SkyDrive now goes 1GB and new feature added....
SkyDrive Team Blog
Monday, October 15, 2007
Windows Server 2008 RC0
Sign-up
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/beta/betacentral.mspx
Download Links
- Windows Web Server 2008 RC0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d977fde8-d3fb-4e6c-8a8a-352cf83111cc&DisplayLang=en
- Windows Server 2008 RC0 Standard Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d694d4cc-0681-41b5-b02e-012be18f8b71&DisplayLang=en
- Windows Server 2008 RC0 for Itanium-based Systems
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=07ec6bea-b14e-4f73-98c6-eb7a92e76b05&DisplayLang=en
- Windows Server 2008 RC0 Enterprise
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0818d425-cd47-4279-be8d-24aba14530a3&displaylang=en&tm
- Windows Server 2008 RC0 Datacenter
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=95cc89a8-0076-4571-b379-4aa4f526b893&displaylang=en&tm
- Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate: System Requirements and Installation Documentation
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1087a498-40ad-46ba-9ada-f32a58a94a85&displaylang=en&tm
- Windows Server 2008 Technical Overviews
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=46dc26d6-af47-43f0-b3de-521831fe09d6&displaylang=en&tm
- Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=518d870c-fa3e-4f6a-97f5-acaf31de6dce&DisplayLang=en
- Release Notes for this Release of Windows Server Virtualization
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3ed582f0-f844-40ba-b692-230845af1149&DisplayLang=en
- Windows Media Services 2008 for Windows Server 2008 RC0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=898fe4ff-92fc-4ab8-bd5a-6ce689004b40&DisplayLang=en
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 VHD (Full Installation)http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9aa65956-4a13-46a3-9711-82939a041792&displaylang=en
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/beta/betacentral.mspx
Download Links
- Windows Web Server 2008 RC0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d977fde8-d3fb-4e6c-8a8a-352cf83111cc&DisplayLang=en
- Windows Server 2008 RC0 Standard Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d694d4cc-0681-41b5-b02e-012be18f8b71&DisplayLang=en
- Windows Server 2008 RC0 for Itanium-based Systems
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=07ec6bea-b14e-4f73-98c6-eb7a92e76b05&DisplayLang=en
- Windows Server 2008 RC0 Enterprise
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=0818d425-cd47-4279-be8d-24aba14530a3&displaylang=en&tm
- Windows Server 2008 RC0 Datacenter
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=95cc89a8-0076-4571-b379-4aa4f526b893&displaylang=en&tm
- Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate: System Requirements and Installation Documentation
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=1087a498-40ad-46ba-9ada-f32a58a94a85&displaylang=en&tm
- Windows Server 2008 Technical Overviews
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=46dc26d6-af47-43f0-b3de-521831fe09d6&displaylang=en&tm
- Windows Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guides
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=518d870c-fa3e-4f6a-97f5-acaf31de6dce&DisplayLang=en
- Release Notes for this Release of Windows Server Virtualization
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3ed582f0-f844-40ba-b692-230845af1149&DisplayLang=en
- Windows Media Services 2008 for Windows Server 2008 RC0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=898fe4ff-92fc-4ab8-bd5a-6ce689004b40&DisplayLang=en
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 VHD (Full Installation)http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9aa65956-4a13-46a3-9711-82939a041792&displaylang=en
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Download
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Download
Windows Server® 2008 Beta 3 helps IT professionals to increase the flexibility of their server infrastructure while offering developers a more robust web and applications platform for building connected applications and services.
Sign-up
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/beta/betacentral.mspx
Download Links
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Enterprise
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Standard
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Datacenter
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Web
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 VHD (Full Installation)
Windows Server® 2008 Beta 3 helps IT professionals to increase the flexibility of their server infrastructure while offering developers a more robust web and applications platform for building connected applications and services.
