14 DAY TRIAL // Ubuntu users have met with great dismay the shutdown of Ubuntu One, the online storage service provided by Canonical, but it seems that other companies have noticed the opportunity and are preparing to provide assistance.
Canonical decided that it was time to pull the plug on Ubuntu One. It was necessary mostly because they could no longer compete with bigger companies who were offering better products for less money, and because they simply didn't have the man power to deal with such a big and important project.
The company has provided ample time for the Ubuntu One users to find alternatives and to move their files to other services, but other companies, like SpiderOak, rushed to the rescue with a message dedicated to the Ubuntu fans: Dear Ubuntu One Users: What SpiderOak Can Do For You.
You will probably ask who SpiderOak is. Well, according to their website, SpiderOak is the only 100% private online backup, sync, and share provider in the cloud, for Linux, Mac, Windows. It provides personal, professional, and enterprise solutions allowing users to access their data anywhere, from any device. It's also nice to notice that the Linux platform is the first in their enumeration.
The SpiderOak folk have posted a message on their blog for the Ubuntu One users, inviting them to join their service.
“In addition to natively supporting Linux since day 1 in 2007 (my machines run Ubuntu, Debian, and RedHat) we also support Windows and Mac allowing you to be flexible. Enjoy our easier pricing and Zero Knowledge Privacy Policy and keep your data safe, synced, and private! Over 20% of our revenue at SpiderOak comes from happy Linux customers,” reads the SpiderOak blog.
SpiderOak also comes with a series of features that might get people interested, such as scriptable command line interface, configurable backup and/or sync between arbitrary folders, “Keep Your Own Copy” feature and LAN Sync, and perpetual storage of deleted items and old versions (which is provided by default).
The company is also looking to attract the Ubuntu One users with a special offer that can be bought by following a simple set of instructions.
“Psst…don’t tell the Windows/Mac folks, but if you sign up from an Ubuntu Linux machine and then email us next week at [email protected] we’ll offer you a special deal. It’s our secret!” also reads the SpiderOak blog.
The SpiderOak solution is still being developed for the Linux platform and some features are missing, like the Nautilus integration, but, if you are an Ubuntu One user, you might be tempted to check them out.