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Hardware

The Home Server Cometh 253

Posted by CmdrTaco from the where-you-keep-your-treasure dept.
narramissic writes "Apart from Apple's 'I'm cooler than you' ad campaign, you don't hear much about the Windows versus Mac battle these days. The reason: Today's battle isn't about 'what brand of computer sits on the desk in your spare room, or even what operating system it runs, it's going to be about who gets to dominate the market for home servers that will control your entertainment, television, telephony, and your home automation system,' argues Dan Blacharski in a recent article."
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The Home Server Cometh More

The Home Server Cometh

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  • Cooler than me? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    http://files.myopera.com/agony_/sig/linux.png [myopera.com] - any questions? :-P

    • Re:Cooler than me? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by errxn ( 108621 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:08PM (#17540474) Homepage Journal
      Thank you. That annoying ad campaign has done more to turn me off to the idea of buying Apple products than anything else. I'd like to get an iPod, but I just can't bring myself to do it because of the prospect of joining the legions of annoying faux-hipster Apple fanboys out there. Worst. Ad. Campaign. Ever.

      • Re:Cooler than me? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by errxn ( 108621 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:15PM (#17540594) Homepage Journal
        And, predictably, I get modded down as flamebait for not participating in the Apple Kool-Aid Drinkers' Club. It's *not* about the products (which are great), it *is* about their snotty advertising tactics. Get that through your skull, please.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by jglen490 ( 718849 )
        Hey, it's a commercial - and sometimes funny, sometimes a choke. Now the "Head On" headache remedy commercials -- those are genuinely annoying AND disgusting.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Archangel Michael ( 180766 )
          "Now the "Head On" headache remedy commercials -- those are genuinely annoying AND disgusting."

          Yet, you remember their name, and repeat it in your post. Sounds like the campaign might be working after all. ;)

  • With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:5, Informative)

    by HerculesMO ( 693085 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:04PM (#17540410)
    It's clear that Microsoft is winning the war for the home market.

    Microsoft has Windows Media Center which, in its Vista iteration will provide support for HDTV recording, CableCard support, and downloadable content (much like iTunes). Then add in Xbox 360 which can do much of the same along with IPTV (just announced), extend Windows Media Center, and also play games. The online part (Xbox Live) is a great addition to all that.

    Apple's AppleTV product is kind of lame, and I was rather disappointed in it. It only plays items from iTunes and locks you in further. Doesn't play Divx, doesn't record anything -- it's more of an 'extender' than anything else. And if the sales Linksys shows anything in regards to how well extenders do, we know we can write it off for the die-hard Mac fans.

    That said... I love Apple and the way they innovate. Some products are hits (iPhone) and some are misses (AppleTV). Time will tell either way, but Microsoft is definitely gearing up to be the dominant force in the living room.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Leon da Costa ( 225027 )
      How can you tell if the iPhone will be a hit if it's at least five months away from entering the market?
    • Microsoft is winning, because Vista will do this and that? I don't know anyone who is using Microsoft based home entertainment, and I don't know anyone who is using Vista for any serious purpose (just fellow geeks playing with it and finding it's a load of bloated buggy crap). In fact, we might say Microsoft has just ensured they lost the home battle.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by RoutedToNull ( 1040292 )
        Care to address any of his points instead of spewing anti-microsoft irrational hatred from your keyboard?

    • Re:With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Kranfer ( 620510 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:17PM (#17540642) Homepage Journal
      I am unfortunately forced to agree with you on the apple TV. When I saw the announcement for it at work yesterday I instantly checked it out and was extremely disappointed to see that it will not support divx and such. It seems all this $299 piece of hardware is, is a TV output device for ITunes and pure mpeg4's that apple will like. I asked in the support sales chat about all this stuff and it won't support much. My Radeon 9800 all-in-wonder provides me with much better options... the only thing that the apple TV provides is wireless connections for your downloads. And will it even work with Amazon Unbox videos you download? With the new version of Media Player for Windows, you can easily hook up your XBox 360 wirelessly have games to play and serve divx movies/videos with aftermarket software from your PC and is only what? $100 more... what exactly am I getting for the $299 that I can't get better with the XBox 360. I love Apple, but I hope to god that they improve upon this device, as I would really love to purchase it and use it with everything I have on my mac and various PCs.

