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Can someone explain why you want to sync Outlook .PST, contacts, etc? I don't get it ... RRS feed

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    Seriously, I keep seeing these requests to sync Outlook files - some want everything, and some want a subset - but I don't get it? How many devices do you have Outlook running on? How much storage? 

    I had a Pocket PC 2003 device that had Pocket Outlook, but it could never store the .PST file that I have on my Outlook 2007 machine at home. Similarly, if you're doing email from multiple connected devices, would it not be more secure and make more sense to have those instances talking to a common backend "in the cloud" somewhere? So that it's kind of like Windows Live Hotmail in terms of accessing the information from multiple places, but having that same information show up? I just can't imagine a situation where you want to do email and you're not connected to a network in order to reach out to files  "in the cloud", even if it's only through something like a Hotmail interface.

    Maybe it's the programmer in me that just finds the concept of multiple copies of the same data being "in use" on different devices simultaneously as being a prime source of problems.

    I'd love to see a "use case" from someone who thinks having shared file makes sense. Thanks.
    • Changed type Ben [Live Mesh] Tuesday, September 9, 2008 6:58 PM Discussion
    Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:35 PM

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    Hear, hear!
    Friday, August 29, 2008 12:21 PM
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    Many times I am in remote areas with no internet connectivity.  I need to still get to messages I already have static on my computer.  I also can "bank" emails till I am connected to improve my productivity.
    Friday, August 29, 2008 3:30 PM
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    Tubacap said:

    Many times I am in remote areas with no internet connectivity.  I need to still get to messages I already have static on my computer.  I also can "bank" emails till I am connected to improve my productivity.

    So how are you handling this currently? What are you hoping to do in the future - carry a Windows Mobile device instead of a laptop? Since you have to have enough space to hold the largest file, would the device you have in the remote area have enough space to hold the PST file that your computer holds?

    That's the part I don't understand. What devices are you juggling here?

    Friday, August 29, 2008 3:49 PM
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    To be able to backup the pst file to another machine?
    Maybe it's the programmer in me that just finds the concept of having special cases for some file extensions really weird. I can't find one single good reason to block .pst files. I can find good reasons to block big files, and to not sync files you can't read (say because another app has a lock on it) though.

    So can someone explain why you DON'T want to sync PST files?
    Friday, August 29, 2008 3:53 PM
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    Vincent Lascaux said:

    To be able to backup the pst file to another machine?
    Maybe it's the programmer in me that just finds the concept of having special cases for some file extensions really weird. I can't find one single good reason to block .pst files. I can find good reasons to block big files, and to not sync files you can't read (say because another app has a lock on it) though.

    So can someone explain why you DON'T want to sync PST files?

    But sync ISN'T backup. Sync is making two or more copies, located on physically different devices, identical in composition and construct. Backup is making sure that THIS version, here, gets put over there, so that I can go back to it if need be. My backups don't change as I modify files - I make another instance of a backup. It's a one-way thing, in my mind. Sync is a two-way street.

    And if you want backups, then FolderShare or other backup tools are perfect (to me) for that.

    I'm with you on the special cases. If this wasn't a Tech Preview, then not being able to sync .PST files, without a really, REALLY good explanation, would seem to be a problem. Because the sync operation is currently a "copy this whole file over there", I can see why the Live Mesh developers would shy away from a really critical file like .PST -- trying to support that from the start would invite all sorts of problems that they don't want or need to deal with right now.

    So I'm still wondering what people are doing that they need to SYNC their Outlook information between devices...

    Friday, August 29, 2008 4:50 PM
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    >> And if you want backups, then FolderShare or other backup tools are perfect (to me) for that.

    Or just .zip it and add it to an archive folder on your mesh.
    Friday, August 29, 2008 10:46 PM
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    In my case it's just contacts but here is the scenario;

    I have Outlook running on a work machine, I have Outlook on a home machine. I'd like to have the same contacts on both but only add/delete/update them once. The obvious place to store them is in the Mesh. I do this manually now with an "edited at home & work" folder on mesh where I just drag n drop edits to update on the other machine but sometimes Outlook doesn't handle this very well (it will create a new contact rather than updating an existing one).
    Saturday, August 30, 2008 12:39 AM
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    You could move your contacts to Live.  Use Live Contacts and install Outlook Connector for the best shared experience.
    Sunday, August 31, 2008 2:54 AM
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    A: .pst files corupt easily - nice to have physical versions in mutiple places in case of this nightmare... it has happened to me mutiple times because of the volume of email i get and its not a good day when it takes a complete dump.

    B: Business work environment - I cannot send emails using a live or google etc free account - thus contact there are basically pointless to me.... Saldy my busiensses also do not have exchange setup thus the issues. I need to reach my old mails that are in the .pst on the road and if it just quietely synced in the background while keeping a cloud copy I would be pretty happy - I assume there are some big issues with this and thus why it has not yet been done.

    Monday, September 1, 2008 2:56 AM
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    I have a different reason why I want to sync Outlook files - to simulate Exchange functionality.
    That said, I think Outlook probably locks the files, so it would be difficult to properly sync them, unless Mesh could somehow integrate with Outlook.
    Tuesday, September 2, 2008 5:24 PM