For the past few years the makers of the Ubuntu Linux operating system have been offering a cloud storage service called Ubuntu One that allows users to upload files, documents and media to the internet and access it across a range of devices including Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu computers or Android or iOS phones and tablets.

Now Canonical is shutting down Ubuntu One.

Ubuntu One

Effective immediately, users won’t be able to purchase storage space or buy music from the Ubuntu One Store. And starting June 1st, 2014 the service will go offline. Users will have until July 31st to download and save their files before they’re deleted from the Ubuntu One servers.

If you have an active subscription that extends beyond that time, Canonical will refund you for the unused portion.

Canonical says it’s shutting down Ubuntu One for a few reasons. First, the company wants to continue to ensure Ubuntu supports a range of third party contents and services… but second (and likely more importantly), Canonical doesn’t see the point in competing in a marketplace where it’s not going to be particularly competitive going forward.

At a time when competing cloud storage companies are offering gigabytes (or even terabytes) of free storage, trying to make even enough money to break even in the online storage and sync business is pretty tough.

via Phoronix

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7 replies on “Canonical kills Ubuntu One cloud storage service”

  1. They’re not shutting down anywhere near enough.
    Perhaps when all those pipe dreams of Shuttleworth’s which are supported only by Shuttleworth’s zombies are shut down, then Shuttleworth will get the lack of attention he so richly deserves.

  2. Thats a shame. I liked using Ubuntu One as it obviously had nice intergration with Ubuntu. I can understand the move though if they are struggling to keep up with other cloud companies. I just hope this isn’t the star of a massive linux downfall 🙁

  3. Sad day for us 🙁
    Anyhow, which other free service can provide a similar, easy to set up and to use do you guys know of?

    1. Hey, there Google drive (15gb free, 1.99$/month for 100gb). And also Dropbox. I think Box gives out 50gb free? Might be wrong about that last one but check out your options.

      1. GoogleDrive isn’t as useful with Linux. Google haven’t provided a client. Third party alternatives exist such as gdrive and ocamlfuse but if Google change anything at their end they will break.

        Also U1 allowed the selection of a number of different folders to sync between computers. The “Documents”, “Pictures” and “Downloads” folders are the same on my desktop and laptops thanks to U1. Google don’t do this. All their stuff is in the ‘Google Drive’ so unless there is a way to remap the core folders to a locally synced alternative in their drive it isn’t useful.

        Box still don’t have a client, despite the requests on their forums, and Dropbox, although it has a client doesn’t have the syncing of U1, only a locally cached version of their in the ‘Dropbox’ itself.

        btsync needs both machines to be on to keep the sync so that isn’t too useful either.

        Sadly there isn’t anything easily comparable to U1 presently. Let’s hope someone comes up with something soon.

        U1’s advantage was it doubled as cloud storage and syncing software for any folder and allowing the files to exist locally and in the cloud for access on third machines.

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