For users of Facebook, the popular social networking site, it?s been reported that the company has made a recent addition to its features that may pique the interests of those who spend a good amount of time uploading pictures. At its core, Facebook is a social networking tool, allowing people the world over to connect and establish new relationships while rediscovering old ones. Part of the experience ? for those who aren?t shy ? is uploading the photos that reveal the life they lead outside of the Facebook community.
A new photo uploader utility is now included within their Prototypes directory, the beta depository where new features are tested before being unveiled to the general public. Introducing a considerable improvement in the process of uploading photos, which has always drawn complaints for its decidedly buggy and difficult nature, this upgrade will surely come as good news to the millions of Facebook users who upload almost 2 billion photos a month to their accounts.
Unchanged since its debut in 2005, the current Facebook uploader still employs what many would describe as an antiquated model, relying on a third-party ActiveX control and a Java applet. Facebook, when assessing the state of its uploader and how it could be improved, decided to break from that reliance.
The new version shows an immediate improvement, with faster uploading and the ability to view other Facebook pages while the photos are being uploaded. Yes, uploading photos takes place in the background, thanks to the entire process being rewritten by Facebook?s engineers ? using HTML and CSS, with the background uploading supported by Javascript.
Installing this new update is easy. To do so, you should visit the Prototypes page, where you can locate the new tool and launch it for your profile. Once that?s done, you?ll be asked to install the plug-in the next time you wish to create a new photo album. The process is quick, leaving you with a new user interface that?s beautifully intuitive, with easier navigation and a cleaner appearance.
As with any new application, particularly one still in the beta stage, security concerns rank high. If not properly debugged, the tiniest hole in the security of the program can compromise an entire system, when exploited by a crafty hacker. Facebook has also included a neat mechanism that thwarts any attempt to use the new uploader to circumvent security. If a security breach is uncovered, Facebook has a ?kill switch? that will remotely deactivate the plug-in.
Facebook is curious about the community?s response to this new feature, asking that users report any issues that arise during its use. At this juncture, with it still being tested, it?s to the community?s benefit that any problems are brought to the Facebook?s attention.
For those who want to try the new uploader, you can grab it here.