Microsoft opens up Live Mesh
It just got a little easier to get into Ray Ozzie's cloud.
Microsoft has opened up its Live Mesh service to anyone who has (or signs up for) a Windows Live ID. The service, announced in April, lets people share data among multiple Windows computers, as well as over the Web.
The vision for Live Mesh is broader--envisioning people sharing data among Macs, PCs, and various devices, as well as opening up the possibility for desktop applications to add online components, and Web apps to add offline components. For now, though, it's largely about file sync.
Microsoft is expected to add more features by its Professional Developer Conference in October.
In any case, Microsoft had been limiting Live Mesh sign-ups to those with an invitation, but now it's open to anyone who wants to see it in its early stages.
The change was noted by Microsoft in its Live Mesh forums and spotted by Windows Live enthusiast site Liveside.Net.
"The Live Mesh team is pleased to announce that anyone in the U.S. can now use Live Mesh just by signing in to www.mesh.com with a valid Windows Live ID," Microsoft said.
Oddly, it also told international users they could get into the act by spoofing their systems into appearing to be U.S. machines and then gave instructions on how to do so. That seems an odd choice to me. But hey, there you have it.
"Please be aware that this may cause other applications that specifically require your native country region and language settings to encounter problems," Microsoft cautioned.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.




[CNET editors' note: ad link deleted].
I'm concerned that we are rushing to put everything online to make it easier to share across different computers and systems, but that also puts all your personal information and data now at much greater risk for data theft, identity theft, etc. We've seen breaches from all the big companies at times and I'm not quite sure I really trust their security measures to put my trusted data there. Not yet, at least.
5 gig space is good.. free is good..
isnt as elegant..
mobile support - coming soon
upload multiple files - coming soon
drag and drop files - coming soon
........
feeling of insecurity... baked in!
I like the idea, but it initially caused me huge pain!
Just because this is a Microsoft product doesn't make it worse than the others (DropBox, Syncplicity, etc.). Take it for what it is and use with care. I *never* keep original important documents only on a cloud server from any company. Maybe one day, I'll be able to trust it completely but not yet.
I am going to keep using it. It serves me quite well.
-
by Imalittleteapot
July 16, 2008 1:23 PM PDT
- We just use a shared FTP host/folder. We've been doing this for years. Or a personal one for personal files. I just map it. Maybe not all the bells and whistles, but I still don't get it people.
-
Reply to this comment
-
-
-
by DrtyDogg
July 16, 2008 2:42 PM PDT
- there are a lot of people in my office that when you say "FTP" their eyes glaze over and there head just starts to nod no matter what you say. Live mesh is intuitive and easy for some of them to use.
-
-
-
by Imalittleteapot
July 16, 2008 7:07 PM PDT
- I don't think FTP is all that hard to use, but I think you're absolutely right now that I think about the users POV instead of the programmers. I think the best way to look at it is FTP is hard to setup. Not because it is really hard, but because the average joe doesn't understand because nobody told them and there is no installer holding their hand. Once setup I think most office users wouldn't have any problem. The nice installer is probably the key to all this. Like you said making it more intuitive. What I don't get is why MS didn't push a pretty UI on FTP a long time ago instead of waiting all this time to reinvent the wheel. I know they're going to add stuff latter, but it seems kind of silly for just the online sync and file access to becoming down to the average joe in 08. Seems like it should have happened in 98 to me. For the user I get it. It's the developers I think that over thought it, but not really. FTP is basically decentralized. Is Live Mesh? I don't know if it's P2P or what exactly, but this way Microsoft would hold all your cloud data correct? That may be their major incentive which sucks, but it's just good business sense I guess. I'm gonna try this Live Mesh thing out anyway just to see what the deal is.
-
-
-
by Imalittleteapot
July 16, 2008 7:13 PM PDT
- Ok, maybe it's just a web app. I don't know how this thing works. Sorry, read about it a lot on here, but never used it. Like I said. I just FTP it. I'll play with it a while.
-
-
(16 Comments)