“Nextcloud Hub 7” launched🚀 ! My Review👎🏻🤯😥

As an Open Source contributor & tech lover(you can say😋), I’ve been keeping an eye on the developments in the Nextcloud community. The latest release, Nextcloud Hub 7, introduces several exciting new features and improvements that could potentially revolutionise how teams work together and manage their digital assets.

In this article, we’ll delve into the impressive features and improvements of Nextcloud Hub 7 that make it a versatile and indispensable platform for users across the spectrum. After that I’ll give my review, so let’s see what we got this time:

Unified Search

One of the most notable features in Nextcloud Hub 7 is the Unified Search. This feature allows users to search for items across all core apps and even external locations from a single search box. This means that users can find every file, task, or communication related to their inquiry in one place. The Unified Search is accessible through a magnifier icon on the toolbar’s top right corner. It also offers convenient filtering options, allowing users to narrow down their search results based on various parameters.

Simplifying Communication with Global Out-Of-Office Features

Nextcloud Hub 7 introduces advanced out-of-office features that simplify communication during periods of absence. Users can now configure their out-of-office status in their availability settings, which is applied not only in an out-of-office email but also in Calendar (with an automatic out-of-office Calendar item) and in Talk, where others get notified that the user is not around. This feature ensures that colleagues can coordinate tasks and communicate effectively during periods of absence.

Harnessing the Power of AI

Nextcloud Hub 7 significantly improves upon the AI capabilities of Hub 6. It introduces an Ethical AI Rating system, ensuring that every AI feature is evaluated based on its risk to data and ethical implications, providing a safer and more responsible use of AI. It also includes advanced text generation tools and speech-to-text features, enhancing communication and efficiency. These advancements in AI make Nextcloud Hub 7 a more powerful and versatile platform for businesses and individuals alike.

Enhanced Document Management with Nextcloud Files

Nextcloud Files, where users store their documents, videos, and photos, has also received significant improvements. The Nextcloud Files app has been rewritten, migrating to Vue.js, a popular, modern web toolkit packed with possibilities. This brings a number of performance benefits, including faster loading times, improved preview loading and caching, and a more accurate progress indicator with more information from EXIF metadata when uploading files. Additionally, a new feature allows users to annotate PDFs directly in their Nextcloud. Just want to add that I also contributed in the Photos iOS app to preview media in a more informative and trendy way.[I want to tell the team, we need a lot of improvements in iOS app, and I’m working on to make contributions from my side, be ready for a very bigggg PR😌🤪.

Expanding Capabilities with New Integration Features

With the introduction of Nextcloud Hub 7, users can also expect new integration features. The platform is closely integrating with tons of third-party applications and tools, expanding its capabilities and enhancing user experience.

My Review

Nextcloud Hub 7 is a significant upgrade from its predecessor, with a host of new features designed to enhance productivity and efficiency. The platform is unified, allowing seamless integration between different functionalities, making it easier to manage tasks and collaborate with teams. The advanced search feature is a game-changer, enabling users to find chat messages, emails, calendar items, documents, and even external content like support tickets or memes. Additionally, the global out-of-office status feature, which can be configured in availability settings, provides a more streamlined way to communicate availability across different apps.

While offering a slew of improvements, it falls short in certain areas. The platform’s unification of features, while commendable, may lead to a complex interface for new users or those accustomed to separate applications. However, it’s worth noting that as a self-hosted solution, Nextcloud Hub 7 requires careful selection of web hosts due to varying policies on large file storage, otherwise leading to potential inconsistencies in service quality.

Despite these considerations, the platform’s configurability, robustness, and the promise of a more secure and private cloud storage solution make it a compelling choice for many businesses and individuals. Overall it’s a steady leap in Nextcloud, and I personally loved the changes.

Conclusion

Nextcloud Hub 7 is a significant update that brings together several advanced features and improvements. By focusing on areas like accessibility, integrations, bug fixes, and AI features, Nextcloud could continue to evolve and offer a platform that truly meets the needs of its users. Whether it’s small & important changes like QR code generation, Live Photo support on iOS, Costs controlled AI or bigger one like the Unified Search, the new features in Nextcloud Groupware, these updates could potentially transform the way teams collaborate and manage their digital assets.

p.s. [Title emoji = ClickBait/100]😩