Ubuntu One Review
Ubuntu One is an online service that offers the ability to sync files between computers running the Ubuntu Linux distribution. Without paying anything, you’ll receive 2 GB of storage. For ten U.S. dollars, you can upgrade to 10 GB. Currently, only 2 and 10 GB plans are available.
Ubuntu One originally went live in May 2009 as an invitation-only beta. Users had to sign in with a Launchpad ID, and then wait for their invitation request to be accepted. Now, users only have to sign in with their Launchpad ID, and then they’ll be ready to start using the service.
Ubuntu 9.10, the next scheduled release of the Linux distribution, will ship with the Ubuntu One client. And as I’m already using a pre-release version of Ubuntu 9.10, I’ll be using that to review Ubuntu One. People using the latest stable release, Ubuntu 9.04, will have to download and install the Ubuntu One software by themselves, as it doesn’t ship with it.
While virtually any computer connected to the Internet should be able to upload files to Ubuntu One through the web interface, they’ll need to be running Ubuntu 9.04 or higher to sync files between computers automatically.
To sync files with the Ubuntu One servers, you’ll need to place the files you want to use in the Ubuntu One folder, which is automatically created when you install the software. Once you place the files in the folder, they’ll be uploaded in the background. Of course, the time it takes for the files to upload will depend on your upload speed. If you’re using more than one Ubuntu computer running the client software, the files will then be download to that computer’s Ubuntu One folder. Here’s a screenshot of how the Ubuntu One folder looks:
As mentioned earlier, you could probably use Ubuntu One on any computer connected to the Internet, but you’d have to go to their website and upload files from there, rather than being able to just drag and drop them into a folder. If you’re looking for a service that lets you do that, I’d recommend Dropbox. Dropbox runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and also supplies 2 GB of free storage.
As of October 2009, the web interface has been greatly improved. Here’s a screenshot to give you an idea of what the web interface looks like:
In addition to uploading files, the web interface will also allow you to delete and move files. And, if you’d like, you can share files with someone else by typing in their email address.
So that’s Ubuntu One. It does work pretty well considering it’s a beta. However, Ubuntu One really needs to add some features that make it stand out against competitors, otherwise they’ll probably have a very difficult time competing.
UPDATE (October 2009): Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu One) now offers 50 GB of space (rather than 10 GB) for paying customers.
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Tags: 9.04, 9.10, alpha, beta, browser, canonical, dropbox, gigabyte, gnome, ID, Internet, karmic, kde, koala, launchpad, leopard, Linux, Mac, one, os x, snow, Software, technology, ubuntu, upload, web, Windows
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