Sign-up
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/beta/betacentral.mspx
Download Links
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Enterprise
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Standard
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Datacenter
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 Web
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 VHD (Full Installation)
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Windows Live Hotmail now goes 5GB
From MailTeam Blog Page
Hotmail will soon bring you more of your requests, better performance
We went out of beta in May, and we’re already releasing something new. Today, these new features will begin to roll our gradually to all our customers over the next few weeks, so if you don’t immediately see them, be patient, they’re coming!
It’s a fun time to be working on Hotmail. We already did a ton of work to get the basics ready to get out of beta, so now we’ve been able to add some more of the extras that our more advanced users have been asking for. We’re continuing to collect feedback and using it to guide which areas of the product to improve next. Thanks to all of you who were beta testers, have clicked the “feedback” link in Hotmail, or leave constructive comments on the blog. We’re listening!
Performance: We’ve been hearing you loud and clear across the world: speed is one of the most important aspects of a web-based email service. We’ve spent more time in this release identifying what parts of the product are slowest and fixing those. We hope that you notice an improvement when this update is released to your account, and we’ll continue our work on performance in future releases.
Quality of Service: Our last release went quite smoothly, and we’ve been continuing to monitor the live site to make sure that we’re providing e-mail that is reliable – you always want to be able to get to your mail, and we hear you!
More storage! Just when you were wondering how you’d ever fill up 2 or 4 GB of mail, we’ve given you more storage. Free users will get 5 GB and paid users will get 10 GB of Hotmail storage.
Mail retention changes: We’ll be increasing the amount of time that we leave messages in your junk and deleted items folders over the next few months.
Contacts de-duplication: Do you have five different entries for the same person in your Contacts? Yeah, me too, but not anymore. We’re the first webmail service to roll out “contacts de-duplication”. If you get a message from “Steve Kafka” and click “add contact” but there’s already a Steve Kafka, we’ll let you know and let you add Steve’s other e-mail address to your existing “Steve Kafka” contact entry. We’re just trying to be smarter to make your life easier and faster. There’s also a wizard you can run to clean up your existing duplicate contacts.
Show content more easily: Hotmail blocks images and links in messages from unknown senders for your protection from spammers and phishing scams. Now you can click directly on the gray square or link to decide if you want to show content in a message. (It’s still not a good idea to show content, especially images, in messages from spammers. Just loading the images in a spam lets them know that you’re reading their e-mails.)
Spam-fighting: We’ve made it possible to report phishing attacks like those fake bank notices or fraudsters who want your checking account number so they can supposedly make a deposit. Just click “report phishing” if you think you’ve found a dangerous scam. In the junk folder, click “not junk” to help train our filters. Every mail you report does help make our spam filter smarter, but fighting spam takes constant vigilance. Spammers always find a new trick whenever we thwart their old tricks.
Right-to-left languages: Support for Hebrew and Arabic is now out of beta! If you speak these languages or want to see Hotmail in a totally new way, go to Options and change your language. We fixed a lot of bugs for users of Hebrew and Arabic, so we hope the whole UI works better for you now.
More space for your email, a.k.a. smaller header: We heard you asking for more space for your mail, so we shrunk the header in this update.
Forwarding messages: You can now forward mail from your Hotmail account to other accounts. For now, if you have a free account, you can only forward your mail to other Hotmail accounts. (Paid accounts get more choices.) This is great idea if you have a few different addresses and want to consolidate your mail.
Cobranding: This is what we call showing the logo of an organization for whom we are hosting email. Hotmail is currently hosting e-mail for universities (and a few ISPs) around the world, so we show their logos in Hotmail.
Accepting meeting requests: If you receive a meeting request, such as one sent from Outlook, you can now click “accept” and have it added to your Calendar. This had existed for years in MSN Hotmail, and we’re adding it to Windows Live Hotmail now.
Vacation replies: Now Hotmail can automatically tell your friends why you haven’t written them back in a few weeks.
