In our Desktop App M1 Chip Mac Overview article, we mentioned our work on a new desktop application for Mac to address the issues surrounding deployment and freezing on boot. That application has now been tested by dozens of customers and is released for all Egnyte users.
The new application is called Egnyte Desktop App Core and is created to address the issues with app deployment (approving kernel extensions) and freeze issues that occur on M1 Pro and M1 Max devices.
We want to share some additional details about the new experience, what changes you can expect, and what are the biggest known limitations.
Why We Are Building a New Desktop App?
There are several reasons why we are building a new application. To build this app we are using a new Apple technology, the File Provider framework. This framework allows for much tighter integration with the operating system and an improved end-user experience. With this move, we are ensuring future support of the application, since the older Egnyte Desktop App is built on technology that is now deprecated by Apple.
Will the Existing Desktop App Still Work?
Yes, we are still maintaining the older Desktop App and do not have any immediate plans to stop supporting it. Once Desktop App Core reaches full parity with the older Desktop App, it will replace the Desktop App.
Before You Install Desktop App Core
Before you install make sure you are aware of the list of features that are not included in the Desktop App Core (0.5) when compared to the Desktop App (3.14.11).
Be sure to check also the list of differences and other notable limitations.
Installation and First Usage
To install Desktop App Core you simply need to download the DMG file, double-click it and move the app to Applications.
Then simply start the app from the applications.
After you connect a drive, you will need to approve the Finder extension.
Once the app is running, users can mount a drive as they would in the older Egnyte Desktop App. Once mounted, the Egnyte drive is visible under the Locations section in Finder (it can be dragged and dropped into the Favorites section).
If the Egnyte drive is not connected this information will appear in the Finder top bar.
Most Notable Limitations and Differences Between Desktop App Core and Desktop App
New Visual Indicators
Desktop App Core uses new visual indicators.
Content Available for Download
When content is available to download it is represented by a cloud icon with a down arrow 
. When content is downloaded it is stored in the local cache and the cloud icon is gone. Such content will be available even if the drive is not connected (for example when there is no Internet connection).
Error With Syncing Content
When there has been some problem with syncing content a cloud icon with an exclamation point will be presented 
. On hover, there will be additional information on why the file couldn't be saved to the Egnyte cloud.
Lock indicators
When a file is opened by a user a lock is put on the file and is kept until the user closes it. The lock is represented by a green padlock icon if the current user is the lock owner:
If the file is locked by somebody else, the padlock is red. When hovering over the file, the information about the lock owner is presented.
The application will renew the lock for opened items every 30 seconds.
Different Behavior on Drag and Drop
With the Egnyte Desktop App Core, dragging and dropping a file or a folder from the local file system to a folder in Egnyte will result in the item being moved. In the older Egnyte Desktop App, dragging and dropping resulted in a copy operation. The difference in move/copy behavior between the two apps is shown below:
If you want to copy files while doing drag and drop, please hold the option button while doing this operation
Disconnecting Drive and Cached Content
Any files that are accessed with the Egnyte Desktop App Core are stored in the local OS-managed cache and are available to a user even if the user does not have the drive connected. With the older Egnyte Desktop App, such files were available ONLY if the user used Sync For Offline access option on a folder.
If the drive is disconnected the user is informed about this fact in the Finder window
Using Native Search
Any files that were accessed on Egnyte Desktop App Core can be found using native search (either inside Finder or through Spotlight search).
Only content that is cached locally will be searched - the content that was not downloaded will not be looked at
Drive Removal
If the drive is removed by the user, all unsynced files and folders (for example unresolved skips) are moved to: ~/Library/CloudStorage/
Drive Labels
Drive labels are only partly adjustable (drive will always be named as the application: Egnyte). If a user has multiple drives connected then the label can be adjusted, however, the “Egnyte – “ prefix will remain.
Reporting
In audit reports, this app will be presented as Desktop App.
Features Not Present in the Desktop App Core
Following Egnyte Desktop App features are currently not present in the Egnyte Desktop App Core (v 0.7)
- Smart Cache connection
- Configuration of data-usage throttling
These features will be added in upcoming releases of the Desktop App Core. Once Desktop App Core reaches full parity with the older Desktop App, this will replace the current version.
Other Notable Limitations
- Desktop App Core will run on OS Monterey or higher
- There is a difference in Command Line Interface usage - this is described in this article
- Custom Cloud Start Path can only be added via Command Line Interface, and only during the drive addition step. After the addition, it cannot be changed.
- If the Core version of the app is running alongside with current production Egnyte Desktop App there might be some problems when connecting a drive that needs SSO.
- The application checks for open files every 30 seconds and renews or closes locks depending on the file open. This means that files may remain locked for up to 30 seconds after closing the file.
- Opening files from a third-party application’s recently opened files feature (for example recent opened files in MS Word) may result in opening an older version of the file (if the file has been changed by someone else, and the user hasn’t visited the folder where the file resides).
- Some skips will remain on the list, even after skipped files are removed from the cloud drive. Clicking “retry all” in the skips panel will resolve those skipped items.
- Thumbnails/previews are available only for certain file extensions when listed in a folder, and the rest after the given file is downloaded.
- Context menu: There are some options the user does not have permissions for in the context menu and will no longer be made visible. For example, the rename and duplicate option will not be available in a read-only folder.