Inside MobileMe: Web 3 and Web client-server apps

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 44
    stokessdstokessd Posts: 103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tswone View Post


    This write-up seems a bit less than objective in it's explanation/review of MobileMe.



    <snip>



    I like the other articles about the iPhone, this one just seemed over the top with its bias towards all things apple, even for being on AppleInsider.



    -t





    Well Duh. This is Daniel Eran Dilger writing this; it's hardly objective.



    Sheldon
  • Reply 22 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I really don't have to elaborate as your "half-check" admittance shows that that "all the functionality" doesn't exist, but elaborate I shall...



    For starters, and this is a biggie, you are leaving out Back To My Mac and syncing across all Macs of the iDisk, System Preferences and most user settings like Dock Items, Bookmarks, Dashboard Widgets, Keychains, Notes and all your Mail Settings, including rules, sigs and smart mailboxes. It also keeps this stuff updated among my machines automatically, and now even with PCs to some extent.



    More specifically, iDisk also provides up to 20GB of cloud storage with 200GB transfer per month. This can also be used to share files publicly or privately. There is also a web hosting on me.com and very simple publishing from iWeb and iPhoto.



    At least the Bookmarks can be synced and stored with FoxMarks, but that isn't the same as having a one stop sync service for everything. Even that requires a separate login which you have to create and maintain.



    Another issue is if I am setting up a new Mac that I just bought I can't just put in one username and one password when I first turn it on to have 99% of my entire setup pushed to my new system. With Gmail it's all a bunch of manual setups in different apps: Mail, Picasa, even the installation of the plugin for iPhoto to connect to PicasaWeb. I don't know if there is a similar plug-in for iCal or a local Google calendar app as I don't use that feature. I say 99% because MM copy doesn't store my desktop photo for some reason so that one item has to be done manually. Woah is me, right?



    Google also doesn't offer Push email. Yahoo does, but it has worked so well in the past, but that is neither here nor there as they offer less than Gmail when it comes to providing all of MM 's functionality.



    If the functionality provided doesn't fit your needs then MM isn't for you or that all the functionality of a free service or services combined suit your needs that that is fine, but to say that Yahoo or Google offers all the functionality of MM is simple not correct.



    Well, it looks like you are correct, I misspoke.



    For a lot of these benefits you need a Mac, and most people do not have Macs. That is why I think it is silly for this article to portray MobileMe as the end-all (just my opinion of the tone of the article), as Google of course has 20-30 other web-apps such as web page creation for free as well. It is a most typical offering from Apple- good for Apple shareholders, annoying for PC users (most of us out there), but definitely not groundbreaking.
  • Reply 23 of 44
    c6fanc6fan Posts: 12member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post


    What part doesn't work for you? Just curious.







    I am a Mac user mainly but have to suffer Windows too. I am installing Office 2007 to check this out on mobile me as I had an earlier unsupported version. What version of Outlook doesn't work for you?





    UPDATE AFTER TEST



    It all worked perfectly. People like C6Fan perhaps should not assume it is MobileMe not working, perhaps they have done something wrong. I was able to add a calendar appointment in Outlook and see it on MobileMe web interface and also on Mac iCal. Mail synced up too. Not found anything not working as advertised so far. This is PC running XP Pro and Office 2007, Mac is running all latest everything, iPhone is Edge version, latest software. Perhaps C6Fan is using older Office?



    No need to "consider postponing your purchase"





    My post was regarding viewing calendars of other users who use Outlook. I have no difficulty at all syncing my own calendar but cannot see my wife's. As apple has also stated that this is not possible at this time if you have a way of viewing another Outlook user's calendar using Mobile me, i would love to have the solution.



    Otherwise, if you are an Outlook user, want to share calendars and are looking to purchase the Family Pack, don't
  • Reply 24 of 44
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella View Post


    Here is another way to think about it...

    MobileMe is like Mac OS X for the Web.

    Just like the iPhone exposes people to the Mac experience on a phone...MobileMe will expose people to the Mac experience in a web browser.



    The iPhone's OS is a mobile version of Mac OS X.

    MobileMe is Apple's web OS and the foundation upon which it will build future web apps.



    I don't live in the cloud(s) like you though
  • Reply 25 of 44
    bcodebcode Posts: 141member
    While I can concede that the article is a little bias, one has to realize that this is AppleInsider after all.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tswone View Post


    Well, it looks like you are correct, I misspoke.



    For a lot of these benefits you need a Mac, and most people do not have Macs. That is why I think it is silly for this article to portray MobileMe as the end-all (just my opinion of the tone of the article), as Google of course has 20-30 other web-apps such as web page creation for free as well. It is a most typical offering from Apple- good for Apple shareholders, annoying for PC users (most of us out there), but definitely not groundbreaking.



  • Reply 26 of 44
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bcode View Post


    While I can concede that the article is a little bias, one has to realize that this is AppleInsider after all.



    That's like using; "but I have a temper" as an excuse for having a temper.
  • Reply 27 of 44
    bsenkabsenka Posts: 799member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella View Post


    dotMac = Mac OS 9

    MobileMe 1.0 = Mac OS 10.1



    That's not exactly reassuring. There are still things that were built in to OS 9 that I used every day that I'm still waiting for OS X to put back.
  • Reply 28 of 44
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bsenka View Post


    That's not exactly reassuring. There are still things that were built in to OS 9 that I used every day that I'm still waiting for OS X to put back.