Classic version jump to page: In the classic version, we’ve made it easier to jump to different pages of mail. This will be very handy as you grow into your new 5 GB or 10 GB account.
And finally... Drumroll please… we know this is going to be a big hit with a lot of you out there in blog land. I hope you remember this as the Hotmail team listening to what you want. J
You can turn off the Today page (if you want to). If you’d rather see your inbox immediately upon login, you have the option to turn off the page of MSN news (called the Today page). The choice is yours. :-)
- Ellie Powers-Boyle, program manager
Hotmail will soon bring you more of your requests, better performance
We went out of beta in May, and we’re already releasing something new. Today, these new features will begin to roll our gradually to all our customers over the next few weeks, so if you don’t immediately see them, be patient, they’re coming!
It’s a fun time to be working on Hotmail. We already did a ton of work to get the basics ready to get out of beta, so now we’ve been able to add some more of the extras that our more advanced users have been asking for. We’re continuing to collect feedback and using it to guide which areas of the product to improve next. Thanks to all of you who were beta testers, have clicked the “feedback” link in Hotmail, or leave constructive comments on the blog. We’re listening!
Performance: We’ve been hearing you loud and clear across the world: speed is one of the most important aspects of a web-based email service. We’ve spent more time in this release identifying what parts of the product are slowest and fixing those. We hope that you notice an improvement when this update is released to your account, and we’ll continue our work on performance in future releases.
Quality of Service: Our last release went quite smoothly, and we’ve been continuing to monitor the live site to make sure that we’re providing e-mail that is reliable – you always want to be able to get to your mail, and we hear you!
More storage! Just when you were wondering how you’d ever fill up 2 or 4 GB of mail, we’ve given you more storage. Free users will get 5 GB and paid users will get 10 GB of Hotmail storage.
Mail retention changes: We’ll be increasing the amount of time that we leave messages in your junk and deleted items folders over the next few months.
Contacts de-duplication: Do you have five different entries for the same person in your Contacts? Yeah, me too, but not anymore. We’re the first webmail service to roll out “contacts de-duplication”. If you get a message from “Steve Kafka” and click “add contact” but there’s already a Steve Kafka, we’ll let you know and let you add Steve’s other e-mail address to your existing “Steve Kafka” contact entry. We’re just trying to be smarter to make your life easier and faster. There’s also a wizard you can run to clean up your existing duplicate contacts.
Show content more easily: Hotmail blocks images and links in messages from unknown senders for your protection from spammers and phishing scams. Now you can click directly on the gray square or link to decide if you want to show content in a message. (It’s still not a good idea to show content, especially images, in messages from spammers. Just loading the images in a spam lets them know that you’re reading their e-mails.)
Spam-fighting: We’ve made it possible to report phishing attacks like those fake bank notices or fraudsters who want your checking account number so they can supposedly make a deposit. Just click “report phishing” if you think you’ve found a dangerous scam. In the junk folder, click “not junk” to help train our filters. Every mail you report does help make our spam filter smarter, but fighting spam takes constant vigilance. Spammers always find a new trick whenever we thwart their old tricks.
Right-to-left languages: Support for Hebrew and Arabic is now out of beta! If you speak these languages or want to see Hotmail in a totally new way, go to Options and change your language. We fixed a lot of bugs for users of Hebrew and Arabic, so we hope the whole UI works better for you now.
More space for your email, a.k.a. smaller header: We heard you asking for more space for your mail, so we shrunk the header in this update.
Forwarding messages: You can now forward mail from your Hotmail account to other accounts. For now, if you have a free account, you can only forward your mail to other Hotmail accounts. (Paid accounts get more choices.) This is great idea if you have a few different addresses and want to consolidate your mail.
Cobranding: This is what we call showing the logo of an organization for whom we are hosting email. Hotmail is currently hosting e-mail for universities (and a few ISPs) around the world, so we show their logos in Hotmail.
