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Now that Windows LiveMesh is gone, i'm looking for an alternative. Preferably one that uses SkyDrive storage.

The key point is the ability to specify a folder to sync, e.g.:

D:\Games\World of Warcraft\Interface\Addons

rather than being forced to sync just a special folder


Note: i know there's a workaround of canonical SkyDrive client's limitation by creating a junction point in the SkyDrive folder to the required path:

C:\Users\ian\SkyDrive>mklink WowAddons "D:\Games\World of Warcraft\Interface\Addons" /D
symbolic link created for WowAddons <<===>> D:\Games\World of Warcraft\Interface\Addons

i would prefer a client that uses the SkyDrive API directly, and doesn't require me (and friends) to install Microsoft's SkyDrive client; but instead uses the user's SkyDrive account for storage.

Note: I'm aware that Microsoft SkyDrive forbids automatically syncing contents of a SkyDrive folder:

Guidelines for apps that interact with SkyDrive

Upload files to SkyDrive only in response to an explicit user request or choice. Your apps must always ensure that a user intentionally chooses to save any new data to SkyDrive. Apps must not upload files to SkyDrive automatically without a user making an explicit choice to upload those files.

Here are some examples of nonconforming apps:

  • Apps that automatically upload to SkyDrive any file added to a specific location on a user’s devices.
  • Apps that automatically back up files or folders to SkyDrive.

i don't care about the guidelines. Microsoft's own client violates the guidelines. And even if Microsoft's own client didn't violate the guidelines, i still wouldn't care.

tl;dr: Alternative to LiveMesh?

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2 Answers

As I know, you can choose other than 'SkyDrive' folder using standard app. Please refer to SkyDrive FAQ how to do it. Besides, you can try syncDriver for SkyDrive. It is an alternative client for SkyDrive which behave as "Live Mesh". You can choose any folder as you described in your question.

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You will not find a 3rd party program that does not conform to the API's guidelines, quite simply because to write a program against the 3rd party API you must get an API Application Key which is unique to your program (they use OAuth, its how it works).

If someone wrote a program that violated the rules (like explicit user consent) Microsoft only needs to revoke the Application Key given to the application and now all copies of the application stop working with the 3rd party API. No app author who is distributing his app would want their key revoked so you will not find a program that violates the TOS (or if you do find one, don't count on it working forever).

Your only hope is write your own and get your own API key and hope you stay under Microsoft's radar.

(P.S. Microsoft is not using the 3rd party API for their own client, so they are not constrained by the same rules)

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