Latest Desktop Build 1.4.72

[Granddave]

Yep - that's your problem! Update IE and then the UI should be fine (and not blank)!

Yes, after update and restart it works fine! 

Sorry for not reading the importants notes...

 

Thanks!

[dershope]

I didn't read the important notes either.  I did try to load the link within IE but I don't remember which version the computer had.  Will check soon.  I did try within Chrome on another computer and it worked fine.

[kamborio]

New simplified UI

• UI was fully revised and now looks similar on all platforms. Also, UI was simplified significantly to make Sync usage faster, more understandable and convenient.

HAHAHA! As we say in England... Bollocks!

 

The UI is a catastrophe! Oh yes, fades in, fades out, very nice, but usability... ZERO.

 

1. The tab I was using the most was "Devices". Now If I want to quickly check what peers are connected, I have to click "x of n Peers" on every folder. I was hoping that in the future you would update the "My Sync" and "Devices" tab into one in a tree like UI but no, you've gone backwards.

2. Android devices appear all of them with my username, I do not know which device is which anymore.

3. Can't resize columns. I can find the "hidden" separator but when I move left/right goes funny.

4. When changing the preferences for each folder there is no "Cancel". As soon as you make the changes boom they are done.

5. Still NO SORTING column!

6. History doesn't seem to update in real time (you have to close and open the history)

7. I feel the UI is too big. I like a lot of things on my screen.

 

That's just for starters after 10 minutes of using it. It would've been better if you fixed the old UI instead of making a new one that doesn't work.

 

Really nice software but the UI has always been lacking and I think you have gone 2 steps backwards in that department.

 

Regards,

 

David Perez

[kamborio]

Number 8. You can see how fast each folder is uploading / downloading but the global "spedometer" that was at the bottom is gone...

[ChrisH]

You can hover over the tray icon and see the global speed there. No, I don't like it either.

[bb10]

Really nice software but the UI has always been lacking and I think you have gone 2 steps backwards in that department.

 

2 Steps is pretty generous, I'd say more like 20 steps. It looks like an oversimplified webpage was crammed into the btsync window (which might explain the need for IE9+). I installed it on a new machine yesterday and I was shocked. I thought I had accidentally downloaded something else. I couldn't even find a version number anywhere.

[GreatMarko]

I couldn't even find a version number anywhere.

It's pretty well hidden - you need to "hover" your mouse over the system tray icon to see the version number.

[JimmyTheSaint]

It's pretty well hidden - you need to "hover" your mouse over the system tray icon to see the version number.

Did the icon change? When I was running it, I didn't have a BitTorrent Sync icon in the system tray. I believe I hovered over everything to double-check.

[pjmsullivan]

Hello!  I've been using BTSync since the early public stages and so far, I've only participated by submitting a bug, and so far not in the forums.  On this major release, I wanted to say thanks to the BTSync team and give my two (three) cents:

 

First, I really like the peer approval feature.  I saw that as a security issue that is now fixed.  Great work!  

Second, I think the appearance of the new GUI is beautiful (the animated icons, fading, subtle patterns, uniformity), but there are a few functional aspects that seem less intuitive:  

-As someone mentioned, adding a key by clicking on the settings icon. 

-To see syncing devices, the new UI has a popup that blocks other information and only displays the devices for one share. As another user mentioned, I spent all my time in the "device" tab because that showed all the important information: what devices were connected, what folders were syncing, and their sync status. I think an expandable nested list (or something) below each share that shows the information from the old devices tab would be invaluable.  I don't think there is one screen where it is possible to see all this information in the new UI. 

-The history data log is less detailed.  Additionally, it is not real time as with the old interface. For simple debugging, the basic error information and additional sync data was really helpful.

-There is a lot of white space around text.  I think it's harder to read because it's harder to tell what columns line up together than when the words are closer together.  The lines between the rows in the list of files being synced improves legibility.  More blank space also means less information is displayed.

-More clicks are required to see information. 

-Global transfer speed gone. I liked that information.

-I like that the new interface lists the total number of users connected of all users.  That is a nice touch. 

 

Third, potential bugs?:

-Can't resize columns.  This makes it tough to use this version right now.

-When adding a key using a "h++ps://link.getsync.com/..." hyperlink and selecting the directory (for instance C:\users\user\desktop), once I choose the directory, BTSync adds a subfolder to the intended directory.  e.g. C:\users\user\desktop\desktop.  When adding a key using the key itself, there is no problem.  I don't know if this is the intended behavior.

-When adding a new key using the key itself, there is no peer approval, though perhaps that is impossible to implement.  

