SkyDrive Perspective

[BeeJ]

I would like this group's perspective of SkyDrive.
Probably too biased in more directly related newsgroups.
i.e. what all is it? do I want to use it? dangers? real advantages?
limitations? etc.

 

[Ken Springer]

I would like this group's perspective of SkyDrive.
Probably too biased in more directly related newsgroups.
i.e. what all is it? do I want to use it? dangers? real advantages?
limitations? etc.

I have no specific comments as to SkyDrive, but the idea of cloud
storage to me is a bad idea for important documents and data. I.E.,
your social security number, tax returns, corporate documents and data, etc.

With the difficulty of maintaining computer security, why would you
place your data in the hands of others? That is abrogating your
responsibility of protecting your data.

If your information gets stolen from an offsite location, it's not the
sole responsibility of that location for the problem, the majority if
not all of the responsibility for that belongs to the person(s) who put
the data there. If the data is not on the offsite location, it won't
get stolen from that location.

There are lots of offsite storage locations, Dropbox, Apple's iDisk
which is now iCloud, and a slew of others
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_hosting_services),
this sounds to me like MS just wanting to jump on the bandwagon. I
could be wrong, as obviously I've no desire to make a big use of this.

Obviously, I'm a Mac user, primarily. I do have XP Pro, Vista Ultimate,
and Win 7 Home. I never used iDisk (now iCloud) or MobileMe.

But, I will own up to a Dropbox account, which I use for just one
purpose. As noted on the SkyDrive site, when I have a lot of photos I
want to share with a lot of people, I create a Dropbox location, that is
not publicly shared, and send the link rather than sending the photos to
clog up my friends' hard drives.

For the same security reasons, I won't use an online backup service like
Carbonite. (Carbonite is just an example, since it's the only one I
know of due to their recent commercials on television.)

I do my backups locally, using Time Machine which comes with OS X. That
is not an endorsement of Time Machine over others, I've not taken the
time to investigate other backup software, just using it because it is
immediately available to me. And if I had the secrets of the universe
and life on that hard drive, all I have to do is disconnect it, and no
one has access to it. And if I really want those files and data
protected to the max, I'd have it on a computer that is not regularly
connected to the internet.

On any of my computers, I don't even store my data on the root drive
with the OS.

--
Ken

Mac OS X 10.6.8
Firefox 10.0.2
Thunderbird 10.0.2
LibreOffice 3.5.0 rc3

 

[XS11E]

I would like this group's perspective of SkyDrive.

I don't trust any cloud storage. One reason is security and the other,
equally important, is that we've already seen cloud storage sites shut
down, some with little or no provision for users to recover the lost
data. In the long run every cloud storage site WILL shutdown or crash
and lose all the stored data. Whether that shutdown or crash occurs
in the next week or 10,000 years from now makes a huge difference but
my crystal ball is broken and I'm not going to gamble any data on
picking a cloud storage site that will last as long as I want it to
last.

http://www.ittechnewsdaily.com/168-cloud-data-storage-problems.html

Of course, the problem is avoided by keeping adequate backups of any
data stored "in the cloud" but what's the advantage of cloud storage if
you still have to archive all your data?

 

[Dave \Crash\ Dummy]

I would like this group's perspective of SkyDrive. Probably too
biased in more directly related newsgroups. i.e. what all is it? do I
want to use it? dangers? real advantages? limitations? etc.

I think I am prejudiced by my PC experience. When I started, the PC was
a standalone desktop appliance to which one added applications as
needed. There was no internet. When the internet arrived, it was just
another tool for my desktop. My home computer remains the core of my
computer life, and that is where I want to keep all my computer stuff. A
more recent PC user may view the PC as little more than an internet
tool, rather than the other way around, and have a completely different
attitude about storage, but I won't be putting my stuff in a cloud.

 

[pjp]

I would like this group's perspective of SkyDrive.
Probably too biased in more directly related newsgroups.
i.e. what all is it? do I want to use it? dangers? real advantages?
limitations? etc.

There'll be all kinds of comments about the technology, is it safe etc.
but to my mind the biggest reason to NOT USE IT is simply it's under US
legal jurisdiction which in todays world means you have next to no
exercisable rights if/when the US government wants to take a look. It
doesn't matter if you're not a US citizen and have connected somewhere
else in the world or any other reason. They just have to say "national
security" and they are "god" (lower case on purpose). It a clear case of
"absolute power currpts absolutely".

