Ubuntu One Shutting Down

No, It wasn't and April Fools Joke.

It was most definitely one of my most favourite apps for Ubuntu, and one I came to rely on more than I ever thought I would. Running multiple computers and wanting to access the same documents on any of them at any time, the  'built-in' file sync service known as UbuntuOne was the perfect fit. Designed to be nearly transparent to the user it was the perfect 'set-and-forget' app. There was no doubt that your files would be exactly where you needed them when you needed them, regardless what computer you sat down in front of.

I received my notification e-mail just this morning:

Hi,

We are writing to you to notify you that we will be shutting down the
Ubuntu One file services, effective 1 June 2014. This email gives
information about the closure and what you should expect during the
shutdown process.

As of today, it will no longer be possible to purchase storage or music
from the Ubuntu One store. The Ubuntu One file services apps in the Ubuntu,
Google, and Apple stores will be updated appropriately.

As always, your content belongs to you.  You can simply download your files
onto your PC or an external hard drive.  While the service will stop as of
1 June, you will have an additional two months (until 31 July 2014) to
collect all of your content. After that date, all remaining content will
be deleted.

If you have an active annual subscription, the unused portion of your fees
will be refunded. The refund amount will be calculated from today's
announcement.

We know you have come to rely on Ubuntu One, and we apologise for the
inconvenience this closure may cause.  We've always been inspired by the
support, feedback and enthusiasm of our users and want to thank you for
the support you've shown for Ubuntu One. We hope that you'll continue to
support us as together we bring a revolutionary experience to new devices.

The Ubuntu One team

I would now like to publicly thank the team behind UbuntuOne for their work on the service... It was a great ride, Good luck to all in your future endeavours. 

Looking ahead I do all ready have alternatives in place that I use on a regular basis and have proven to be reliable on the Ubuntu Linux platform.

Drop Box

Tried and true, Dropbox is certainly up to the job, although it only has 2GB free not the 5GB that UbuntuOne did. If you are only dealing with Documents and not a lot of photos or any large video files the 2GB will suffice for most users. The dropbox package is available through the Ubuntu Software Center which makes its installation a little easier than some of the alternatives. The interface is just as transparent as UbuntuOne.

Google Drive

Grive as Linux knows it can be installed but it is not as straight forward as the others (yet). The .deb packages are out there but installation is not as simple as just letting the software center do its thing. Some sites do have tutorials that walk you through the process quite well. If you are familiar with Linux and take your time it can be installed and set up with little headache. The transparency of Grive is better now than it was as the developers are still tweaking it into shape. Once the packages hit the software center it will be good to go. For those who need more space than the free 2GB that Dropbox offers Google Drive is a much more appealing choice at a whopping 15GB!

Bitcasa

As a totally alternate route, certainly one that takes much more knowledge to get set up, is an on-line storage site like Bitcasa.  They are currently working on a beta Linux Client, although it can be installed and does run well enough it does not have a GUI, so for the average user it may not be the right choice yet. It is a very good choice for those needing even more space offering 10GB free and up to 10GB additional for taking part in the "Bit Bonus" program they have... So with a possibility of 20GB free... it is worth looking into. Once the Bitcasa team has the Linux Client out of the beta stage I will be sure to "reimplement" it and give it a review.