 

Edit:  I just noticed the Android app:  it looks fantastic!

Edit #2: Does the Android app really only allow read-only access to its shares (especially photos) now?  

Edit #3: To allow read/write access to camera folder, you have to first disable simple mode in settings, then copy the QR code or key from a computer (because it only allows read only if initiated on the phone).  That is not very intuitive - maybe there is a simpler way.

 

I hope this was helpful. I know its a work in progress and a new version. I only want to help improve the software, not nitpick, so if it comes across that way, I apologize.  

Thanks BTSync team!

Edited August 28, 2014 by pjmsullivan

[daishi4u]

I've got a couple bugs to report as well. First of all it would get stuck on sending on both clients forever even after it was all indexed, but this was when I upgraded from 1.3.109. I had to remove all the folders from all clients and start over. Next, there is a bug when you use the "enter a key" button. It would add the folder you picked, but the key would be wrong and I would have to use the "update key" button to get it to work right. Other than that things are looking very promising! Thanks for the hard work guys!

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk

[GreatMarko]

Did the icon change? When I was running it, I didn't have a BitTorrent Sync icon in the system tray. I believe I hovered over everything to double-check.

 

Jimmy, no, the tray icon remains the same as in 1.3:

 

 

Perhaps you've inadvertently hidden some of your tray icons in Windows?

[Daniel Clarke]

First off great work on some of the new features. I really like the approvals system.

I'm mainly concerned with the Android app here. I have a bunch of folders that sync over night to a couple of sync partners. One on the same network and two off site. Total of about 1000 files.

I've left it over night and it still says out of sync. But going into the files they all appear to be fine.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[colinabroad]

OK - I wonder who and how many who's actually beta tested this software - it seems the few who have taken the trouble to write in this post were not invited and have ALL found errors/omissions/backwards steps that could have been avoided if they had been involved I the testing stage.  I for one have a serious bug - which Daniel and Daisi4u are reporting as well - that has been present since I joined this group on 1.3.7something.  It was intimated to me by 'the team' that this would be eradicated in V1.4.  It has not.  Yes, the interface looks beautiful - but who actually cares about this when all we are doing is syncing files on computers??  It seems that a LOT of effort has gone into beautifying a broken product and not enough work has been done under the hood - work that I was promised WOULD be done.

One more report from me - I have had to bring all my computers to my office today in order to achieve a complete sync - they will not complete over the internet here in China - even with all computers running VPN's to outside of China.  That complete sync is STILL not reporting correctly in the GUI although the sync is done!  How is it possible to have a three way sync completed on two machines with each other, but not to the third??  This defies logic (at least it does to me!)

I do appreciate all the GOOD work that has been done on this project and I am continuing to use the software, so all is not lost.  I am hoping that a new release will go someway to addressing the issues that people have raised on this topic.

[JimmyTheSaint]

 

Jimmy, no, the tray icon remains the same as in 1.3:

 

Perhaps you've inadvertently hidden some of your tray icons in Windows?

Thanks for verifying. It's weird, it just wasn't there, and now I don't want to install just to test that. If no one else has mentioned it, then maybe it was some one-off quirk that wouldn't have survived a reboot. Perhaps the devs can put a quit function in the new UI along with making it quittable via the app tray.

[GreatMarko]

I wonder who and how many who's actually beta tested this software - it seems the few who have taken the trouble to write in this post were not invited and have ALL found errors/omissions/backwards steps that could have been avoided if they had been involved I the testing stage.

colinabroad, first of all a clarification; BitTorrent Sync is currently a "beta" product. I assume, therefore, you're actually referring to the closed "alpha" phase of 1.4 (i.e. builds of 1.4.x prior to the current .72 beta build) when you talk about things not being picked up by those invited to alpha test.

Second of all, I totally understand and share your frustrations, but the "alpha" testers themselves are not to blame here. The vast majority of issues that have been raised here in the forums relation to 1.4.72 over the past 48 hours HAVE been previously identified by testers during the closed alpha test phase of Sync 1.4!

 

So your belief that had you (and others) been involved in the closed alpha test that all these things would have been identified and fixed by now isn't I'm afraid true.

