New Feature: Cloud Resources

8.3 beta 1 introduces a major new feature to library management in Logos: selective download, aka "Cloud Resources."

This feature is in response to user requests to make Logos's hard drive footprint smaller, particularly for installing to computers with limited storage space. It will also offer the potential for faster installation times, and perhaps performance gains when a smaller library set is downloaded.

Control which resources are downloaded; search those that aren't.

Cloud resources consists of four components:

1. Download management in the library

You can now control which resources are downloaded on your hard drive.  Un-downloaded resources are represented in the library by the "download" icon in Tile view, and counted by the "Not on this device" facet. You can choose to download or remove resources in the context menu and the Information pane.

Resources that are not downloaded are not expected to function in the software, with the exception of cloud resource search, and resource text preview (see below). They will not appear in Guides, Factbook, searches*, keylink lookup, etc.  

*Note: removing a resource deletes the file from the hard drive, but does not remove it from the Library Index. To reclaim hard space from the Library Index after removing a large number of resources, use the command Rebuild Index.

2. Alternate resource panel state

Cloud resources open an a preview panel, similar to locked resources. The full text of the resource is available in a simple view with limited functionality in terms of interaction with the context menu, etc.

3. Cloud resource search.

A new section in Everything search, Cloud Resource search returns results from all licensed resources that aren't hidden or downloaded on this machine.  

See note above regarding removed resources in "library results."

4. New program setting to Automatically Download New Resources.

This determines whether newly-licensed resources are downloaded by default. It defaults to Yes.

The setting to automatically download updates to resources that are already downloaded remains a separate setting.

Also worth noting: in the 8.3 beta cycle, we will also ship a new configuration screen that will be shown when installing to a new computer. It will offer the options of Minimal download (only datasets and a few resources), Recommended (Minimal plus a curated list of high-value resources), or Everything (same as previous versions of Logos). This resource-set picker will only be shown the first time a user signs in on a given machine. More details to come.

Help us break it.

Cloud Resources represents a major change to how the Logos application downloads and interacts with resources. We have invested a lot of development effort into safeguarding that it will work smoothly, but there is still some level of risk.

Here are some ways you can help us:

1. Download or remove large numbers of resources at a time.

2. Download a resource, and cancel the download.

3. Remove a resource, and immediately download while it’s still in the “removing” state.

4. Select a mixed set of downloaded and cloud resources, and modify them with rating, tag, download/remove, add to collection, etc. Does everything work as you expect?

5. Are you ever surprised by a resource you thought was downloaded but wasn’t, or vice versa?

6. What do you think might confuse novice users about this feature?

7. Do you notice any performance improvement in Logos when many resources have been removed from the library? What are the conditions you tested/ compared?

We've been working on this one for a while, and we are eager to see how you like it. As always, thank you all for testing, and offering your thoughtful feedback. 

--Adam