      • Apple URLS (Score:3, Interesting)

        by klubar ( 591384 )
        It's kind of interesting that Apple did not get the URLs for either iPhone.com or appletv.com. The iphone link is to some internet phone provider while I can't read the AppleTV site (non-English). The Apple fanboys were all over Microsoft for not getting zune.com. What's the RDF input on why apple doesn't have the new product URLs?

      • When will people get it... (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Em Ellel ( 523581 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:48PM (#17541216)
        Its not about max number of features. Never was, never will be. iPod is a piece of crap functionality wise when compared to my old Archos device that was several years old before iPod even came to market. Yet today Archos is barely alive while iPod dominates the market (and I have to admit, I own an iPod). The reason is that iPod was not really competing with other mp3 players - it was competing with CD sales via iTunes. It offered a way to BUY music and listen to it and it made it VERY SIMPLE. Now AppleTV wants to do the same with video content. The main competition is NOT your PC, mac or X-Box, it is Cable TV and DVD sales and Tivo. Its the ultimate device allowing people to turn on their tv and watch whatever they want, whenever they want without all the mucking around with the recording and buying DVDs. Of course a computer with up-to-date choice of software will always be more powerful in functionality, but its not a simple to use one-size-fits-all package that will sell. Thats the reality of it all.

        I am not a bit fan of Apple, but I must admit this product has some serious potential. The question is - are the people ready for it?

        -Em

      • Re:With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by cptgrudge ( 177113 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @02:44PM (#17543452) Journal

        rant warning...

        What I don't get is why these devices have to "like" a certain media at all. The AppleTV likes Apple-friendly MP4. The Xbox 360 likes WMV. Or you need third party software to transcode. Processing power required for any modern codec isn't an issue. Is it licensing costs that limit the amount of codec support? Pressure to include/account for DRM?

        I really hate to keep beating the topic to death, but where is the XBMC work-alike? I don't fucking care what codec is used, I just want to play it. All the set top box by my TV needs to do is decode the media and put it on my TV. All the source server needs to do is serve the damn file from a Samba/Windows share (or NFS mount, I wish). That setup is half as complex as any of these other systems. The entire world was shown the exact device that would do that with XBMC.

        How expensive would it be to make a little set top box with computer guts, 512MB of flash storage, and a DVD drive? With economies of scale, I'd bet that it could be done for a cost of under 50 $USD. I don't have the background to engineer a device like that, but I know from seeing XMBC on an original Xbox that it would be stupid simple on today's hardware. Hell, the Xbox with XBMC can do 720 by 480, and it wasn't even designed for it! Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo each had a chance with their consoles to strike a major blow to the others with this unencumbered capability and each of them missed it.

        I have a feeling that while Microsoft, Apple, Sony, and media companies are all squabbling over how to play protected content or leveraging another type of business, a Chinese, Korean, or Taiwanese company will deliver a cheap little codec-agnostic device that does all this, and all other crippled devices and services will be made irrelevant.

    • Re:With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:4, Informative)

      by luiss ( 217284 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:20PM (#17540692)
      Yes, you have to get your content into iTunes. That doesn't mean you have to buy any content from the iTunes store.
      I'm thinking of getting an AppleTV and an EyeTV product [elgato.com] (in my case a EyeTV Hybrid) instead of spending $800 on an HD TiVo. The EyeTV will act as a DVR (except for the "live tv" features), saving my recordings into iTunes for viewing on the AppleTV. Also, I hear that you can rip DVDs and add them to iTunes also (just like any other video file).

      • Re:With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by k_187 ( 61692 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:28PM (#17540850) Journal
        Yeah, but to show them on the AppleTV you'll have an extra step of reencoding the files that the EyeTV spits out. You can't send the MPEG2 that the EyeTV makes to the Apple TV. Same thing with ripping DVDs.

