File Provider For Cloud Storage On macOS 12.1 And Up

  There is a good write-up by Google on File Provider which is used by macOS 12.1 and up explaining how it works with cloud storage services, including Google Drive.

 You can find it here.

 Among other things it stipulates that the streaming location is controlled by macOS and goes into: User/youruser/Library/CloudStorage.

 There is an extensive table comparing the File Provider and Legacy methods of streaming. The differences are sometimes subtle.

 In my observations, Google Drive, iCloudDrive, OneDrive and Internxt Drive are stored in the CloudStorage location.

 Mega Drive, Dropbox Drive, kDrive, Drime, Sync Drive on the other end are stored in a location of my choice, even though they too have extensions in File Provider:

 If you have an explanation as to why that is, I would love to know. Post in the comments. Thanks!

Google Drive Icon Missing, Or Annoyingly Blinking

  There an annoying bug with Google Drive icon on macOS Tahoe, where the Finder icon is missing, and when getting info (Command + I) the top icon is blinking like mad.

 Don't know what's causing this, but it's been a problem for a while, even on Windows as mentioned in this thread.

 This is Google Drive Version 122.0.1.0 on Apple Silicon.

Apple iCloud, What Works, What Doesn't - Part 2

  In Part 1 I explore Apple iCloud and share my findings.

 In Part 2, I dig further into the functionalities, or lack of thereof... Apple has a lackluster cloud storage solution for the advanced user.

 I get it, most people will be happy to simply log-in, pay the fee, and let Apple decide whatever to do with their iCloud, and Apple is all for that! I'm not that person, I want CONTROL and OPTIONS and FEATURES.

 One thing that's exasperating is the fact that there can only be ONE iCloud / Drive - linked to ONE Apple ID.

 If you happen to use 2 Apple ID or more, you're out of luck as far as sharing iCloud Drive(s). No way to connect different Apple IDs to the same iCloud / Drive. Thinking of using Family for your multiple personas? Sure, only they are entirely walled off. Back to square one.

 This means that you must connect all your devices to the same iCloud to enjoy a true shared cloud space. Some people do not want that. They want a space for their phone, and a different space for their personal computer, and a third space for their work computer for example. And they want to be able to selectively sync, share and access these spaces however they see fit.

 Can't do that with iCloud/Drive. There is a single Drive and everything is synced, period. Same with the other apps: Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Photos, Notes, Reminders, Invites, Pages, Numbers, Keynote and Find My. Basically all or nothing, not exactly true, but in essence yes, it is all or nothing.

 The only app for which this rigid and immutable configuration is a benefit for is Find My. That is the only one for which it makes sense, and is not a limitation.

 If you have 3 devices, you have to either share everything under one common iCloud, or buy 3 different iClouds that won't talk to each other.

 There is only ONE Drive in iCloud, there is no second or third or Nth drive that one could use to compartmentalize, or sync separately as they see fit. Fine, only a few cloud storage providers offer that function.

 There is no selective sync. This my friend is HUGE. Being able to select what folders you want to sync to your devices instead of the whole Drive is a power feature. Not with iCloud.

   This is also what Microsoft OneDrive does unfortunately, single drive, all or nothing synced, no selective sync. I dont know who copied who in this case, but they are both fairly basic.

 OK, back to iCloud, how about sharing a folder with x number of people? Yes you can do that, only they have to SIGN-IN (or UP) to THEIR OWN iCloud, and the folder is then ADDED TO THEIR iCloud Drive. No way to access the folder anonymously.

 What? That's forcing other people to use iCloud, I will never do that. That a big NO Apple.

 Compare this failing to OneDrive impeccable anonymous sharing (by default):

 And with OneDrive you can even allow anonymous people to edit:

 How about sharing a single file with iDrive then? That at least must doable without signing in... Yes it is, when selecting share with Anyone with the link, and Can view only:

 

 Finally a direct, anonymous link to download the file.

 Again, you cannot do this with a folder. The recipient must sign-in into their iCloud account.

 Do you think you can batch share files with iCloud? NOPE. If you select more than one file, the share option is greyed out in the menu. You cannot drag files to the permanently featured Shared folder either.

 Again Microsoft beats Apple as OneDrive does have batch sharing:

 Apple why are you so lame?

 I realize this Part 2 only deals with things that do not work. Sorry Apple, that's how it is, my opinion.

