14 DAY TRIAL // Dropbox is getting ready for a big move, getting close to the release of the Dropbox 1.0 desktop client. While the version number would imply big changes, the update is minimal for those running the beta Dropbox 0.8 versions.
Dropbox 1.0.0 RC is now available for download and should be considered a fairly stable release, but you should hold back from upgrading from Dropbox 0.7 on Mac OS X and Linux for now.
"Yep the Dropbox desktop client hits 1.0! I'm sure you guys saw that one coming ;) This doesn't mean much for you guys, our faithful testers, as this is basically the same 0.8 you know and love, just with a new version number," Dropbox announced in its forums.
The changes from the previous Dropbox 0.8.114 Beta, made available for testers in the Dropbox Forums, are minimal and are mostly bug fixes.
There are several changes to the Dropbox tour that shows up on first install. There is an "Easy Relink" option if you have had Dropbox installed on your computer before.
This enables you to skip some of the steps since it recovers the location setting and selective sync choices. There are also better checks in the tour when merging your Dropbox folder with the one from a previous installation.
Another change that should prove rather useful is the optimization work to the selective sync feature. During initial synchronization, the selective sync should finish significantly faster when changing settings.
If you're upgrading from the current stable release, Dropbox 0.7.110, the changes will be greater. The single biggest new feature is selective sync, which, as the name implies, enables you to sync only the features you need on any particular computer.
Note that there have been some issues with upgrading from Dropbox 0.7 on both Mac OS X and, apparently, Linux. You can do a clean re-install if you really must have the latest release candidate, uninstall Dropbox and then delete the ~/.dropbox config folder, but it's recommended to wait for the next RC.
Dropbox 1.0.0 RC (release candidate) is available for download here.