        From the AppleTV tech Specs page: Video formats supported: H.264 and protected H.264 (from iTunes Store): 640 by 480, 30 fps, LC version of Baseline Profile; 320 by 240, 30 fps, Baseline profile up to Level 1.3; 1280 by 720, 24 fps, Progressive Main Profile. MPEG-4: 640 by 480, 30 fps, Simple Profile

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by Ucklak ( 755284 )
        EyeTV only has composite inputs so it's worthless in the HD arena except for OTA.

        I'm not saying it's a bad or worthless device but it's not versatile for todays and upcoming market.

        I want the device that will record component or DVI or even HDMI for that matter. No such thing exists yet.
        I want to record content I want to record and stream to different devices of my choosing.
        Everything so far is vendor lockin.

        Tivo requires a cablecard which doesn't work for everyone - mainly satellite subscribers.
        Satellite
      • Just find a better deal on the S3 Tivo. You can find it for a good bit under $800 and skip putting together a semi-manual system that doesn't work nearly as well. You'll gain true integration plus the "live TV" aspects and probably far fewer issues and annoyances.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by blugu64 ( 633729 )
        "Also, I hear that you can rip DVDs and add them to iTunes also (just like any other video file)."

        Handbrake is the softwae you want. It's fairly simple, and it works quite nicely. It's Open source so it is free too!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by p0tat03 ( 985078 )

      I'm an Apple fanboy, but I have to agree with parent. MS is in a much better position to execute the whole "download on PC, watch on TV" vision. They already have Windows MCE (though the VAST majority of its users are not leveraging the DVR features of it), and the Xbox 360. The Xbox already has an excuse to be in your living room, and it's almost expected for it to make the leap into full living room entertainment device. Apple is playing catchup with AppleTV, and the damned thing doesn't even have a TV tu

      • Re:With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:4, Insightful)

        by walt-sjc ( 145127 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @01:02PM (#17541496)
        Yeah - I also like the idea of the appleTV but think that they missed the boat by not including at least a tuner or svideo input. Also, the HD output ONLY is a mistake too IMHO. If you have an HDTV, you are going to want more (and can spend a little more) than the appleTV can do. The fact that it doesn't have composite or svideo out either means that the low-end market in which this product fits better, is unserved.

    • Re:With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by dafz1 ( 604262 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:29PM (#17540856)
      Media Center may be "winning the war", but it's more like the first volley. The real battle hasn't begun, because no one is REALLY serious about it.

      AppleTV is a still-born idea. For $300 more, you can get a fully functional mini that can do everything the AppleTV can do(ok...it can't do component video out, but it has a DVI port...you add the DVI-HDMI cable), and is still a functional computer. Add a an Eyetv 250, and it's a DVR. Granted, this all costs money, but about the same as a "comparable" Windows Media box.

      The products, so far, a little more than attempts to enter the market. Most home users don't want things that connect to other things, wirelessly or otherwise, they just want one thing they can sit down in front of, plug in their video camera/digital camera, have it suck out the content, and put it one the screen. Also, they can put in a DVD/CD, have it rip the media, and be able to watch the movie. Finally, they want something that they don't need to pay for TV content they can get free(or have already paid for from the cable/satellite company), and record on their DVR. They want it in HD(if that was the original resolution), not "near" the resolution.
      • You obviously don't understand the market this is aimed at. Anyone who knows how to do this will DO this, but for my money, the convenience of having a device that JUST carries anything in my iTunes library over to my TV with ease is perfect for my needs. I have a Core 2 Duo Mac to do my ripping and buying of music. I just want something easy to watch the movies I buy and rip on my TV without having to mess with too many extras.

        Genius device, personally.
      • That's correct. What they want is a mac mini with video capture. What I would use the AppleTV for is for my second or third TV to get content off my main media system. BUT, AppleTV doesn't support svideo / composite, and my secondary and tertiary TV's are not HD, so it fails. Yes, converters do exist to convert component to svideo, but they cost a fortune.

        I guess I don't understand the market for this device.

    • Re:With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by markk ( 35828 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:32PM (#17540904)
      What home market? That market doesn't exist yet. It has been crippled by proprietary standards and DRM. When there is a setup where I can stick all my DVD's in like itunes with CD's, where I can load in my photo's easily and its all available on my TV, then we'll have something. I'll be able to check the latest online videos as easy as I check things like blogs.

