Microsoft announces its roadmap for implementing a single sync engine in OneDrive
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Since Windows 10 build 9879 there has been some controversy among OneDrive users because Microsoft is abandoning the sync engine used in Windows 8.1 that made it possible to use smart-files: placeholder files that only contain the metadata of the real files, and that allowed us to browse all OneDrive content while offline, even if not all original files were downloaded locally.
Now Microsoft is finally explaining in detail the plan behind that decision.The main issue they are trying to resolve is the existence of multiple sync engines in OneDrive, which causes performance and interoperability issues for some users and platforms.
Today in OneDrive 3 different synchronization engines must coexist: Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and OneDrive for Business
Today OneDrive operates with 3 different sync engines: one that is used by Windows 7, Windows 8 clients and Mac, another that is used by Windows 8.1 and that allows the use of placeholders or smart-files, and another specific for OneDrive for Business that has its own peculiarities.
According to Redmond, when they started noticing the performance and stability issues caused by smart-files (increased error rates when copying or moving files, crashes in applications trying to open smart-files, crashes when working together with OneDrive for Business, etc), along with the difficulty of implementing a similar function on other platforms, they decided to step aside and rethink the entire OneDrive synchronization model from scratch
The strategy they have been following since then is to implement a single sync engine for all platforms and also for OneDrive for Business. To achieve this goal, they are working on the basis of the Windows 7/Windows 8/Mac engine, which is the one that offers the best performance and stability to date. today.
The idea is that over time this engine will incorporate all the features of OneDrive for Business and OneDrive for Windows 8.1 that are valued by users, but are currently not available on Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Of course, at Microsoft they warn us that it will take some time to achieve that, but even so they consider this as the best option to deliver the best possible service within the medium term, since it will also allow adding features not available today, such as shared folder synchronization
What's coming in the near future
In the context of the unification plan, the OneDrive team also tells us what are the next announcements that we will see in the future.
Reportedly, a new version of OneDrive for iOS will be released very soon, which will adopt a design similar to the application for Android (apparently Microsoft also wants to unify the design of its mobile applications, to make it easier to launch new features on all platforms at the same time). They also tell us they are already rolling out changes to OneDrive for Windows 7 that improve sync stability and performance.
OneDrive for Business for Mac is expected to be released toward the end of January, in preview. And by the time Windows 10 is released, around September, there will be support for synchronizing shared folders and for using OneDrive for Business directly from within the operating system, without having to install additional applications.
These latter features are likely to be found in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Mac as well, since the sync engine they use is basically the same as Windows 10.
Shared folder sync is coming to OneDrive in September 2015By the end of 2015, all other functions that are still pending are expected to arrive, such as the implementation of a replacement for smart-files/placeholdersthat lets you browse OneDrive content offline, but without sacrificing performance or stability.
As always, Microsoft invites us to continue offering feedback and suggestions on how the OneDrive service could be improved through its UserVoice page.
Via | The OneDrive Blog
