Windows 10 and OneDrive
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Is anyone testing Windows 10 with the technical preview. Much debate has been made over OneDrive's return to the Windows 7 model of the desktop app.
I have some questions about this for sure. Say, you were one of the brave souls who picked up a 16GB Windows tablet but you also have the unlimited OneDrive space from Office 365. And you want to keep a lot on OneDrive and just access as you need. If I understand it right, Windows 10 will only allow selective syncing of directories and it has to be copied locally to a drive on your device. Meaning, no more "placeholders" for your files. I have a 64GB Dell Venue Pro that I can view all of my OneDrives files with (desktop and Modern app) and I just download what I need at the time and it syncs back to OneDrive.
So, in theory, Windows 10 will not allow you access your full OneDrive. Just what you choose to sync to your device, which would not be much on a 16Gb device. Unless a Modern app is coming where you can view everything just as you can in Windows 8.1. And of course, the OneDrive web site, I assume, will let you view and access everything there.
So is it only the desktop app that is changing? I've decided to embrace my unlimited OneDrive space but I would want to be able to access as I do Windows 8.1.
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@garak0410 There are issues with the current version of OneDrive on Windows 10 (last I knew, about a month ago), but I suspect that it will be full and working by the time Windows 10 actually launches.
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My Windows 10 TP machine is also experiencing OneDrive issues, specifically the inability for OneDrive to actually sync up. Weird thing is that the folder actually has all the correct files, but there have been errors showing for a month.
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I think and hope what is going to happen is that there will still be a modern OneDrive app so we can at least see our OneDrive files. I don't want to do 1 for 1 syncing with the OneDrive desktop app, so I may not even install it then. I kind of like the way it is in 8.1. Shows all of your files and if they are online-only, it downloads to your PC for use and then saves back to the cloud...
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I haven't dug into since the change, but MS did a change to the Windows 8.1 OneDrive client about 6 weeks ago. As the OP mentioned, no more place holders will be stored on the local machine. The reason for this, it's possible, nah likely, that a user could have so many files in OneDrive that even the placeholders would more than fill the memory on the 16 GB devices.
So the solution was as the OP mentioned - you only sync what you specifically choose to sync. The problem is that old school apps can't see into OneDrive (Office 2013 can). For example Adobe Photoshop can't see into OneDrive a non-sync'ed file, as far as Photoshop is concerned it simply not there. This means that you have to find the file, and either download it, or set it to sync.
I will say I've never tried what I just mentioned, I'm simply explaining what I understand to be how OneDrive now works.
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@Dashrender said:
I haven't dug into since the change, but MS did a change to the Windows 8.1 OneDrive client about 6 weeks ago. As the OP mentioned, no more place holders will be stored on the local machine. The reason for this, it's possible, nah likely, that a user could have so many files in OneDrive that even the placeholders would more than fill the memory on the 16 GB devices.
So the solution was as the OP mentioned - you only sync what you specifically choose to sync. The problem is that old school apps can't see into OneDrive (Office 2013 can). For example Adobe Photoshop can't see into OneDrive a non-sync'ed file, as far as Photoshop is concerned it simply not there. This means that you have to find the file, and either download it, or set it to sync.
I will say I've never tried what I just mentioned, I'm simply explaining what I understand to be how OneDrive now works.
Hmmm...now mind you, while I liked this "placeholder" method, I often would have some sync issues...but it worked like having another drive in most of my apps. So, unless there will still be a Modern OneDrive app, I have to go to the OneDrive site, download what I need, and then use it...sounds like a step backwards for the power users...
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Exactly - and that is what everyone is complaining about - it's a huge step backwards, but thus far it's the only solution MS has found for devices that 16 GB of storage.
The place holders is what allowed OneDrive to work like a normal network share and allow applications to work like they always have.
Now we need to get new smart apps that understand cloud storage, and can plug into the APIs directly, pole the services directly OR MS needs to come up with MS service (local to the machine of course) that provides this interface, and the devs only need to write to the MS service.
I don't know, perhaps OneDrive already has this type of interface for traditional workstations/laptops?
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@Dashrender said:
Exactly - and that is what everyone is complaining about - it's a huge step backwards, but thus far it's the only solution MS has found for devices that 16 GB of storage.
The place holders is what allowed OneDrive to work like a normal network share and allow applications to work like they always have.
Now we need to get new smart apps that understand cloud storage, and can plug into the APIs directly, pole the services directly OR MS needs to come up with MS service (local to the machine of course) that provides this interface, and the devs only need to write to the MS service.
I don't know, perhaps OneDrive already has this type of interface for traditional workstations/laptops?
So, do you think this only affects the Desktop OneDrive? Like on my 64GB 8 inch tablet, I should be able to open Word or Excel and there be an option to open and save to OneDrive, without that directory being synced to my PC via the desktop. That should still be, don't you think?
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@garak0410 said:
@Dashrender said:
Exactly - and that is what everyone is complaining about - it's a huge step backwards, but thus far it's the only solution MS has found for devices that 16 GB of storage.
The place holders is what allowed OneDrive to work like a normal network share and allow applications to work like they always have.
Now we need to get new smart apps that understand cloud storage, and can plug into the APIs directly, pole the services directly OR MS needs to come up with MS service (local to the machine of course) that provides this interface, and the devs only need to write to the MS service.
I don't know, perhaps OneDrive already has this type of interface for traditional workstations/laptops?
So, do you think this only affects the Desktop OneDrive? Like on my 64GB 8 inch tablet, I should be able to open Word or Excel and there be an option to open and save to OneDrive, without that directory being synced to my PC via the desktop. That should still be, don't you think?
yes, this should be the case be it on the 64 GB 8 inch tablet or your laptop or desktop... Office 2013 understands OneDrive. It's legacy applications that don't.
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@Dashrender said:
@garak0410 said:
@Dashrender said:
Exactly - and that is what everyone is complaining about - it's a huge step backwards, but thus far it's the only solution MS has found for devices that 16 GB of storage.
The place holders is what allowed OneDrive to work like a normal network share and allow applications to work like they always have.
Now we need to get new smart apps that understand cloud storage, and can plug into the APIs directly, pole the services directly OR MS needs to come up with MS service (local to the machine of course) that provides this interface, and the devs only need to write to the MS service.
I don't know, perhaps OneDrive already has this type of interface for traditional workstations/laptops?
So, do you think this only affects the Desktop OneDrive? Like on my 64GB 8 inch tablet, I should be able to open Word or Excel and there be an option to open and save to OneDrive, without that directory being synced to my PC via the desktop. That should still be, don't you think?
yes, this should be the case be it on the 64 GB 8 inch tablet or your laptop or desktop... Office 2013 understands OneDrive. It's legacy applications that don't.
Then there's hope! :)...I've yet to install Windows 10 on a daily machine...VM for now...