For instance, here's just a small flavor some of the issues are already known to the developers, as they have been previously reported by alpha testers prior to the public beta of 1.4.72:

• No support for WinXP/Vista/Server 2003 or IE<9
• Various UI "gripes" - i.e. "it's too big", "it's too slow", "it can't be resized", "there's too much unused space", "there's no indication upon startup that Sync is loading your existing folders", "columns don't auto-resize and are difficult to manually resize", "no easy indication of Sync version number or global transfer speed", "some elements of the UI don't update in real time"
• Crashes related to the presence of 1.2 peers in a 1.4 mesh

 

As I am not a Sync developer, I can't offer an explanation for you as to why many of these previously identified issues haven't been addressed in time for the 1.4.72 BETA..... but please do bear in mind that Sync is still just that - a "beta" product! - and has undergone a massive change with 1.4, most notably in the move from a "native" UI to a "web based" one for desktop clients. The logic behind this does make a lot of sense - i.e. it's easier to maintain/develop the same UI across multiple OS's/devices, however, as these are early builds of 1.4 (with 1.4.72 being the first 1.4.x "beta") they are by no means perfect, and it will take time for the developers to get right.

As I say, the developers are aware of issues with 1.4.x (especially those relating to the UI and device compatibility)... I'm sure there will be improvements/fixes coming in subsequent builds, I suspect it's just taking them time to address everything that was identified during the "alpha" phase of 1.4 (and they likely had a "deadline" by which the first 1.4 beta had to be ready!).

Thank you for your understanding and patience

[2jFXHjJF]

i just download, and update new version and http://i.imgur.com/LpbzWmh.png white window, whats wrong?

[GreatMarko]

i just download, and update new version and http://i.imgur.com/LpbzWmh.png white window, whats wrong?

 

Please read the "Important Notes" section in the first post of this thread!

[B.Jay]

Just to chime in on the bandwagon as well...

 

I uninstalled BTSync 1.4 from Android. The previous versions were already "bugtastic" (i.e. always rotated the screen 180° when quitting the app for no aparent reason), but 1.4.36.0 on Android really killed the bird now. Force closes randomly, and, to be honest, I'm not even in the mood to collect the logcat stack trace (it's not the ROM at fault here - happens on Stock Samsung 4.3.1 (SGS3) and Stock Samsung 4.4.2 (SGS4) and Stock Samsung 4.2.2 (SGT2) and... well... I better spare myself the whole list).

 

The Windows version and the "renders the UI through "Trident" (IE) now" feature(bug?) ... well ... I'm out of words here. While it works for me on Windows 7 with up-to-date IE ... that's a fail of coding skills to no ends as well as a massive LOL (for any manly Wndows software developer not taking some easy way out because #LackingCodingSkills).

 

Q; What was soooo fundamentally wrong with the previous UI?

Q: What part of the new UI was soooo impossible to implement in C/C++ (assuming up to 1.3.xxx were developed in VS)?

 

Can we please get a Windows commandline-only binary in the likes of the Linux/BSD version? I'll happily code my own UI around it rather than use your total "IE based Interface" fail.

[irvinm]

I think a lot of the changes made are nice and other needs some refinement but overall a nice upgrade to 1.4.

 

One question I have is:  Is there still a way to get the information that was provided with the 1.3.x version under the "Transfers" tab?  I see with 1.4.x you can see the "peer list" to see who is connected and the overall upload\download speed, but I am interested in monitoring performance issues with individual peers and would like to still be able to see upload\download speeds PER peer.

 

Is this still possible with 1.4?

[b0rman]

Seems like 1.4 is totally failed. Hope for some fast updates. Seems like lots of people used 1.3 in some kind of production and now have to figure out how to get it work again.

[GreatMarko]

The Windows version and the "renders the UI through "Trident" (IE) now" feature(bug?) ... well ... I'm out of words here. While it works for me on Windows 7 with up-to-date IE ... that's a fail of coding skills to no ends as well as a massive LOL (for any manly Wndows software developer not taking some easy way out because #LackingCodingSkills).

 

Q; What was soooo fundamentally wrong with the previous UI?

Q: What part of the new UI was soooo impossible to implement in C/C++ (assuming up to 1.3.xxx were developed in VS)?

 

B.Jay, I understand your frustrations.

 

In relation to the reasons behind the move away from a "native" UI to a "web" UI, the following is from the senior manager for customer service and outreach at BitTorrent: "I’ve received word that there is little to no chance the Native UI will be brought back to Sync. While I understand that many like the old layout and there are some open bugs with the interface, the web UI gives designers the flexibility to make superficial changes quickly and easily without having to make changes to the application code itself"

 

So in essence, it's not the case that things are "impossible to implement in C/C++" or indeed a "lack of coding skills" but more to do with a move towards cross-platform UI compatibility/UI consistency.

 

Can we please get a Windows commandline-only binary in the likes of the Linux/BSD version? I'll happily code my own UI around it rather than use your total "IE based Interface" fail.

Hint: The API is your friend!

