Cloud has become a very important aspect of not only computing technology but also normal user life. Personally I don’t take risk with my data and want it to be crash-proof. Especially my research work in progress is something I cannot compromise and hence I like to keep my stuff in the cloud. I know there are cons as well, like the privacy concerns and also one can’t refute that the cloud servers can’t crash. However, if I were to chose one, I’d chose the lesser of the two evils and that I have my PC synced to cloud computers.

Sometime back there was the private beta launch of the service called as UbuntuOne. Ubuntu One helps you store, sync and share. Sync your files, share your work with others or work remotely, all with your Ubuntu computers.

Let’s see how to install UbuntuOne on Ubuntu and get the magic working for you.

Getting an UbuntuOne Account

Well, because it’s cloud you’ll have to have an account with UbuntuOne. There are various plans you can avail. I chose to have the free 2 GB plans as I don’t have exaggerated amount of files to sync and share. All the details of other plans can be found Ubuntu One Plan page (mentioned at the bottom of the post).

Installing UbuntuOne

To begin with you need to have Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope). So if you haven’t already upgraded, this could be a good reason. Once you get the account, you need to sign in to install the software.

1. Download the deb file and double click it to install the PPA (link at the end of the post) on your Ubuntu machine.

2. Next step is to get the Ubuntu One Gnome client. To get the client click this link.

3. Next up is to start the client and to authorize it. To start the UbuntuOne client go to Application > Internet > Ubuntu One.

4. A web page will be opened asking you to Add this computer.

5. You should now see the UbuntuOne icon in the panel and folder named Ubuntu One in your home directory.

All you have to do now is to start saving files in that folder and your files will be shared/synced across other Ubuntu Machines.

Ubuntu One Plans

https://ubuntuone.com/plans/

Ubuntu One PPA Deb

https://media.ubuntuone.com/media/1677/files/ubuntuone-jaunty-ppa.deb