Accepting meeting requests: If you receive a meeting request, such as one sent from Outlook, you can now click “accept” and have it added to your Calendar. This had existed for years in MSN Hotmail, and we’re adding it to Windows Live Hotmail now.
Vacation replies: Now Hotmail can automatically tell your friends why you haven’t written them back in a few weeks.
Classic version jump to page: In the classic version, we’ve made it easier to jump to different pages of mail. This will be very handy as you grow into your new 5 GB or 10 GB account.
And finally... Drumroll please… we know this is going to be a big hit with a lot of you out there in blog land. I hope you remember this as the Hotmail team listening to what you want. J
You can turn off the Today page (if you want to). If you’d rather see your inbox immediately upon login, you have the option to turn off the page of MSN news (called the Today page). The choice is yours. :-)
- Ellie Powers-Boyle, program manager
Monday, August 06, 2007
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 VHD
Windows Server 2008 Beta 3 now a
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9aa65956-4a13-46a3-9711-82939a041792&DisplayLang=en
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9aa65956-4a13-46a3-9711-82939a041792&DisplayLang=en
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Windows Live Folders - Beta Expand
Subject: Windows Live Folders -- opening soon!
Thanks for signing up for the Windows Live Folders waiting list. We’re sending you email to let you know that we’ll be expanding our beta on Wednesday starting at 10am PST!
To sign up, simply click Get Started on our homepage, starting at 10am tomorrow: http://folders.live.com/
If you have any questions, feel free to post them on our blog: http://livefoldersteam.spaces.live.com/
Thanks again,
Windows Live Folders Team"
500MB storage available online
Lot of improvement and bug fixes required to really go public.
Thanks for signing up for the Windows Live Folders waiting list. We’re sending you email to let you know that we’ll be expanding our beta on Wednesday starting at 10am PST!
To sign up, simply click Get Started on our homepage, starting at 10am tomorrow: http://folders.live.com/
If you have any questions, feel free to post them on our blog: http://livefoldersteam.spaces.live.com/
Thanks again,
Windows Live Folders Team"
500MB storage available online
Lot of improvement and bug fixes required to really go public.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Windows Vista Enterprise 30 Day Eval VHD
Windows Vista Enterprise Edition 30Day Virtual Image Trial Version available for download.
System Requirement :
Windows Server 2003; Windows Vista; Windows XP
In addition to the System Requirements for the virtualization product, you will need additional disk and memory resources for running the virtual machine. This VHD is pre-configured to use approximately 10GB of hard disk space and approximately 1024MB of memory
Other Tryout Virtual Images are available
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/try/vhd/default.mspx
System Requirement :
Windows Server 2003; Windows Vista; Windows XP
In addition to the System Requirements for the virtualization product, you will need additional disk and memory resources for running the virtual machine. This VHD is pre-configured to use approximately 10GB of hard disk space and approximately 1024MB of memory
Other Tryout Virtual Images are available
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/try/vhd/default.mspx
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Windows Home Server Beta 2 Begins
Windows Home Server Beta 2 Begins
Home Server is now public Beta with around 10000 Participants
Windows Home Server is intended to be part of a hardware solution to provide an easy to use consumer product to improve the experiences of broadband-connected households with
multiple personal computers. Windows Home Server provides:
Automated Computer Backup with Simple Restore for your Home Computers
Windows Home Server helps provide you with peace of mind by automatically backing up all of your home computers and your important files; making it easy to restore an entire home
computer or just a file from a previous point in time.
Access Everything from Anywhere
Your home server enables you to easily and more securely access your files and personal computers from inside and outside of your home. You can use your home server to store all of
your important files in a central location, for access anytime and anywhere.
Solution that Grows with You
Windows Home Server grows with you and meets your needs, today and into the future. It is incredibly easy to add hard drives as you need more space for your documents, photos,
music and videos.
