Canonical has begun sending e-mails to users of the Ubuntu One file service informing them of the impending shut down.
The e-mail follows on from a formal announcement of the decision by Canonical CEO Jane Silber made at the start of April.
Key Dates
The message, which is signed off from the ‘Ubuntu One team’, doesn’t delve into the ins and outs of the shutdown (which is more or less down to the lack of financial incentive to keep it running). Instead, clear information on the key dates by which users can expect disruption to start and file deletion to occur are given:
“While the service will stop as of 1 June, you will have an additional two months (until 31 July 2014) to collect all of your content. After that date, all remaining content will be deleted.
If you have an active annual subscription, the unused portion of your fees will be refunded. The refund amount will be calculated from today’s announcement.1”
Apologising for the ‘inconvenience’ of the closure, the mail ends on a more positive and optimistic note. The Ubuntu One team thanking users for their support, and hoping that they will continue to do so ‘as together we bring a revolutionary experience to new devices.’
Will that experience be quite as ‘revolutionary’ now it lacks a bridge between form factors? That remains to be seen.
For now, those using Ubuntu One should focus on the present and in securing their data ahead of the July end-date.