Cloud Storage Compared

  Here is a fantastic tool to compare cloud storages offers from the myriad of providers around the world: https://comparisontabl.es/cloud-storage/

 In addition to the very useful information in this online spreadsheet, I encourage you to test for yourself as each provider has unique functions, or lack of thereof, that will only reveal themself through testing. Note that I'm on Apple Mac Silicon, what applies to me doesn't necessarily apply to your situation, so test away! Most if not all providers offer free trials.

 For example did you know that the iCloud Drive web app doesn't have a search function? I didn't either, and it's a big annoyance. It's also linked to your AppleID which is another huge gotcha.

 How about the ability to free storage space on your device by storing files in the cloud only, but still listing the offline files on your devices, visually signaling the difference between offline and online? Some do it (iCloud, Internxt), some don't (Mega.) Some are supposed to do it, only it doesn't work (kDrive.)

 Some allow for multiple workspaces (Drime), some don't. Some have selective sync (kDrive), some don't.

 I have yet to discover which ones have block level sync (Dropbox does), and which do not.

Provider	Web Search	Offline/online	Multi Workspace	Selective Sync	Block Level
iCloud	No	Yes	No	No	?
OneDrive	Yes	Yes	No	No	?
Mega	Yes	No	No	No	?
GoogleDrive	Yes	Yes	No	No	?
Internxt	Yes	Yes	No	No	?
kDrive	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
DropBox	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Drime	Yes	No	Yes	No	No

 Drime on macOS syncs and display every .DS_Store file (normally invisible), which is a real pain.

 Again, Apple M1 user here, macOS Tahoe 26.3.

 As I discover more uniqueness, I'll report and add to this post.

As Expected AI Is Making Everything More Expensive - Envato Elements Example

  Envato has revealed the new pricing for Elements with AI included. Until feb 25 AI generation was unlimited and included in all plans. Not anymore. Now we have 3 tiers: Core, Plus, Ultimate.

 Core has 10 AI gen/mo, which is severely limited. I guess it's basically the old plan without AI. Plus has 100 AI gen/mo. The Ultimate plan has unlimited AI gen.

 Core is now $198/year. Plus jumps to $468/year, and Ultimate will rob you of $1308/year. Students save 30%.

 Unlike Adobe offering, you cannot buy additional credits. For now at least. Unlike Adobe, no old model unlimited gen available. Credits, like Adobe, reset each month, which sucks in both cases.

Adobe CC Pro Plan gives you 4000 gen AI credits included for $69.99/mo. Although Adobe doesn't counts credits like Envato does: some Adobe AI gen cost 10, 20, 40, 50, 100 or even more credits. With Envato, all AI gen are equal: one gen costs one credit. At least for now.

 Interestingly, looking at the Plus plan, Envato prices AI gen at $270 ($468-$198) for 90 generations. Or $3 each. Which seems high. Basically ou spend $3 each time you click on "Generate" when on the Core or Plus plans. To me this Plus plan is not very attractive.

 For the reasons we all know at this point, you cannot foresee the number of generations you will need. De-coupling the cost from the number of gen AI (as in unlimited) makes a lot of sense. So the Ultimate plan seems like a good deal if you think you'll be using a lot of gen AI.

 Compared to ChatGPT Pro at $200/mo, or $2400/year, which gives access to most of OpenAI gen AI including Sora "unlimited", Envato Ultimate is more affordable. Although as of now Envato video gen it is still in Beta and limited in models, duration and resolution.

 Envato is currently powered by OpenAI, Luma, Google's Veo and Nano Banana, Seedream, KingAI, EleveLabs, Flux and Minimax.

 Envato picks the models depending on the task. According to their FAQS:

 "We use a mix of state of the art models such as Nano Banana, Google Veo, Kling, Runway, ElevenLabs, and more to match the right models with specific use cases and styles under the hood. We constantly partner with leading providers as new models launch and update our integrations as existing models improve and add capabilities. To keep things fast and flexible here, model-specific availability is always evolving and subject to change at Envato’s discretion without notice."

 In other words, the user doesn't have control of the models, and tools available today might not be tomorrow. We'll see if Envato allows users to select specific models for specific tasks in the future.

 If you compare to Adobe's cost of AI page, you'll notice that Adobe offers more models, and you also quickly see that the most recent models and higher resolutions cost way more credits than their lower res peers, from 10 credits to 450 credits. That will quickly depletes your Adobe credits if you use a lot of the high end stuff.

