Submission details
Have intgrated support for online drives, like SkyDrive.
Yes, I know this isn't a UX quirk, but hear me out:
This feature is so simple, yet so brilliant. I can't believe I never thought of this. Why not have integrated support for online storage services (Like Windows Live SkyDrive) via plugins? (See picture). That way we could easily use the drive just like any other. Other services could make plugins for their online storage services too.
Btw, the credit goes to deviantartnab from deviantart.com for the concept picture. Here's the full picture in context:
http://deviantarnab.deviantart.com/art/Windows-7-Concept-79333856
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Discussion (13 comments)
And perhaps also support ISO mounting. Those are part of the OS that are so tightly integrated with the OS, Explorer and all, that third-party tools seem like a workaround, not the way it should be.
Speaking of ISOs, anyone notice that Windows 7 has support for burning ISO built in now? Like billerr said, they don't have mounting yet though. That would be helpful.
@Calum: Do you know if they have support for SkyDrive? I don't want to have to pay for MobileMe to use iDisk.
Also, like Chris said, it would have more support and be easier to use if it was built in. Like billerr said, anything else feels like a workaround.
Microsoft should start working their main services in to the windows OS. All don't have to be bulit in, but they should just plug in and you should be able to use it right away. no extra plug ins, no downloads, no extra files. just plug it in to the OS and it will work. when your done, you can "unplug" it and it will be off and away. When your ready to use it again, plug it in and it will be ready to use from when you left off/
@Chris: Other services, such as GDrive (if Google ever releases it), will need to make plugins. Things like Windows Live SkyDrive would be built in. That's the idea I'm going for here.
Well they need to work with the others for that....
Instead of working with them, just include it in the new APIs. That way all Windows programmers and programs can take advantage of it.
I don't think it would be a good idea to expose SkyDrive as a windows share (for example \\skydrive.live.com\username\folder), because they would be very slow: imagine you open a file from skydrive. Now you have to wait a few seconds every time you save the file or a program performs an I/O operation.
Instead it would be nice to have the possibility to link a library or a folder to a SkyDrive folder and to automatically syncronize them.
How will it be slow? May be slow for you if you have a old system. but those who don't it will be fast.
also, dial up is over. time to upgrade ;)
@Antiufo:
I see your point, but it wouldn't be any different from logging into SkyDrive from your browser. That would be a nice feature, but the ability to access the SkyDrive from within Windows Explorer would be even more convenient. A few seconds isn't much time at all. Of course, if you're working with large data types like videos or 3D models (which I guess was Microsoft's aim, since they gave us 25GB of storage) then yes, it would take longer. But for documents and the like, this would be really convenient, along with what you said about synchronizing files.
@Chris:
Even on a high speed cable connection, most people's upload speeds max out at about 1.5Mbps, which is far less then the average download speed of 10 - 20Mbps. Also, in some countries like Australia, their internet sucks. The United States has the fastest internet speeds because we invented the internet so we have most of the resources and networking structures laid out here. That's the point he was trying to make.
oh ok :)
.Chris wrote on December 24, 2008, 7:27pm
Shpould be bulit in