The Windows Home Server team has a few recommended links for you to check out:
Windows Home Server Team blog
http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver
Product Overview site with videos highlighting the benefits of the product
http://stopdigitalamnesia.com
Press Release and Product Information
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2007/jan07/01-08WindowsHomeServerPR.mspx
Sign-up for Beta Testing
http://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer
Home Server Forum on Microsoft
http://forums.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver/default.aspx?siteid=50
Home Server is now public Beta with around 10000 Participants
Windows Home Server is intended to be part of a hardware solution to provide an easy to use consumer product to improve the experiences of broadband-connected households with
multiple personal computers. Windows Home Server provides:
Automated Computer Backup with Simple Restore for your Home Computers
Windows Home Server helps provide you with peace of mind by automatically backing up all of your home computers and your important files; making it easy to restore an entire home
computer or just a file from a previous point in time.
Access Everything from Anywhere
Your home server enables you to easily and more securely access your files and personal computers from inside and outside of your home. You can use your home server to store all of
your important files in a central location, for access anytime and anywhere.
Solution that Grows with You
Windows Home Server grows with you and meets your needs, today and into the future. It is incredibly easy to add hard drives as you need more space for your documents, photos,
music and videos.
The Windows Home Server team has a few recommended links for you to check out:
Windows Home Server Team blog
http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver
Product Overview site with videos highlighting the benefits of the product
http://stopdigitalamnesia.com
Press Release and Product Information
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2007/jan07/01-08WindowsHomeServerPR.mspx
Sign-up for Beta Testing
http://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsHomeServer
Home Server Forum on Microsoft
http://forums.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver/default.aspx?siteid=50
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Windows Home Server
Microsoft planning to release Windows Home Server.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=176
Paul Thoratt's Preview on WHS
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/whs_preview.asp
What I think Windows Home Server should have???
Some thoughts already posted on http://onemanshouting.com/tech/2005/01/17/WindowsServerHomeEdition.aspx
Posting the article below
Some of the most common computer headaches I have heard lately deal with the problem of using multiple PC’s in the home. Many folks now have more than one desktop PC, or a desktop and a laptop in their home. Unless you prescribe to the “one PC per person” idea, the problem is compounded by the location of individual’s data and settings.
So here’s what I propose: Windows Server, Home Edition
This would be a scaled back and customized version of Windows Small Business Server, running on specialized hardware, and it would simplify home networking to the point where everyone could enjoy the benefits of modern network management.
Form Factor: It should look like a consumer electronics device, and be at home in an A/V stand.
Storage: 200+ GB Hard Drive, Optional RAID 1, DVD Burner
Interfaces: USB, IR, Composite Video & Audio, DVI, Ethernet, Wireless 802.11A/B/G, Bluetooth, Front Panel Touchscreen LCD, Dual Smartcard Readers. Modem.
This conglomeration of hardware would be sold by OEM’s bundled with Windows Server, Home Edition, similar to how Media Center PC’s and Windows Storage Server are sold today.
So, what would this strange beast do? How would it make your life better?
1. Email Collection & Backup – There would be a customized implementation of Exchange running on the server. It would collect mail for all of the users and make it accessible locally. If you have 4 different email accounts, this server will make them all available in one place. Hotmail, POP3, etc. Give me options to leave mail on the server, maybe even have a “keep remote mailbox size under xx MB” setting, especially useful for Hotmail accounts. Include licensing for the latest version Outlook for all clients.
2. Profile Management – We’ll call this Roaming Profiles for Dummies. Basically, anytime a new machine is joined to the network, you’ll be given the option of selecting which profiles you want synchronized with this machine. Each user in the household will have their own profile, which will include their settings, favorites, and all of their documents. The documents will be implemented with remote storage. Recently used documents will be available on the local hard disk. Other documents will have to be retrieved on-the-fly from the server.
3. Domain user management & group policy – Ok, you’d have to get the marketing geeks to come up with some home-user friendly names for these functions, but basically it would allow you to set up new profiles, and manage computer use based on group policy. Example: Kid’s can’t login after 8:00PM, No Internet access on Saturday, etc.
