareable links with dl=1.

I see NO VALID REASON TO REMOVE OLD LINKS AND CAUSE LINKS ALL OVER THE INTERNET TO GO 404. REALLY STUPID!!!!!

[ym58]

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I've use dropbox for quite awhile and never read anything about not using public folder and create link. Had it been made clear that it wasn't needed I would have used shareable links with dl=1.

I see NO VALID REASON TO REMOVE OLD LINKS AND CAUSE LINKS ALL OVER THE INTERNET TO GO 404. REALLY STUPID!!!!!

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sorry to sound stupid but is the ?dl=0 option at the end of the link producing the exact same effect ***in BB*** as none ?

( I must also confess that I don't understand Phoenix84's ***radical*** stand, but this is another story ... 😉 )

[cdgoin]

So what I want to know is why in the DropBox APP in Win 10 if I right Click something outside the public folder the links look like:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qvdo0ztun6jdi4/WP_20161209_20_43_27_Rich.jpg?dl=0 

( Changing 1 to does let it embed.. which is FN stupid.. it should be 1 by DEFAULT )

While the public folder links they go like:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15491148/Trolls/bobby.jpg

BUT WONT be useable after March, then WHY DOES THIER APP STILL WORK THAT WAY !!! 

ANYTHING in my public folder now gets a link formatted in a way that will expire in March. BY DEFAULT in Win10.. your own APP 

Can someone at Dropbox explain that ? Or will the old links to files in the old Public folder still work 

Also if you quit supporting the Public folder in 2012 why is it front and center in my Win10 File Explorer..? Makes it seem supported to me.. 

[Chris R.]

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@Timon wrote:

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Using the dropbox application on my mac it looks like you can't right click on files and use copy line anymore. 

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Have you tried in the Finder? I don't use the Dropbox app (except for the menulet at the top) but if I right click a Public folder file in Finder, one of the contextual menu items is Copy Public link.. So it's still working for me, but won't be after March 2017.

[cdgoin]

Right Now if I Right Click something outside the public folder to share a file, the link looks like this :

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8qvdo0ztun6jdi4/WP_20161209_20_43_27_Rich.jpg?dl=0 

( Changing 0 to 1 does let it embed.. which IMHO should be 1 by DEFAULT )

While files in the current Public folder right clicking creates links they go like:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15491148/Trolls/bobby.jpg

BUT THEY WON'T be useable after March ?? IF SO, THEN WHY DOES YOUR APP STILL WORK THAT WAY !!! 

ANYTHING in my public folder now gets a link formatted in a way that will expire in March. BY DEFAULT in your own Win10 APP 

Can someone at Dropbox explain that ? Or are we misunderstanding DropBox ?

Will the old links to files in the old Public folder still work after March ?

Also if dropbox quit supporting the Public folder in 2012 why is it front and center in my Win10 File Explorer..to this day ? Makes it seem supported to me.. 

[Timon]

@Chris R. wrote:

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@Timon wrote:

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Using the dropbox application on my mac it looks like you can't right click on files and use copy line anymore. 

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Have you tried in the Finder? I don't use the Dropbox app (except for the menulet at the top) but if I right click a Public folder file in Finder, one of the contextual menu items is Copy Public link.. So it's still working for me, but won't be after March 2017.

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It used to be there but it's gone now. Even installed the latest version, I was running an oldercopy, and relaunched finder but still no copy like

However you can see the link under recently changes in the app and copy the link there. So as it stands the only way to find links is via the web site.

[cdgoin]

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@Mark wrote:
This isnt exactly new news I'm afraid.

And it was replaced a LONG LONG time ago by shared links which are pretty much Public Links BUT allowed in any location within your Dropbox: www.dropbox.com/help/167 (as per the link in the email)

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This is NOT true.. PUBLIC links are STILL TO THIS DAY generated in WIN10 File explorer with a simple right click if you have the Dropbox app installed. IF they wanted to change the format of the LINKS, THAT would be the place to do it. THEY NEVER REPLACED Anything, they added a feature for files outside the public folder. The Public folder still installs with the Win10 app, and is prominent in the file explorer when you open Dropbox. Maybe they could change and say anything in the old public folder that is read only, and not a EXE file or such. That is purely a PDF, JPG, PNG, etc.. the links will still work on. But for them to kill the one feature most use in WIN10 is ridiculous.

[Timon]

Many have made comments as have I but here is my current position.

Share verses Create Public Link. Now that I understand how Share works, especially that you need to set dl=1 so they turn into direct links that forums can use, I can use Share as it stands. In fact other then needing to edit the dl=0 to dl=1 it doesn't really take that much more work. I do hope the app is update to support this directly from finder on the Mac or explorer on the PC.

Public folder being made private: I really don't care about this due to the way I use it and how share now works.

Breaking the existing Public file links. This is totally nuts due to the thousands of links in thousands of forums that are going to break and the fact that many forums will not let you edit old posts to fix the broken links. This is the one change that Dropbox SHOULD NOT DO AND  SHOULD LEAVE AS IT IS!!!!! Making this change is a disservice to all of it's users.

[Chris R.]

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@Timon wrote:

@Chris R. wrote:

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@Timon wrote:

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Using the dropbox application on my mac it looks like you can't right click on files and use copy line anymore. 

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Have you tried in the Finder? I don't use the Dropbox app (except for the menulet at the top) but if I right click a Public folder file in Finder, one of the contextual menu items is Copy Public link.. So it's still working for me, but won't be after March 2017.

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It used to be there but it's gone now. Even installed the latest version, I was running an oldercopy, and relaunched finder but still no copy like

However you can see the link under recently changes in the app and copy the link there. So as it stands the only way to find links is via the web site.

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Which version of OS X are you using? I'm still with Snow Leopard and it works ok there. My version of DB is 16.4.29 but honestly, it changes nearly every week.