Jeez, I'll never again even visit the US because of all the BS crossing
the Canadian border. They can demand to look in my laptop, what next
have to take a lie detector test, a scope up my anus? Not in this
lifetime!

 

[...winston]

SkyDrive is available to any Live ID:

First some background about a Live ID
1. All Live ID's are email addresses
2. All Hotmail type accounts (Hotmail.com, Live.com, Msn.com and other
country domain of the same form are Live IDs
3. 3rd Party email addresess (e.g. *.yahoo.com, gmail.com, yourisp.com, etc)
can be registered as a Live ID
4. With Windows 8 all Microsoft Accounts are Live ID's and of the above form
(2 or 3) and provide a SkyDrive
- A Microsoft account is a Live ID with the ability to have a billing
relationship with MSFT (i.e. in Win8 terms 'purchasing apps or content
similar to iTunes or Apple's app store)
5. All XBox Live accounts are Live ID's

Each Live ID comes with a 25GB SkyDrive for online storage for storing
files, photos, music.

SkyDrive also provides access to MSFT's online Office Apps (Excel, Word,
Powerpoint, OneNote) without the need of a locally installed Office
application.

SkyDrive allows one to share files and/or folders by a variety of means:
- Public (Everyone)
- Send an email requiring the recipient to signon with their Live ID
- Send and email without requiring a Live ID signon
- Obtain a view only link and provide it to others
- Obtain a view and edit link and provide it to others
- Post a Link to Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace

Public automatically makes it available to your Live Messenger contacts and
any other social service (e.g. Facebook) that Messenger is socially
connected to.

Here's a few simple samples created solely for illustration
1. View only picture - http://goo.gl/9qvLq
2. View only Word doc - http://goo.gl/TjAII

As with any online cloud storage, the danger is using it with ignorance and
using it for something that you shouldn't.


--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"BeeJ" wrote in message
I would like this group's perspective of SkyDrive.
Probably too biased in more directly related newsgroups.
i.e. what all is it? do I want to use it? dangers? real advantages?
limitations? etc.

 

[Steve Hayes]

SkyDrive is available to any Live ID:

First some background about a Live ID
1. All Live ID's are email addresses
2. All Hotmail type accounts (Hotmail.com, Live.com, Msn.com and other
country domain of the same form are Live IDs
3. 3rd Party email addresess (e.g. *.yahoo.com, gmail.com, yourisp.com, etc)
can be registered as a Live ID
4. With Windows 8 all Microsoft Accounts are Live ID's and of the above form
(2 or 3) and provide a SkyDrive
- A Microsoft account is a Live ID with the ability to have a billing
relationship with MSFT (i.e. in Win8 terms 'purchasing apps or content
similar to iTunes or Apple's app store)
5. All XBox Live accounts are Live ID's

Each Live ID comes with a 25GB SkyDrive for online storage for storing
files, photos, music.

And, according to the Terms and Conditions, an account may be terminated at
any time without notice and without reasons being given.

So if you back up any important stuff there, don't count on it being there
when you need it.

 

[...winston]

If you're planning to violate the TOS it would be prudent not to store
anything important.

Not much different than any isp's or online provider TOS either.


--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"Steve Hayes" wrote in message

SkyDrive is available to any Live ID:

First some background about a Live ID
1. All Live ID's are email addresses
2. All Hotmail type accounts (Hotmail.com, Live.com, Msn.com and other
country domain of the same form are Live IDs
3. 3rd Party email addresess (e.g. *.yahoo.com, gmail.com, yourisp.com,
etc)
can be registered as a Live ID
4. With Windows 8 all Microsoft Accounts are Live ID's and of the above
form
(2 or 3) and provide a SkyDrive
- A Microsoft account is a Live ID with the ability to have a billing
relationship with MSFT (i.e. in Win8 terms 'purchasing apps or content
similar to iTunes or Apple's app store)
5. All XBox Live accounts are Live ID's

Each Live ID comes with a 25GB SkyDrive for online storage for storing
files, photos, music.

And, according to the Terms and Conditions, an account may be terminated at
any time without notice and without reasons being given.

So if you back up any important stuff there, don't count on it being there
when you need it.

