Ubuntu One Cloud Storage Now for Windows too!

Ubuntu One is Canonical's answer to cloud storage and has been included within the last several Ubuntu releases.  Simply put, you sign up for your free 5GB account (that was previously only for Ubuntu users) and start syncing your files to "the cloud".

You can stash pretty much any kind of file you'd like on your Ubuntu One "Cloud" and that grants you the ability to access your files on the go from literally any internet connect computer or mobile device in the world.

My previous solution to cloud storage was Dropbox.  However, seeing as how I have multiple Ubuntu installs working across several VirtualBox machines on my Windows host, this may very well keep me from even messing with VirtualBox shared folders between guest and host.  And simply use Ubuntu One instead.  Not to mention, with access to Ubuntu One on Windows and Ubuntu, it is also available on iOS and Android devices.

Every user gets 5GB's of data for free and can purchase additional space should you need it.
Check out Ubuntu One at:http://ubuntuone.com/

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Making the jump to 'Maverick Meerkat'

Like so many others, I too downloaded the newest Ubuntu release version:10.10. Which happened to release on October 10, 2010. I did a fresh install today (over my existing 10.04.1 partition). From first glance, I honestly could't tell that much of a difference from 0.04. LTS). Sure, the new wallpaper looked nice. But the overall experience was still pretty much the same. Nothing seemed to be lost or gained in the new version of the Live CD.

Then, I launched the installer. And to my surprise, I was looking at a new install wizard. It had a few checkmarks denoting that my system had adequate free hard drive space, memory, and an Internet connection. Then I stepped through the somewhat simplified wizard and was underway with installing a lot quicker than I had remembered the process being. One of the big differences I saw were 2 new options before committing to the install.
1- Download updates during install.
2- the option to install 3rd party codecs like MP3 support during install.

I took both of the options for experimentation sake. And they worked flawlessly. My next steps were to download the restricted driver for my nVidia graphics card, run the Update Wizard (which came back as updated), and try out Gwibber. I was one of the many who were affected with Gwibber issues in 10.04.1 LTS. It just wouldn't function right (or at all in some cases).

For those who haven't used it, Gwibber is a social networking app that aggregates status updates from sites like Faceboook and Twitter (and several others). I setup my Twitter account with no issues. But the Facebook setup still wouldn't work. But no worries, Empathy picks up some of the slack; allowing access to Facebook chat instead of logging in only on the website. My next moves were to install some of the other apps I like to use (like Gimp and OpenShot). Which installed fine. I also setup Compiz with my desired effects, and downloaded Ubuntu Tweak (which I will have a review on very shortly).

After installing the Chrome web browser and downloading some custom wallpapers, and installing Docky to replace the bottom GNOME panel; I was once again happy with the way my Ubuntu install looks and feels. Cannonical has once again brought the world another great version of Ubuntu with many more features under the hood that I can't wait to try out.

By the way, a review will be showing up soon about the Ubuntu One features. And hopefully, I can find a way to replace my iTunes music shopping habits with the Ubuntu One music store that is integrated with RhythmBox. To my dismay, all of the songs I have purchased in the last week from iTunes for 99 cents, are on the Ubuntu music store for just 77 cents. What can I say, I'm cheap. LOL

Happy surfing!

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