4. Simple Backup – I want to leave a blank DVD in the DVD burner, and always have current backups. If I forget to put a DVD in, or if the DVD is full, I’ll be prompted for a new DVD. If I get a new Home Edition Server, I should be able to restore from the DVDs by loading them in reverse order until the system tells me that it is restored. The backups should include all profile data, documents & settings. For interactive restores, let me do point-in-time restores on individual profiles or on specific files. I shouldn’t have to understand the differences between incremental & full backups. It should be easy. Limit the number of clicks, the number of disks required, and walk the user through every step.
5. Remote Backup – This would be a premium subscription service. It would basically take the idea of the backup, and send the files to a server hosted by a commercial company. MSN could run a service, but make the API open, and let other providers get in the game too. You could differentiate on features, and available space. Some providers might offer a simple backup-restore function with a 1-week history and 2GB data space. Others might also allow secure remote access to files & email stored in the profiles.
6. Media Server – Take everything that Media Center does, and include it.
7. Home Automation – Have an option to include a home automation interface.
8. ISA Server, Home Edition – Provide firewall functionality and allow parents to develop specific rules on internet content. Also allows easy sharing of broadband or dialup.
9. Microsoft Update Services – One-click enable of automatic updates for all PC’s that are part of the network. Saves bandwidth and ensures all PC’s are up-to-date.
10. Software Licensing – Offer “Home Edition” licenses of all of your popular software. Price it at about 150% of a single retail license, and allow all of the computers on the home network to access the software. Include games. Include Desktop Operating Systems. Encourage your partners to do this as well. The license will be tied to the Home Edition Server, and any machine that connects should be able to auto-install and use the software. If you remove a computer from the network for more than 30 days, the right to use the software expires. Place a realistic limit on the home edition licenses, perhaps 5 machines. Provide free extenstions for larger families.
11. The Kicker - Make it cost less than $500, hardware, software, everything, $500. Cut corners on RAM, CPU, Video. Make it cheap. Talk to the XBOX hardware guys. Plan to make money on the subscription backup service, and the increased sales that stem from the fact that it’s now easier and less painful to have multiple PC’s in the home.
Could Microsoft pull this off? Would they? Would this make your computing life easier? Comment or trackback with your opinions!
Updated: The Conversation continues... http://blobservations.net/tech/windowsserverhomeeditioncontinued.aspx
Updated Again (6/16/2005): Looks like this may actually come to pass. Microsoft Watch's Mary Jo Foley reports on some comments from Bob Muglia. When asked about the possibility of a server product for the home, he replied: "We are always looking for new opportunities where server technology can be leveraged, and the home definitely represents an exciting new area that we are looking at along with many others. Much of the great storage, replication, and management technology would be great in a home. We have seen many people install Small Business Servers at home, which really works quite well." Sweet...
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=176
Paul Thoratt's Preview on WHS
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/whs_preview.asp
What I think Windows Home Server should have???
Some thoughts already posted on http://onemanshouting.com/tech/2005/01/17/WindowsServerHomeEdition.aspx
Posting the article below
Some of the most common computer headaches I have heard lately deal with the problem of using multiple PC’s in the home. Many folks now have more than one desktop PC, or a desktop and a laptop in their home. Unless you prescribe to the “one PC per person” idea, the problem is compounded by the location of individual’s data and settings.
So here’s what I propose: Windows Server, Home Edition
This would be a scaled back and customized version of Windows Small Business Server, running on specialized hardware, and it would simplify home networking to the point where everyone could enjoy the benefits of modern network management.
Form Factor: It should look like a consumer electronics device, and be at home in an A/V stand.
Storage: 200+ GB Hard Drive, Optional RAID 1, DVD Burner
Interfaces: USB, IR, Composite Video & Audio, DVI, Ethernet, Wireless 802.11A/B/G, Bluetooth, Front Panel Touchscreen LCD, Dual Smartcard Readers. Modem.
