Sparked from some discussions on a web development course at Tampere University of Technology, I quickly set up a temporary file upload web application. The app allowed you to upload any files and the files would stay online for anyone with a link to download for an hour. After that, the files were automatically deleted to bring added privacy.
Reception was mixed but positive. Some praised the simplicity and the quick execution, others criticised on too short living time of the files. I was happy with it but understood it would not solve all problems of file sharing.
After a month or so the project development was stalled as other things occupied my mind in the university studies. A final nail to the coffin was a major hardware failure at my web hotel host, WebFaction. The failure took down HourUpload and many other sites permanently. That was the end of HourUpload.com.
The picture above represents a mature version of HourUpload service up and running. The below is an screenshot from an early prototype.