    Like what, I'd be interested to know as I'm not an OS 9 buff.
  • Reply 29 of 44
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    For those who don't need a great deal of storage HP is offering their Uplink servivce for free for one full year with a 1GB limit. The paid version for a single license is $60/year ($20 less than you can get MM for) and it's unlimited storage.As a business plan I think one year is 4x longer than I would have offered it for, but I'm not complaining.



    This is just cloud storage, nothing more but for some that may be all that you need along with your Gmail and other free services
    PS: Besides there overly loud fans I really like their HP MediaSmart Servers running Windows Home Server. It's a MS Windows solution that actually works as advertised.
  • Reply 30 of 44
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Johnny Mozzarella View Post


    MobileMe is Apple's web OS and the foundation upon which it will build future web apps.



    That's taken a bit far. Mobile Me services aren't built using any OS X technology, except maybe using OS X servers. Sproutcore isn't Obj C, Cocoa or anything like that.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tswone View Post


    So, pretty close...and Google is free, also supported in iTunes, iCal, Mail, etc...



    Google is supported in iTunes and iCal? I don't recall anything like that being true unless you use a third party app to do the syncing. The same goes for bookmark syncing between computers. Your "half check" on iDisk isn't isn't a half check because backing up everything by gMail is quite a kludge, and it's against the gMail TOS last I remember. gDocs is nice for collaboration, but I really don't think it's meant to be used as storage either, and only allows the editing of Office type files.
  • Reply 31 of 44
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    LOL, indeed.



    That and the definition of Web3 is still up for debate. Every expert has a different opinion.



    Substitute "expert" with "buzzword hyping gas bag" and you're a few steps closer to the truth, in my opinion. It has very much the feel of the emperor's new clothes, except it's not one person but an entire class of pundits.
  • Reply 32 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tony4d View Post


    AppleInsider, you're missing some very valid security concerns. Sure, once you send out an email you don't have control over the encryption, but that's no excuse for me.com not supporting ssl for all its json traffic. The me.com web apps are mostly a convenience, say, if I need to use a public computer to check my email. Why should the web apps I'm using not encrypt my transactions so that no one can perform a man in the middle on me while I'm at a public library? I realize there are not a ton of use cases like this, but adding ssl for data transactions to and from me.com would be simple.



    Furthermore, you didn't mention calendars, contacts, or idisk? You do realize that all those things are accessible at me.com right? And you do realize that your "once you send an email it doesn't matter anyway" argument does not apply to these pieces of personal data.



    Further, it appears some assumptions have been made here without any real packet traces... While everything read through the browser appears to be encrypted (to what level I am not yet certain), information submitted is not.



    While this may matter less for e-mail, it's a huge issue for information such as calendar appointments and contacts -- particularly if you're doing things like updating contact notes.



    Even with e-mail, it's a bit of a stretch to suggest that it's okay because e-mail is inherently insecure.... I'm generally less concerned about people sniffing packets out on the open Internet between mainstream servers than I am about somebody sitting at the next table at my local Starbucks. Intercepting unencrypted SMTP messages leaving me.com's SMTP servers is muchmore difficult to do..... Most people don't live on the backbone routers, so how many people would actually be in a position to run a packet trace on the SMTP session between me.com and gmail.com, for instance?



    This also leaves out the fact that iDisk in its native form (ie, the WebDAV session between your Mac and the iDisk servers) is also running completely in the clear with no encryption whatsoever.
  • Reply 33 of 44
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    Substitute "expert" with "buzzword hyping gas bag" and you're a few steps closer to the truth, in my opinion. It has very much the feel of the emperor's new clothes, except it's not one person but an entire class of pundits.



    I take it you read Daring Fireball?
  • Reply 34 of 44
    This article implies that any sensitive information accessed through MobileMe is encrypted, but that is 100% false.



    Here's proof.



    The only thing that seems to use any encryption is login, which is a good start but far from adequate.
  • Reply 35 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jhollington View Post


    While everything read through the browser appears to be encrypted (to what level I am not yet certain), information submitted is not.



    I actually don't think anything (besides the login process) is encrypted. You were probably looking at the gzipped responses and thought it was encryption (I did the same thing at first too)
  • Reply 36 of 44
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tlrobinson View Post


    This article implies that any sensitive information accessed through MobileMe is encrypted, but that is 100% false.



    Here's proof.



    The only thing that seems to use any encryption is login, which is a good start but far from adequate.



    I was duped, too. My biggest complaint of the .Mac web app was the lack of SSL. Then I saw they added it to the login screen and didn't think to question it any further.



    PS: I'm guessing by that posted pic you go to Harvard U.
  • Reply 37 of 44
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    I take it you read Daring Fireball?



    No, I don't, maybe visit once a season and only skim at best. Any similarity in wording is unintentional.
  • Reply 38 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I was duped, too. My biggest complaint of the .Mac web app was the lack of SSL. Then I saw they added it to the login screen and didn't think to question it any further.



    PS: I'm guessing by that posted pic you go to Harvard U.



    Nope, but I'm wondering why you thought that?
  • Reply 39 of 44
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tlrobinson View Post


    Nope, but I'm wondering why you thought that?



    IP address in image is from Cambridge, Mass.



    Upon looking at it more closely it looks like that is where your closest MM servers are, so I guess that puts you within the general region.
  • Reply 40 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    IP address in image is from Cambridge, Mass.



    Upon looking at it more closely it looks like that is where your closest MM servers are, so I guess that puts you within the general region.



    I'm actually in Silicon Valley.
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