A Live Mesh Sellout
Some developers interested in trying out the beta of Live Mesh are a bit disappointed.
No, not in the software -- in their ability to get it. It seems there's a
waiting
list to get the test software.
I've read up on Live Mesh and still don't completely get it. Here's what I
think I know: Live Mesh isn't a product, but a set of tools that let developers
build applications. These applications are designed not just to share data across
the Internet, but keep it synchronized, as well. This is a very Lotus Notes-ian
concept, which used replication to sync end user machines with databases stored
on servers.
There are lots of potential uses for Live Mesh. For starters, consumers can
share photos and music, or collaborate on blogs. My ideal use is to have a single
place for all my documents, bookmarks and messaging tools. This way, I can have
a full environment and data set no matter what machine I'm working on.
I pine for this capability every time my Dell Latitude D520 needs a new motherboard,
an all-too-frequent event. In the absence of such a system, I have to kludge
together a working system out of an old machine, contact my online backup provided
to get my files (this company isn't open at nights or weekends, when I actually
do most of my work), and install new bits of software like my IM client.
Redmond magazine columnist Mary Jo Foley examined Live Mesh and found
it much more a consumer play. Check out her analysis here.
I know you in IT are much smarter than I am, so how do you keep multiple machines
in sync? Save my sanity by e-mailing your techniques to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on July 21, 2008