Windows Home Server

I just ran across the Windows Home Server Blog today (also see Paul Thurrott's preview). It's an interesting concept.

Here is some of their data on the target market:

• On average, these households have 3 "active" PCs with the majority running a mix of Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional
• Over 90% of these households own a digital camera
• Over 95% own a color printer
• 70% own a game console
• Less than 20% feel they have a good backup solution

That's a pretty good fit as far as I can tell. If you exclude households with a resident computer geek (either father or older teenager), this is an excellent mark. If you can let a typical house like this share printers, share pictures, backup their stuff independently and such easily it will be a good solution. Of course, you'll need to do it cheaply and with their existing hardware -- most of the groups that fall into this category aren't going to spend another $800+ on another computer to stick somewhere.

There's another point in another post that most home users are happy with their email solutions, so they'll keep Exchange out of this product. Makes sense on a cost and complexity issue, but some of us would really like to have an affordable Exchange solution too.

If it can do all these things and also provide remote access so I can take care of their house computers when I'm on the road, I might even buy this!

BTW, I have noticed lots of posts recently are Microsoft-based from VBA to XBox. I swear I'm not chugging their kool-aide, but there's just not a lot of Sony or Linux news I care about