 

[Muad'Dib]

I don't trust any cloud storage. One reason is security and the other,
equally important, is that we've already seen cloud storage sites shut
down, some with little or no provision for users to recover the lost
data. In the long run every cloud storage site WILL shutdown or crash
and lose all the stored data. Whether that shutdown or crash occurs
in the next week or 10,000 years from now makes a huge difference but
my crystal ball is broken and I'm not going to gamble any data on
picking a cloud storage site that will last as long as I want it to
last.

http://www.ittechnewsdaily.com/168-cloud-data-storage-problems.html

Of course, the problem is avoided by keeping adequate backups of any
data stored "in the cloud" but what's the advantage of cloud storage if
you still have to archive all your data?

One advantage actively advertised is the ability to access your files
from any computer around the world, and share files you choose to share.
With home file servers, IE Western Digital My Book Live etc, you have
your OWN personal cloud accessible from anywhere in the world and have
control of it. I see no need to entrust my files on some server
somewhere that hopes to keep them safe. Backup, backup, backup, one
should not trust even their own server and put all their files only on
it, as if it crashes, you are still screwed. That's just live in the
digital world, gotta backup the backups and still hope something doesn't
go wrong. Fire? Screwed Flood? Screwed Theft? Screwed ..And so on.

G'day

 

[Muad'Dib]

There'll be all kinds of comments about the technology, is it safe etc.
but to my mind the biggest reason to NOT USE IT is simply it's under US
legal jurisdiction which in todays world means you have next to no
exercisable rights if/when the US government wants to take a look. It
doesn't matter if you're not a US citizen and have connected somewhere
else in the world or any other reason. They just have to say "national
security" and they are "god" (lower case on purpose). It a clear case of
"absolute power currpts absolutely".

Jeez, I'll never again even visit the US because of all the BS crossing
the Canadian border. They can demand to look in my laptop, what next
have to take a lie detector test, a scope up my anus? Not in this
lifetime!

Um, well, think again about never visiting because of US security. A
relative of mine went to your country a couple weeks ago, yep pretty
much got a strip search before he could enter, so he is feeling the same
way as you about ever returning. Goes both ways pal. Sad, but that is
the way things have become.

G'day

 

[Steve Hayes]

If you're planning to violate the TOS it would be prudent not to store
anything important.

Or even if you're not planning to do that. Violation of the TOS is not the
only reason they can terminate your serivce. They can do to at any time, for
any reason, without informing you beforehand.

Not much different than any isp's or online provider TOS either.

So if you're planning to use one for backup, use two or three.

 

[Rob]

Or even if you're not planning to do that. Violation of the TOS is not the
only reason they can terminate your serivce. They can do to at any time, for
any reason, without informing you beforehand.

So if you're planning to use one for backup, use two or three.

I agree, effectively you MUST make you own cloud.
What we are being sold labelled as "cloud computing" is snake oil.
Unless a cloud solution involves several unrelated companies so
that if any of them go out of business or their systems fail
(common), it is not a 'cloud' in any sense that is actually
useful to us. Experienced users will never put all of their
eggs in one basket, so this 'cloud' is nothing but marketing hype.

 

[James Silverton]

I agree, effectively you MUST make you own cloud.
What we are being sold labelled as "cloud computing" is snake oil.
Unless a cloud solution involves several unrelated companies so
that if any of them go out of business or their systems fail
(common), it is not a 'cloud' in any sense that is actually
useful to us. Experienced users will never put all of their
eggs in one basket, so this 'cloud' is nothing but marketing hype.

When I worked for the US Government I learned to be cautious about
single-site commercial storage. Admittedly, this was simply boxes of
paper containing scientific data but we never got them all back when the
storage company went bankrupt.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I agree, effectively you MUST make you own cloud.
What we are being sold labelled as "cloud computing" is snake oil.
Unless a cloud solution involves several unrelated companies so
that if any of them go out of business or their systems fail
(common), it is not a 'cloud' in any sense that is actually
useful to us. Experienced users will never put all of their
eggs in one basket, so this 'cloud' is nothing but marketing hype.

One might notice the similarity in meaning between "cloud" and "vapor"

 

[...winston]

Well, the topic is SkyDrive...imo, that specific cloud service (since it is
only 25GB) is primarily intended for storing user created photos, videos
and light use of the available online Office Apps and since each 25GB is
single account based not really an option as a mechanism for personal
storage beyond the above noted use.
- i.e. it's important to differentiate use and objective when discussing
cloud based options and strategies.

Since the majority of content has to exist locally prior to uploading to
SkyDrive, the requirement to backup locally is still primary therefore
anything stored on SkyDrive should be redundant to what exists (should
exist) elsewhere.

