Microsoft Details SkyDrive on Windows 8
The best thing about Microsoft these days is they seem to understand there is a need for change. Not just change for change sake but for a specific purpose and response to consumer demand. Enter today’s Building Windows 8 blog post where Mike Torres and Omar Shahine display and go over SkyDrive integration in Windows 8.
Three key things covered are:
- SkyDrive Metro style app on Windows 8
- SkyDrive files integrated into Windows Explorer on the desktop, and
- The ability to fetch remote files through SkyDrive.com
The key things I take away from this is that we are in for a totally mobile and social future with Microsoft firmly entrenched in the middle of it. These are all welcomed changes and if Skype can be integrated into it also this would be a powerful combination that gives the user more control, if they want it, than other offerings.
SkyDrive on Windows 8 demonstration
Source: Building Windows 8 Blog
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muranilewis
12 Comments
A huge disappointment for me, since they confirmed that it will work as a single sync folder, instead of letting users pick folders to sync.
I think you may have misunderstood something. Your SkyDrive is synched to your desktop as a single folder. You can choose the folders in your PC to be synched with SkyDrive.
Lol, don’t you see the contradiction in you reply?
You can’t choose folders, you can only put files in the skydrive folder.
I understand Murani; I don’t understand @markiz.
If I’m understanding Murani correctly, SkyDrive shows up as a single folder on your desktop (as an example). You chose which of your OTHER folders on that desktop to sync with SkyDrive (let’s say, Documents -> Photos -> Our Zoo Trip). If you don’t want to share that folder, don’t sync it with SkyDrive. If you don’t want to share a document, don’t put it in that folder.
Yes?
If that is correct, yes, you can “put” folders in the SkyDrive folder. It’s all virtual. They should show that way. Disclaimer: I have actually not even used SkyDrive at all, so I’m not sure how it works in the least.
@MartiM
No, that is NOT how it will work. ONLY that skydrive folder “that shows up on desktop” is going to be able to sync, there will be no option to add “OTHER” folders.
@markiz-You have to think of the SkyDrive folder as a library just like pictures, video, music and the like are in Windows 7. You can have folders inside that and all the folders you place in there syncs. You can also choose to leave other things outside the SkyDrive folder and get to it by using the “fetch” ability coming in SkyDrive for Windows 8.
The “Fetch” ability allows you to go and grab any file on your computer regardless if it has been previously synced or not. You will have the option to “copy to SkyDrive” too so that the file in question can by accessed directly from SkyDrive.com going forward.
@MartiM-When you install the SkyDrive app for Windows 8 what happens is the folders on SkyDrive.com sync to your computer. That way what is in the cloud is on your PC as well. Thats why everything is made available across all your devices. No need for excessive configuring to get it to work out of the box and that is due to Microsoft’s focus on taking steps out of the equation for the consumer. The main thing people have been saying about iCloud is that you don’t have to think about if a file is synced or not and that is what Microsoft is going for while still providing power users the opportunity to manage their files in a more comprehensive manner should they choose to do so.
So with iCloud, you’re saying that ALL files (or at least docs, pics, music – I wouldn’t expect loaded games) are in the cloud whether you want it or not? Because that would blow. There are always things I’d rather not be out of my control (my minor child’s pictures, for instance, or financial items).
@Murani
No, it’s not like a library, it’s just a regular folder. Read the comments on the MSDN blog post, Sinofsky and Torres confirm it.
@MartiM
What has icloud have to do with this?
So in other words, SkyDrive will work just like Dropbox does now. That’s ok with me.
@markiz: I was referring to Murani’s reply: “The main thing people have been saying about iCloud is that you don’t have to think about if a file is synced or not and that is what Microsoft is going for while still providing power users the opportunity to manage their files in a more comprehensive manner should they choose to do so.”
@markiz: It appears you are in fact correct that SkyDrive is a regular folder instead of a library. It seems Microsoft is intent on everyone’s stuff being in the same location as to avoid confusion as to where people’s files are.
That being said there is a way to get other folders synced on SkyDrive and that is with the new ability to fetch files on your desktop or remote computer and utilize the “copy to SkyDrive” option. From then on the folder that you copied to SkyDrive will be a subfolder of the SkyDrive folder on your desktop. The other way of course is simply to copy individual folders into your default SkyDrive folder. Do it at setup and get it over with and once its done you don’t have to do it again nor will you have to worry about doing it on the other devices you use.
@Murani Yeah, thanks for the suggestion. I know there are workarounds, but i was really hoping it would work like mesh does, instead like dropbox.
I have specific needs. i only need a part of every file type to backup to skydrive. So for example, in d:\pictures i don’t want for meme pictures i downloaded to sync, i only want d:\pictures\photos to sync. So now if i want it to do it automatically, I’ll have to move the “photos” folder to skydrive, and when i go to d:\pictures, photos folder will not be there.