      I kind of think that is where Apple TV is a start (just a small piece). There will have to be a "media server" with a LOT of storage in the background. then on the one hand the interface to the large components - the TV and big speakers - that is Apple TV, on the other hand an interface to handheld devices - which the iphone is the start. That is where a tablet or really a good reading device would come in - the new newspaper - wirelessly attached at home or away - with stories and video. The computer kind of dissappears in this - the old "ubiquitous" computing stuff from long ago finally realized (forget the phone and look at the other features of that Apple product). That might be part of the reason for "Apple Inc" now with Apple Computer gone..

      I talked Apple, but Microsoft could be coming at this from the angle with the Xbox and Zune front end, back end Vista server. Its just that a large part of their earnings are from business software - which is really a different market altogether that right now happens to use the same equipment.

    • Re:With the introduction of AppleTV... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:35PM (#17540958)
      It's clear that Microsoft is winning the war for the home market.

      Well Microsoft is the only one of the two that has a true product in this market so far. However, I know of many people who are using MacMinis and MacBooks with FrontRow in the living room.

      One problem MS has is the same problem it had with MP3 players. MS only makes the software. It has to rely on hardware makers. The 360 is a step into leveraging both hardware and software. For people who don't want a game console, MS itself has no hardware option.

      Another problem is form factor. All MS Media Center PCs from HP or Dell are PCs that have with media center functions. They are not HTPCs. Setting up a true Media Center is still in the realm of computer hobbyists. Your average consumer has no idea the complexity involved. AppleTV is Apple's proposed solution to this problem. Your average consumer needs little knowledge is setting one up.

      Microsoft and Apple are taking two different approaches to this market. Microsoft approach has been to leverage Windows into new markets. Much like with PDAs and smart phones. With Media Center, they take the PC and try to conform it to the requirements of the market. In the first iteration, throw everything into it and work out the kinks in later iterations. That's why the first Media Center editions sucked.

      Apple has taken the other way. Add functionality to existing devices that sorta fulfills a purpose. Then make a device specifically designed for the purpose. Later add functions in subsequent iterations. Look at the AppleTV. It's not a computer. You can't use it as such.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by kabocox ( 199019 )
      That said... I love Apple and the way they innovate. Some products are hits (iPhone) and some are misses (AppleTV). Time will tell either way, but Microsoft is definitely gearing up to be the dominant force in the living room.

      Back when the PS2 was just gearing up, I was thinking this was where Sony was planning on ending up somewhere around PS4-5. I kinda think Sony messed up with their PS3, but I'll take a wait and see view to it over the long term. I'm waiting for now. I'll see how HD goes and who wins th

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by mcrbids ( 148650 )
      It's clear that Microsoft is winning the war for the home market.

      Not clear at all. We use a Dish DVR. It's basically an embedded , Linux-based tivo-like appliance. It saves all the shows we want, plays them anytime I want on either of my TVs, and it's ridiculously easy to use. Only two features should be added:

      1) Ability to stream saved shows over my local LAN.

      2) Ability to save videos from other sources to the DVR over the LAN.

      Microsoft has Windows Media Center which, in its Vista iteration will provide su

      • Not clear at all. We use a Dish DVR. It's basically an embedded , Linux-based tivo-like appliance. It saves all the shows we want, plays them anytime I want on either of my TVs, and it's ridiculously easy to use. Only two features should be added:

        1) Ability to stream saved shows over my local LAN.

        Tivo supports this. I also recently downloaded software that will strip out the DRM from the .tivo files and turn them into regular mpeg files.

        2) Ability to save videos from other sources to the DVR over th

    • The only reason I'm not Mac-only in the house is Mac's poor support for things like, I don't know, RAID. And please don't mention their giant steel monstrosity or the an XRAID server or whatever. I can go out and assemble a cheap Windows-based file/print server for my home. Why can't I do that with Apple?

      Their iDisk backup is ludicrous: 1GB of storage. I have 38GB just of MP3s. Of course even if they offered 100GB of storage space (or more) that's a lot of data to push out through a cable modem/dsl, etc. Even with incremental back ups.

