The Google Docs team announced today some changes to the Docs List UI: http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2009/07/pardon-our-dust.html . It is said to lead to a new "shiny interface".

Yet, I think this URL weren't working few days ago http://docs.google.com/#videos and this one http://docs.google.com/#photos which was disabled one year ago, works again (see http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/08/photo-albums-in-google-docs.html).

[linkfixes ~hebbet]

Sensible.

This new interface is now live for me. And there are references to Cosmo* in the code... so perhaps Web Drive is finally on its way.

* http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2009-01-20-n85.html

They have to.

IMO, it would be a huge mistake to release Chrome OS before Cosmo. You need to have most of your data in the cloud to fully understand the benefits of such OS.

That's why Google Docs and Apps is so important right now: they're making millions of individuals (especially students) and companies familiar to cloud computing, so that it will be obvious to use a environment designed for that.

What matters isn't the current form Web apps (documents, spreadsheet, presentation, Youtube, Picasa, Maps...) but the habits of accessing the data through a browser.

They should accelerate the development of their solution, before the release of a good alternative from Microsoft.

They have to launch ASAP:
- powerful offline capabilities in the browser (Gears, HTML5 and then the Chrome OS thing): still nothing for spreadsheets and presentations :(
- desktop plug-in for fast transfer and backup, hopefully coming with Cosmo: batch import and export – no sync needed thanks to the browser's offline capabilities, plus drag-n-drop in the browser
- desktop plug-in "for actions": a QSB on steroids, with special development for Chrome OS
- better integration cross-products, such as embeddable spreadsheet, video, photos (ex-Picasa) in documents and presentation (they've just released tables in presentation), Calendar, Wave...
- better sharing capabilities: shared folders are coming
- amazing Web-exclusive killer features, to show that Microsoft's hybrid solutions can't match the power of the cloud: video streaming, location with Latitude, OpenSocial, editable versions of documents and presentation for mobile with HTML5), true real-time collaboration with Wave...

Tony, does the new interface look similar to the old one? or is it a complete revamped one?

In my case, the item that said "PDF" is now just "Files"... and also, the "Items not in folder" is gone.

BTW.... I just tried to upload a jpg file and it uploaded successfully.... but it was inserted into a new Document. Was this feature available before?

> Tony, does the new interface look similar to the old one?
> or is it a complete revamped one?

It looks virtually the same with just a few minor modifications. It sounds like you've got it.

Tony the "new" interface, is just one step for a new interface.
It is like Firefox 3.0 -> 3.5 with 3.7 a new interface will come

Inferno
Yep, we could already upload jpg files (automatically inserted in a new document).

http://docs.google.com/images/doclist/icon_4_chrome_folder_large.gif

http://docs.google.com/images/doclist/icon_4_video.png

via http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/07/google-docs-slowly-morphing-into-google.html

Google Docs now lets you share a document with everyone (for collaboration). But it doesn't work: try save your changes on https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AfxZEAkXzMLqZGhucGd0cmJfMTA5NmdmbThiZ2Zq.

Google Docs isn't in Beta anymore, and this feature isn't a Lab one. FAIL

In a recent comment http://blogoscoped.com/forum/157855.html#id157856 about the evolution of Google Docs, I said that "you'll access all your digital footprint on Google's network from one place. Those footprints include your files but also your bookmarks (...)". There's now a bookmark icon in Google Docs!
http://docs.google.com/images/doclist/icon_4_bookmark_large.gif
I was actually talking about Web page bookmarks but I was right anyway :)

Jérôme:

I think the bookmark icon will only be used for Chrome OS shortcuts to Google-hosted files. It looks exactly like a Windows shortcut and the code mentions "Chrome" next to the URL.

Ionut:
Nice catch... but it's still a bookmark :)

It makes sense to release Cosmo before Chrome OS (http://blogoscoped.com/forum/157588.html#id157840). Since the OS should come before the end of the year, I would expect a full launch before September.

What's your guess?

I think it will be fully launched in less than 3 weeks.

Ionut, with the desktop plugins? That would be awesome.

There are many issues that should be settled before the release:
* what to do with photos, i.e what to do with PWA?
* what to do with music? Interesting debate to come, especially around the sharing capabilities...
* what to do with video: if they're indeed uploaded to Youtube, we'll we have a full interface to manage sharing from Docs?

It would be pity if files other than documents, spreadsheets, presentations and PDF will only be uploadable/downloadable, or become mere shortcutes to Picasa and Youtube.

Finally, PDFs appear in the iGoogle gadget.