This conglomeration of hardware would be sold by OEM’s bundled with Windows Server, Home Edition, similar to how Media Center PC’s and Windows Storage Server are sold today.
So, what would this strange beast do? How would it make your life better?
1. Email Collection & Backup – There would be a customized implementation of Exchange running on the server. It would collect mail for all of the users and make it accessible locally. If you have 4 different email accounts, this server will make them all available in one place. Hotmail, POP3, etc. Give me options to leave mail on the server, maybe even have a “keep remote mailbox size under xx MB” setting, especially useful for Hotmail accounts. Include licensing for the latest version Outlook for all clients.
2. Profile Management – We’ll call this Roaming Profiles for Dummies. Basically, anytime a new machine is joined to the network, you’ll be given the option of selecting which profiles you want synchronized with this machine. Each user in the household will have their own profile, which will include their settings, favorites, and all of their documents. The documents will be implemented with remote storage. Recently used documents will be available on the local hard disk. Other documents will have to be retrieved on-the-fly from the server.
3. Domain user management & group policy – Ok, you’d have to get the marketing geeks to come up with some home-user friendly names for these functions, but basically it would allow you to set up new profiles, and manage computer use based on group policy. Example: Kid’s can’t login after 8:00PM, No Internet access on Saturday, etc.
4. Simple Backup – I want to leave a blank DVD in the DVD burner, and always have current backups. If I forget to put a DVD in, or if the DVD is full, I’ll be prompted for a new DVD. If I get a new Home Edition Server, I should be able to restore from the DVDs by loading them in reverse order until the system tells me that it is restored. The backups should include all profile data, documents & settings. For interactive restores, let me do point-in-time restores on individual profiles or on specific files. I shouldn’t have to understand the differences between incremental & full backups. It should be easy. Limit the number of clicks, the number of disks required, and walk the user through every step.
5. Remote Backup – This would be a premium subscription service. It would basically take the idea of the backup, and send the files to a server hosted by a commercial company. MSN could run a service, but make the API open, and let other providers get in the game too. You could differentiate on features, and available space. Some providers might offer a simple backup-restore function with a 1-week history and 2GB data space. Others might also allow secure remote access to files & email stored in the profiles.
6. Media Server – Take everything that Media Center does, and include it.
7. Home Automation – Have an option to include a home automation interface.
8. ISA Server, Home Edition – Provide firewall functionality and allow parents to develop specific rules on internet content. Also allows easy sharing of broadband or dialup.
9. Microsoft Update Services – One-click enable of automatic updates for all PC’s that are part of the network. Saves bandwidth and ensures all PC’s are up-to-date.
10. Software Licensing – Offer “Home Edition” licenses of all of your popular software. Price it at about 150% of a single retail license, and allow all of the computers on the home network to access the software. Include games. Include Desktop Operating Systems. Encourage your partners to do this as well. The license will be tied to the Home Edition Server, and any machine that connects should be able to auto-install and use the software. If you remove a computer from the network for more than 30 days, the right to use the software expires. Place a realistic limit on the home edition licenses, perhaps 5 machines. Provide free extenstions for larger families.
11. The Kicker - Make it cost less than $500, hardware, software, everything, $500. Cut corners on RAM, CPU, Video. Make it cheap. Talk to the XBOX hardware guys. Plan to make money on the subscription backup service, and the increased sales that stem from the fact that it’s now easier and less painful to have multiple PC’s in the home.
Could Microsoft pull this off? Would they? Would this make your computing life easier? Comment or trackback with your opinions!
Updated: The Conversation continues... http://blobservations.net/tech/windowsserverhomeeditioncontinued.aspx
Updated Again (6/16/2005): Looks like this may actually come to pass. Microsoft Watch's Mary Jo Foley reports
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