      I'd be much more impressed if Apple were to come out with a simple Home Server than with this iTV. I need a Mac-Mini style device (headless, small, lower-end hardware, althogh obviously with more space for extra drives) that look beautiful and serves as the center for my home network.

      MS, to their credit, is responding with exactly such a device. The HP MediaSmart (http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/cache/447351-0-0-22 5-121.html) running new Windows Server Home. Because I don't like to be locked into propeitary formats I'm going to end up going with my original plan (build your own) but it shows that at least MS is sensitive to the need.

      In the rush to get the PC to your living room we have seen a proliferation of computer devices (Ipods, consoles, laptops, desktops, printers, etc.) with no way to tie those things together. Before we add yet another extension of the home network, we need a decent commodity server.

      Apple, are you listening?

      -stormin
    • It's clear that Microsoft is winning the war for the home market.

      I agree that Apple's product isn't likely to be a success if it's the itunes TV-out card it sounds like, but I'm not sure I'd agree Microsoft is winning a war.

      I don't know anyone with a Microsoft 'media centre'. I don't know what functionality said media centres are supposed to have, and I don't know who makes them. The closest things I've heard of are people with TiVos and TiVo-like devices, and people on slashdot talking about MythTV.

      I would

  • Maybe too much (Score:3, Interesting)

    by tcopeland ( 32225 ) <tom AT thomasleecopeland DOT com> on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:05PM (#17540422) Homepage
    > home servers that will control your entertainment,
    > television, telephony, and your home automation system

    My goodness. This strikes me as being a little out of touch. Most folks I know don't have a home automation system and they use whatever the phone company brings in for their phone lines, with maybe a little Skype. And that's a small maybe.

    I think a more interesting battle is to secure and improve communications within and around the current stuff. So while I still have email accounts and mailing lists and such, I use indi to share pictures [getindi.com] with my relatives. It's our one spam-free and ad-free comms mechanism...
    • What a poorly-designed website (indi). I've clicked through several of the pages and still am not sure exactly what it is or how it works. I know it has something to do with sharing stuff, but that's it. And I'm not going to download the software if I don't even know what it's going to do. It's like they're trying their hardest to keep the information from you. That could be really useful for me, but I don't have time right now to figure it out.

    • Re:Maybe too much (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Thansal ( 999464 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:38PM (#17540998)
      That hits the nail on the head.

      Yes, geeks and very high end users will be looking into all of this, however most people (aka most of the market) is still jsut looking at their desktop (or possibly a laptop) as the computer for the house. It is true, it is becoming more frequent for each person in a house to have a computer, but still, we are not looking as homse servers dealign with A/V, telephony, home automation or ANYTHING for a while yet in my books.

      On a side note: the reason why is that there is not a cheap and easy soloution yet. You can buy a good soloution, but it costs a good chunk of change. Or you can roll your own, but that requires a decent amount of knowledge (hey, a modded XBox makes a great media center, but most people wouldn't know how to make a XBox gameport to USB adapter, or even that you could).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by LWATCDR ( 28044 )
      Not really.
      Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast are all heading this way.
      If you have fiber to the door then it becomes so logical to have a single box that handles your phone, alarm, TV, and Internet.
      I don't think Microsoft or Apple are going to win this.
      It will be AT&T, Verizon, or Comcast.
      The scary part will be if they decide that you will just store your data on their servers!
      Think of how nice a convenient it will be to have your data sitting at their nice data center being watched over by their experts

  • you don't hear much about the Windows versus Mac.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by harrypelles ( 872287 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:05PM (#17540428)
    [...] you don't hear much about the Windows versus Mac battle these days. [...]

    These guys must not read slashdot... wait...

  • Interoperability and market dominance (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 140Mandak262Jamuna ( 970587 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:05PM (#17540432) Journal
    What the consumer wants is full interoperability so that there is competition. I might buy an iPod today and a Zune tomorrow. I want to be able to port my music or video or whatever without being locked into a particular vendor. But the tech companies want to carve the market into multiple walled gardens. Theoretically free market should react and break it up. But free market depends on customers being informed and making rational decisions. In the tech world, a huge majority of the customers are not well informed. So all the fuddged studies like TCO, columnists paid and bought out by money or laptops or praise will continue to confuse the customers. And DRM and patent lawsuits will proliferate. And it will be business as usual.

