Hi all...Joel Sider here. I manage PR (Public Relations) for Home Server. It's great to see the blog getting going with visitors and comments.
One of the most exciting things about "unveiling" Home Server at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) last month was the response that began pouring in from potential customers. The team had done the market research, surveys and focus groups that Todd talks about below...but now we're really beginning to hear from our market! For example, today I received an email from someone who wrote:
I am very interested in this product. I am currently juggling 5 PC’s here at our house. One is away at college but DAD is responsible if anything goes wrong. This is a product I can use. When where, how?
By the way, if you're looking for a good walk through of Home Server, I suggest viewing the video at On10. It's a good virtual demo. Also, Paul Thurrott's preview/review provides some more meat about the product, too.
J
I really like the idea of this product.
I am wondering what the situation is regarding print server support, onecare/vista backup integration, and windows/onecare/defender updates.
For those of us that have USB printers we would like to share over the network, how would this work? Would you upload the print driver into the server somehow over a web interface? Would multi-function printers work?
Will the server work with vista's new "offline folder" features?
-d
Is there an official Features Wish List?
A home server is a great idea however, I fear that Microsoft will miss very important ‘home functionality’ aspects.
Here are things that I believe a home server should have.
1. It should run media center. I don't watch TV on my computer, I use extenders (360's) However I can't use my computer intensively (gaming or video editing) while it is recording or playing video. This should be off loaded to the server. Cablecard also has to be supported.
2. The home server should be able to act as a repository of 360 Game saves. My Live login should go through the home server, then when I go from one 360 to another, it pulls my saved game to the 'active Xbox'. Obviously it would have to support multiple live accounts as well.
3. I am sure it will, but it needs to run gigabit Ethernet.
4. An add-on on should be available to run a home version of the new exchange with the universal messaging voicemail, voice over IP stuff. Perhaps even host mail accounts. Not a full smtp server, but the ability to plug in your ISP settings and it relay through the Home server. Then the server hosts the email in an exchange store, or PST. Have some exchange features including webmail!
5. Act as a firewall to protect home network using some cut down ISA Server?
I have other Ideas too, but I doubt any of this will be included and I am probably just wasting my time with this anyway :-(
all I want to know is how to get on the Beta! this product sounds like something I've been wanting for a long time...
brittony said:
"2. The home server should be able to act as a repository of 360 Game saves. My Live login should go through the home server, then when I go from one 360 to another, it pulls my saved game to the 'active Xbox'. Obviously it would have to support multiple live accounts as well."
I would want WinHoSer even more if it could accomplish this! Would there be Bluetooth capabilities on this as well?
Yes I would love an invite to test the beta.
As an IT consultant here in Phx, AZ my home customers are screaming for a product like this.
I hate to see the guns go into the mouths when a client loses data or has a huge crash on thier home PC and there is no backup.
If you have an extra invite please pass it along. Besides being in AZ I can test how it handles in extreme heat :)
Can you guys explain the crazy decision to not release this as an installable OS to system builders?
The last thing on earth a normal human being wants to do is buy a PC from the likes of HP. We could build far supererior solutions.
The main thing that hindered Media Centre adoption was the fact people couldn't just buy the OS and build their own solutions and competiton meant that the average PC available to buy had only 512mb of RAM for instance (which meant terrible performance). I fear the exact same thing will happen now with the Home Server .... it just seems BONKERS!
Oh and yeah where do we get into the beta :)
I personally can't wait for this program to launch. I've been waiting for an easy-to-use server app for a LOOOONG time now.
Is it true that you aren't going to sell the software stand alone? I'm reading conflicting reports about that.
Oh, and I'd love to be on the beta test too... ;-)
I think this is going to be a great success, and I can't wait for the beta to start!
And now, for the non-beta question ;)
In the www.stopdigitalamnesia.com video about amnesia (with the poor lady whose husband deleted her puppy pics), she referred to the WHS machine as the (guessing here) "dingus". Was that just another term for the "watchamacallit" or is it some type of internal brand or code? Inquiring minds want to know!
I think the possible decision to limit the product to brand name manufacturers is a good one. For every great system builder store there are 100 bad ones out there. As a user I'd want the home server to work right first time. And someone I can call and moan to incase of difficulties.
This is an overdue product, to hell with the beta, where can one pre-order?
I'm and ISV and I want to integrate my apps, is there a dev program?
This sounds like a fantastic product and I can't wait till get my hands on one, whether it be Beta or the Full product.
Although, I'm somewhat dismayed to hear that the product may not be available as an installable OS, it makes me wonder what type of "Sam's" to product is aimed at? As most of the "Sam's" I know build their own systems.
I myself have built my own versions of a 'Home Server' over the years using both Win2K and 2K3 Servers as the base, then adding 3rd party app's and Reg Hacks to plug the MultiMedia Gaps.
Which is why I find the lack of 'MCE' support also disappointing. As its the main reason I built our first 'Home Server'. Having 2 MCE based HTPC's a MCE laptop, 2 (XBMC) Xboxes, an Xbox360, 2 more work laptops, and a number of PDA's/PSP's/MP3 players. Having a central store for files, especially multimedia files is very important for us.
I'm sure most of the afore mentioned 3rd party App's and Reg Hacks will again fill the 'MultiMedia Gap' but I fear they'll make this Server as complex to manage as the others, moving it from away the "Peter" market.
I last thought, before I bore everyone to death....
Charlie Kindel mentioned something about add-on’s in the Channel 9 video. Would it be possible to have an 'Official MCE' add-on?
That could be an ideal solution for both "Peter’s" and "Sam’s".
Count me in as a beta tester if needed, but I need one more feature that others have mentioned, and that's e-mail. I'd LOVE to have the integrated voice mail of Exch2K7 as well. If I could log in to OWA and get my e-mail and voice mail from my Home Server, and also have access to my digital photos and other files remotely, that would be the icing on the sugar free (I'm diabetic) cake. :)
I'm currently running SBS, but that's overkill.
Let me know when testing opens.
Thanks,
TowerDave