Windows Home Server Edition

I recently found a story about Microsoft's new Home Server Edition on Engadget and how companies such as HP are beginning to solutions using it as the OS, which generally tout variable RAID arrays, gigabit ethernet and a bunch of other tech features you would expect to find on any standard motherboard. The OS itself is a Vista variant, that has been beefed up so that you can do some useful things like use it as a head-less box and check on drive usage stats remotely and hold all the families music. Hell it even lets you setup a webserver from you very home. Well woopty fucking do Microsoft. I already have a fucking webserver, but when the fuck are my IT-retarded family EVER GOING TO MAKE A WEBSITE, they can barely use fucking email.

Then there's the 'family music and movie' repository style network shares. WHAT. THE. FUCK. MICROSOFT. How many families do you know that have the same taste in music?! I'm sure my dad would love to listen to my sisters pop tunes, while my sister is going to be thrilled to have a wonderful selection of classical music at her disposal...or NOT. Then theres all the other senseless shit that it 'provides' like DHCP or remote access. Great so now the folks can fuck up the pc while there at work. Not to mention, my router does DHCP perfectly fine, why would I want a fucking server for it?! Not to mention that VNC is already performing a perfectly good CROSS-PLATFORM remote access tool for me or SSH if I'm going to use linux with speed.

So my main point is why the hell does your average family need some central server for media and 'other features'? And if you really want a central server, why not have a tech savy friend make you a linux server. I can whip up a domain controller with LAN shares, network shaping tools, a webserver with php/mysql, etc in about a day on a rig that is going to cost you about £250 brand new, compared to the HP equivalent which is around the £600+ mark.

Now I can be fair and point out that Microsoft have done one decent thing with WHS, they've produced an SDK so people can basically better M$ at their own game... One of the first news sites/blogs I read about this on was here where the writer clearly states that the built in dhcp on WHS is crap. WTF is the point in that, yes I applaud the person who made the DHCP4WHS program and that its so easy to use, but why is it the free community has to make the decent shit when the big fat company can't even throw enough money at it to make their own product work?! Now take Linux (Yes, I prefer Linux, I'm fanboy and I'm better than you, so fuck off [Written on Windows]) the only dhcp that I ever used on there was called dhcp.....and I simply used the package manager to get it. It had one config file....and gave me DHCP as soon as I had it setup. Well fuck me sideways Mum, how easy was that.

Finally we come to the pure heart of the matter of why Windows Home Server really fucking pisses me off. The demographic of people who are likely to want a home server are people like me: geeks and people who are interested in computers. The type of people who are likely to have a webserver with remote access and shit load of space for warez, porn and pirated tv/films/mp3z. So why the fuck would I go out and spend a shit load of my hard earned British Pounds Sterling when I can make a better solution for cheaper that will be easier to maintain?! So Microsoft can Fuck. Right. Off. with their excuse for a home server.