Seems like lots of people used 1.3 in some kind of production and now have to figure out how to get it work again.

That's sadly one of the risks/drawbacks of using any "beta" software within "mission critical" / "production" environments.

[B.Jay]

 

B.Jay, I understand your frustrations.

 

In relation to the reasons behind the move away from a "native" UI to a "web" UI, the following is from the senior manager for customer service and outreach at BitTorrent: "I’ve received word that there is little to no chance the Native UI will be brought back to Sync. While I understand that many like the old layout and there are some open bugs with the interface, the web UI gives designers the flexibility to make superficial changes quickly and easily without having to make changes to the application code itself"

 

So in essence, it's not the case that things are "impossible to implement in C/C++" or indeed a "lack of coding skills" but more to do with a move towards UI cross-platform compatibility/UI consistency.

 

Hint: The API is your friend!

 

Thanks for the response. Seems the long-term solution will be to cling on to 1.3 on all peers and rely on DHT discovery (assuming your relay-tracker will stop accepting pre-1.4 peers at some point).

 

However, maybe please tell your "management floor" that they just made a huge mistake with this decision (I'm obviously not the only slightly disgruntled user here).

 

As for "the API is my friend": I know, but that doesn't resolve _ONE_ important issue, and that is the "you need IE >8.0 to use the UI" requirement (hence why you broke BTSync for the guys _still_ running XP (or Vista or RTM Windows 7/SP1)). Having a binary NOT requiring crappy IE would make it easier to plug a "code-it-yourself UI" on top (and you guys could still ship one with your own UI), it would also enable a true "run as a Windows service" experience in the likes of Linux/BSD (minus the HTTP served part).

 

Anyway, I'm not going to hang my hopes up too high as you expressed the evil "management decision" words ... which means that the Armani suits already settled for sealing the doom on this program.

 

Well... we'll see what the future now holds for BTSync, but I have that gut feeling that you guys just commited Sepukku (look it up on Wikipedia) with that decision.

 

Thanks for the response, and good luck sailing down these tides.

[vlmath]

I tested the new version, and I clearly prefere the old interface ...

This is too "dump user". I prefere the logic of the old interface ...

[GreatMarko]

Seems the long-term solution will be to cling on to 1.3 on all peers and rely on DHT discovery (assuming your relay-tracker will stop accepting pre-1.4 peers at some point).

 

However, maybe please tell your "management floor" that they just made a huge mistake with this decision (I'm obviously not the only slightly disgruntled user here).

 

As for "the API is my friend": I know, but that doesn't resolve _ONE_ important issue, and that is the "you need IE >8.0 to use the UI" requirement (hence why you broke BTSync for the guys _still_ running XP (or Vista or RTM Windows 7/SP1)). Having a binary NOT requiring crappy IE would make it easier to plug a "code-it-yourself UI" on top (and you guys could still ship one with your own UI), it would also enable a true "run as a Windows service" experience in the likes of Linux/BSD (minus the HTTP served part).

B.Jay, in relation to the API, you can still use the API without the UI. Sync 1.4 will still install on Windows devices where IE<9, and the binary itself will still function - it's just that the web UI doesn't work. The API itself (which doesn't use the UI) will therefore still work with Sync 1.4 on Windows devices where IE<9

In relation to the relay-tracker; as far as I am aware, older versions of Sync aren't "blocked" (i.e. Sync 0.x, 1.x and 2.x clients can still access these)

...and believe me, management are fully aware that not everyone likes/approves of/appreciates the decision the drop the native UI in favor of the web UI!

[stanha]

I am not going to comment on UI which is not even a disaster and lack of basic understanding of UI as such and how do you make it really better, more useful, more informative, easier to navigate with less mouse clicks and so on, and it is not even pathetic from the programming standpoint. It isn't even laughable. It is utter disaster, total and complete.

But the question I have is the precise instructions to get back to 1.3.109.

After struggling for some time and finally able to reinstall 1.3.109 what I see is my main share showing ALL the nodes as empty, ie needing the upload of the entire share. But they are all synced.

After waiting for hours they still show the need to upload the size of the entire share.

Finally, I deleted that share and re-added it again, but no luck. The question I have, do we have the problem with all the 1.3.109 nodes somehow getting screwed up because of 1.4.72?

What exactly do I do to recover from this situation?

Is there ANY documentation on what happens when you install 1.4.72 in terms of what it modifies, what it changes?

This should have never been released the way it was, without any warning or explanation or documentation. The install should have never just override the old configs, databases, rename files and create new directories on the share without making sure you can recover if you don't like it.

Edited August 28, 2014 by stanha