In what I think is a long-overdue post, Microsoft is finally explaining how Windows Live FolderShare will be replaced by Windows Live Sync in the coming weeks and what that means to users…
Dear FolderShare friends,
We want to let you know what's next for FolderShare, and to make you aware of some important upcoming changes.
In December, we will release a new product called Windows Live Sync. You can think of it as FolderShare 2.0. It's going to look familiar and offer the same great features, plus:
- More folders and files - sync up to 20 folders with 20,000 files each.
- Integration with Windows Live ID - no more extra sign-in stuff to remember.
- Integration with the Recyle Bin - no more separate Trash folder to fiddle with.
- New client versions for both Windows and Mac.
- Unicode support - sync files in other languages.
A huge part of Sync's success story depends on FolderShare users like you. When Sync releases, FolderShare goes into retirement. That means your FolderShare software will stop working and will ask you to upgrade to Sync. Once you do, Sync will automatically rebuild your personal folders. We expect a lot of new users when Sync is released, so if you can't sign in right away, please give it a little time.
Here's the part you need to pay attention to: Sync will not be able to rebuild your shared libraries. If you have a lot of shared libraries, you should hop over to the FolderShare website while it's still available and copy all that information. You'll need it to rebuild your shared libraries in Sync.
You should also note that the Professional option is being retired with the FolderShare name. Sync has a single offer, which provides free synchronization for up to 20 libraries and 20,000 files. We'll be working to raise those numbers as our service grows.
Thanks for being a FolderShare user! We're excited about delivering an even better file-synchronization experience to customers like you. We hope you'll come along as we move forward with Windows Live Sync.
Sincerely,
The Windows Live Sync (formerly FolderShare) team
Curiously, they left out the best part: Windows Live Sync will integrate with Windows Live Photo Gallery to automatically sync your photo libraries across multiple PCs as well.