I do agree that 'cloud computing' has a long way to go (robustness,
availability, security, redundant storage) before its ready for primetime
but for those with existing Hotmail accounts (over 300 million) and/or
considering Win8 (with SkyDrive built in) it may very well be more than
sufficient for the above noted primary intent.


--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"Rob" wrote in message

Or even if you're not planning to do that. Violation of the TOS is not the
only reason they can terminate your serivce. They can do to at any time,
for
any reason, without informing you beforehand.

So if you're planning to use one for backup, use two or three.

I agree, effectively you MUST make you own cloud.
What we are being sold labelled as "cloud computing" is snake oil.
Unless a cloud solution involves several unrelated companies so
that if any of them go out of business or their systems fail
(common), it is not a 'cloud' in any sense that is actually
useful to us. Experienced users will never put all of their
eggs in one basket, so this 'cloud' is nothing but marketing hype.

 

[Gene Wirchenko]

On 3/20/2012, Rob posted:
[snip]

I agree, effectively you MUST make you own cloud.
What we are being sold labelled as "cloud computing" is snake oil.
Unless a cloud solution involves several unrelated companies so
that if any of them go out of business or their systems fail
(common), it is not a 'cloud' in any sense that is actually
useful to us. Experienced users will never put all of their
eggs in one basket, so this 'cloud' is nothing but marketing hype.

That would be too easy. It does have some use which means that
it can not simply be dismissed, much as we might wish.

One might notice the similarity in meaning between "cloud" and "vapor"

Bad analogy: A cloudy is cloudy. Vapour is often clear.

My version is: One might notice the similarity in meaning between
"cloud" and "fog". >

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:28:37 -0700, Gene E. Bloch

On 3/20/2012, Rob posted:

[snip]

I agree, effectively you MUST make you own cloud.
What we are being sold labelled as "cloud computing" is snake oil.
Unless a cloud solution involves several unrelated companies so
that if any of them go out of business or their systems fail
(common), it is not a 'cloud' in any sense that is actually
useful to us. Experienced users will never put all of their
eggs in one basket, so this 'cloud' is nothing but marketing hype.

That would be too easy. It does have some use which means that
it can not simply be dismissed, much as we might wish.

Bad analogy: A cloudy is cloudy. Vapour is often clear.

My version is: One might notice the similarity in meaning between
"cloud" and "fog". >

Gene Wirchenko

Have you ever heard the term "vaporware"? Didn't think so.

 

[Gene Wirchenko]

[snip]

Bad analogy: A cloudy is cloudy. Vapour is often clear.

My version is: One might notice the similarity in meaning between
"cloud" and "fog". >

Have you ever heard the term "vaporware"? Didn't think so.

Yes, somewhere around, oh, 25 years ago, so you were wrong in
your assumption.

"cloud" and "fog" are closer than "cloud" and "vaporware".

Sincerely,

Gene Wiichenko

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

On Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:59:12 -0700, Gene E. Bloch

On Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:28:37 -0700, Gene E. Bloch

[snip]

One might notice the similarity in meaning between "cloud" and "vapor"

Bad analogy: A cloudy is cloudy. Vapour is often clear.
My version is: One might notice the similarity in meaning between
"cloud" and "fog". >

Have you ever heard the term "vaporware"? Didn't think so.

Yes, somewhere around, oh, 25 years ago, so you were wrong in
your assumption.

"cloud" and "fog" are closer than "cloud" and "vaporware".

Gene Wiichenko

Good grief! You misspelled your own name!

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed my joke about vapor.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

On Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:59:12 -0700, Gene E. Bloch

On 3/20/2012, Gene Wirchenko posted:

[snip]

One might notice the similarity in meaning between "cloud" and "vapor"


Bad analogy: A cloudy is cloudy. Vapour is often clear.
My version is: One might notice the similarity in meaning between
"cloud" and "fog". >
Have you ever heard the term "vaporware"? Didn't think so.

Yes, somewhere around, oh, 25 years ago, so you were wrong in
your assumption.
"cloud" and "fog" are closer than "cloud" and "vaporware".
Sincerely,
Gene Wiichenko

Good grief! You misspelled your own name!

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed my joke about vapor.

I though I'd better clarify my last sentence.

It is meant as sarcasm, since your reponses to my joke indicate to me
that you didn't get it, even after I explained it.