I’m sure many of you are wondering why I’ve been touting Live Mesh, but haven’t mentioned LogMeIn. And, you have a point; Live Mesh was created as a direct response to LogMeIn.
Well, there are a few reasons. First, and foremost, Live Mesh is really the first tech preview that the public can see, for Windows 7. From interface to targeted features, Live Mesh is a taste of things to come.
What’s so Windows 7 about Live Mesh? Let’s start with the interface. Gone is the constant reliance on glass-style graphics. In fact, even when using it with Vista, Live Mesh doesn’t use a drop of glass. Next up, is Windows Live is now actually part of the Windows platform. It’s not some array of me-too features to answer Google. Actually, Live Mesh doesn’t touch one of Google’s features. But, the point is, Live Mesh will be pre-installed on every Windows 7 system (along with all the other Windows Live suite apps).
And, then there’s the cloud. Windows Live Desktop (part of Live Mesh) is the first version of Windows that exists purely online. From the server, to the AJAX graphics being drawn, it’s all Windows. So, will you someday boot Linux and log into Windows online? Probably not, but Microsoft wants your desktop to be portable… and Live Desktop is building that infastructure.
Finally, Live Mesh is updated dynamically. There’s no “CP1, RC0, RC1, RC2, RTM, SP1, SP2… yadda yadda”. They’re using version numbers and releasing automatically. It’s almost like, dare I say, a Mac.
Did I mention that Live Mesh is coming to Mac (eventually)? Microsoft is following Apple’s lead, and is going to match apps on multiple platforms. Silverlight started this, but Expression apps and Live apps are going to continue that commitment.
So, as you can see, LogMeIn and Live Mesh are similar feature-wise. However, the goals and promise for the apps are on completely different parallels. Live Mesh shows the future of Windows, and that future actually isn’t pointing towards a quiet drift into the night.
And yeah, I do use LogMeIn alongside Live Mesh. I find LogMeIn to be better in terms of cross-platforming, but Live Mesh has the better growth potential. Oh, and when you’re using two Windows machines… Live Mesh works much better too.