 Envato locks you in with the yearly plans, which are more affordable than their monthly plans. Core is $198 yearly vs. $468 for 12 months if subscribing monthly. Plus is $468 yearly vs. $708 for 12 months if subscribing monthly. Ultimate is $1308 yearly vs. $2028 for 12 months if subscribing monthly.

 I suppose one could have a Core plan for everyday stock and occasional AI gen, and possibly a second monthly sub to Ultimate for gen AI heavy projects. When the project is completed, cancel/suspend the monthly sub to Ultimate.

 The cost for a yearly Core + 1 month of Ultimate would be $198 + $169 = $367. Core + 2 months of Ultimate $198 + $338 = $536. Core + 3 months Ultimate $198 + $507 = $705, etc. Core + 6 month of Ultimate $198 + $1014 = $1212. So one would need to use gen AI more than 6 months in the year to justify the yearly Ultimate sub.

As Expected AI Is Making Everything More Expensive - Adobe Example

  AI has been shoved down our throats, offered as "unlimited" to lure us in, and now companies are pulling the carpet and are trying to lock us in higher fees. Unlimited gen on Adobe Creative Cloud is coming to an end on March 16.

 One thing for sure, AI is expensive!

 Currently Adobe gives you 4000 Premium Features credits per month on the regular Creative Cloud Pro plan ($69.99/month, currently on sale for $34.99 for the first 3 months.) CC Pro plan was $10 cheaper before the introduction of AI features.

 Most standard features cost 1 credit or more without a CC plan. They are still unlimited when you have a CC plan, which is good to have I guess. The Premium models cost credits. What's Premium or standard is likely subject to change in the future.

 According to Adobe, with 4000 credits you can generate up to 40 5 seconds videos, translate up to 13 minutes of audio, generate up to 400 sound effects. Not a lot of gen for an AI midweigth project in my opinion.

  If you want more credits, they are available in Firefly sub as follow: 2000 credits for $9.99; 7000 credits for $29.99; 50,000 credits for $199.99.

 Credits used for generations vary depending on the task, models, and many other variables, among them how close to what you have in mind the generation looks and feel... And we all know that it can be far from the envisioned result. Leading to multiple generation, trials and errors.

 As a result it's IMPOSSIBLE to budget in advance. And unfortunately the business model actually makes more money the more it fails at its tasks... Forcing you to consume more credits. We live in crazy times.

 At least Adobe flags the premium features in their apps, and users can select which they want to use. Here for example gen fill in Photoshop clearly shows what models are Premium (basically all partners models) and thus cost credits. Again, standard features are included in CC plan, and currently unlimited.

 For memo here is the current Adobe pricing table. 🤯

 The mentioned partners models table in the above linked page is in turn excruciating. 😥

At least Adobe is trying to be upfront with this mess. Good luck with the headache inducing information.

Tp-link Archer AX55 No Internet Connection Issue

 For some reason Tp-link Archer AX55 Wifi Router refuses to connect to the internet. All the cables are fine, the Modem is working fine, computers connected to the switch and then to the Modem are able to connect to the internet via Ethernet, no problem!

 Tp-link Archer AX55 is not happy and the internet led stays orange. In the Tp-link settings it says no internet connection. Not only, but I kept getting disconnections and now way to try any other config.

Simple solution in this forum:

https://community.tp-link.com/en/home/forum/topic/545762

As it happens, I have a cable Modem, and for convenience I had connected the Modem to the unmanaged switch, then from the switch to the Tp-link router. The switch also received my three other computers. So the Modem was seeing many different MAC addresses not just the Tp-link one.

As @paulrob mentionned in his post:

Not sure if applicable, but in the UK (I am on Virgin Media) and the ISP modem needs to also be rebooted after the router is replaced.

The ISP fibre modem looks at the Mac address of the device connected to it when first booted, if the router is changed (and the modem not rebooted) then it will refuse to authorise the device.

 

Try turning off your ISP modem and the AX55.

Turn on the Modem, wait for it to boot properly, then turn on the AX55.

 Ah! Exactly, so I guess on reboot the Modem locked onto one of the other computers instead of the Tp-link, and after that, no way to make it work.

 So I unplugged everything and only connected the Modem to the Tp-link WAN, rebooted the Modem. Rebooted the Tp-link, and... IT WORKED!

 I have reconnected everything, now going from the Tp-link to the switch via the 1st LAN, and then connected every other device to the switch. This way next time there is a power outage, the entire network should reconfigure itself automatically. 👍