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Microsoft Unveils Windows 7 File-Sharing Beta

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the we-totally-won't-sell-this-information dept.

nandemoari writes "Microsoft yesterday released a trial version of new file-sharing software intended for use with its upcoming and highly-anticipated operating system. The new software allows PC users to swap files with the computers of friends, family, and trusted colleagues along safe, secure channels. Dubbed 'Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant 6.5,' the beta connects the Windows Live IDs of individual users with a Windows 7 account, essentially building a secure link between data stored on a hard drive and information accessible via Windows Live online."

10 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. They omitted something... by Spazztastic · · Score: 5, Funny

    They forgot to mention that all file transfers including mp3, wma, wmv, mpeg, etc. files will be logged and sent to the RIAA/MPAA.

    Good for family photos, not good for everything.

    --
    Posts not to be taken literally. Almost everything is sarcasm.
    1. Re:They omitted something... by spikenerd · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...that's quite a statement to make with nothing to back it up.

      Good point. Considering Microsoft's long history of consistently putting the user's best interest at the forefront of all their new product releases, we need some pretty strong reasons to *not* trust them implicitly.

    2. Re:They omitted something... by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 5, Interesting

      They probably will. And that's probably the whole point. But not for the reason you think.

      Microsoft is a company in trouble. It's main product, its flagship OS, is not selling a well as it might hope. For the first time in years it is faced with real and credible competition from both Apple and Canonical. It needs to stay competitive and its current liaisons with media companies are not helping it do that.

      Culture has changed. File sharing is a fact of life for the majority of PC users. People share their files, not only documents and music, but also video files. Apple and Canonical have responded by giving users better tools and greater freedom with their files. Microsoft has responded by locking its systems down, putting barriers in the way of people trying to us their PCs.

      But culture has changed. People want to transfer files between the now multiple machines and accounts in their homes. They want to show other people the files on their drives. Microsoft is waking up to this fact, not because they want to, but because in this day and age and culture, they have to.

      Microsoft, desperate to get itself into the living room, has been caving into the media industry for years now. But it's still not in the living room, aside from the Xbox console, which does not need the media industry to get there. How has Microsoft, as a company, made profit by pandering to these outside interests? In ten years of compromises, what benefit has Microsoft seen to the restrictions it has placed in its operating system? As open alternatives replace Microsoft products in this domain (Bitorrent/VLC/Boxee), it's clear that people are voting with their feet, and are choosing players and distribution methods that just do what they want them to do, without telling them that they can't.

      The media companies will kick and buck and scream and roar over this. It's an anathema to their world view, where users have only limited, and in some cases temporary, control and access over their files. But Microsoft has probably stopped listening, despite their now large ties to the entertainment industry. Times are getting tough, and with alternatives out there, they cannot afford Windows to be laden down with artificial barriers introduced at the behest of third parties.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
    3. Re:They omitted something... by zmollusc · · Score: 5, Funny

      Aw jeez, now i need to get another fuse for my sarcasm-o-meter!

      --
      They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
    4. Re:They omitted something... by cgenman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I believe that grandparent's point is not about stock value, but position in market. They've officially lost the battle for search engines, their phone OS is third best, their last desktop OS couldn't convince people to upgrade, office 2007 is controversial and their lock on text formats is crumbling, and aside from the video game division they've been wholly unable to get any momentum going in new markets.

      Personally, I'm looking forward to desktop file sharing and synchronization, as it will mean I can stop running all these FTP servers everywhere. This move seems to imply that they're letting go of the idea of being a media company, and instead focusing on the actual revenue parts of their organization. Good for them.

      --
      The ______ Agenda
  2. Waiting for the penny to drop.... by zappepcs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What DRM is built into this that prevents people from sharing copyrighted works with their friends, family, and trusted associates? Something tells me that this will reek of DRM excrement from the first double click.

    --
    Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
  3. Anything like Windows Live Sync? by langelgjm · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wonder if this will be anything like Windows Live Sync, which is quite useful.

    Live Sync doesn't have any sort of DRM as far as I'm aware, but I believe there are limits on file size and total number of files. In any case, I use it to keep several hundred documents synced transparently between my XP desktop and OS X laptop.

    --
    "Anyone who [rips a CD] is probably engaging in copyright infringement." - David O. Carson
  4. TPB situation by stimpleton · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Presumably, if someone shares copyrighted files with this system, then a similar argument would apply that the prosecution is using against the current Pirate Bay case.

    MS would be the pirate bay in concept.

    --

    In post Patriot Act America, the library books scan you.
  5. Traceroute myshare.live.com by Seth+Kriticos · · Score: 5, Funny

    C:> tracert myshare.live.com
    traceroute to myshare.live.com (12.34.56.78), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets
    your.provider.com (234.213.535.213) 43.436 ms 45.114 ms 46.053 ms
    check.riaa.com (234.24.24.546) 43.436 ms 45.114 ms 46.053 ms
    check.mpaa.com (34.57.25.123) 43.436 ms 45.114 ms 46.053 ms
    check.us.gov (34.63.32.467) 43.436 ms 45.114 ms 46.053 ms
    spam.group.net (43.64.32.57) 43.436 ms 45.114 ms 46.053 ms
    myshare.live.com (234.213.535.213) 43.436 ms 45.114 ms 46.053 ms

    *connection successfully established*

  6. Security by K_E_Morr · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm sure this thing will be completely bullet proof security wise.