    • Re:Interoperability and market dominance (Score:5, Insightful)

      by homer_s ( 799572 ) * on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:32PM (#17540916)
      Theoretically free market should react and break it up

      No, the free market is just that - people acting freely and spending their money however they want. 'It' has no free will, nor does it act in any certain way. People acting freely will make good and bad choices (btw, who defines what is good and bad?) - some people will buy Hondas and Toyotas, others will buy *some bad car*.

      The trouble starts when someone says "oh my, people are spending their money on X, which is clearly bad. Let us regulate these imbeciles."

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by 140Mandak262Jamuna ( 970587 )
        When people understand the issues, the free market will promote competition. For example I cant persuade many people to buy my "new and improved" light bulbs or garden hoses or car tires or radios, even if they are cheaper if this means they will forever be locked into my company. But it is possible to confuse the consumers enough to make them act against their own self interest in complex products like technology. Uninformed customers means, the feedback loop is broken and the Freemarket goes haywire. When

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by nine-times ( 778537 )
      And I think that's why I don't want to head down the Microsoft path, even if they do make a good product (like the 360): Microsoft seems intent in pushing their whole portolio as a single unit. The XBox and Windows Mobile are means to lock you into using Windows on the desktop as much as they're products themselves.

      I want to be able to buy different components from different vendors. I don't want to have to buy a new computer just because I want to buy a new set-top box that only works with Windows. Giv

  • There is... another... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by john-da-luthrun ( 876866 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:05PM (#17540438)

    TFA is written from a world in which there are two OSes: Windows and Mac. In an ideal world - and I'm fully aware we don't live in an ideal world, but let's move on for now - the rise of the home server would be a boost to Linux, as people finally twigged they were being asked to pay for the same product over and over again when they use Windows, say, and decided to use something else for their home server (which can be more of a "workhorse" than a desktop system, thus circumventing some of the remaining usability issues for desktop Linux).

    If Ubuntu have their wits about them, a home server edition of Ubuntu would be their next plan: a single CD which you can drop into an old, spare PC to turn it into a home server without paying the Windows Tax all over again.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jrumney ( 197329 )
      Not to mention that Linux is probably the only option that covers ALL of the functionality the article talks about (is there a Windows equivalent of Asterisk?), and as an added bonus it does it all for Free.

    • I think many Linux users were caught off guard to hear the home server was coming. Mainly because many people using Linux already turned some tired, old box into a home server years ago. A server that has a web interface, does incremental backups, file and print sharing and just generally most of the things Microsoft is touting for their home server.

      Some of you even have your home server running your zone heating system and performing other automation tasks.

      Yes, the home server idea caught me complete

      • Well, quite. But the point is that until MS do something, most computer users see it as "weird" and "geeky". Last week it was weird and geeky to have a home server. This week it is normal. (See also: tabbed browsing.)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by npsimons ( 32752 ) *

        I think many Linux users were caught off guard to hear the home server was coming. Mainly because many people using Linux already turned some tired, old box into a home server years ago. A server that has a web interface, does incremental backups, file and print sharing and just generally most of the things Microsoft is touting for their home server.

        Exactly, you hit the nail right on the head. I've been running my web, email, file, printing, backup, streaming music and video on my GNU/Linux servers for *

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rlp ( 11898 )
        Bingo. My original home server (about 6 years ago) ran Red Hat and had 60 GB (mirrored) of storage. It acted as a file server / print server. The current incarnation runs Fedora Core 4 (soon will switch to Ubuntu) and has 60 GB for OS, and 420 GB (mirrored) for files. It's accessible via the home wired / wifi LAN from all the other machines including the PVR connected to the TV.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by smoker2 ( 750216 )

      It was mentioned here a few weeks ago, but I'll mention it again.

      Mythdora [g-ding.tv]

      The latest release is pretty good, it sets up Myth for you and LIRC and can be configured as either a frontend, a backend server, or a combined system. In fact the other day when my XP pro installation started freaking out, I powered down, swapped the hard drive over to the Mythdora install (removable trays), and carried on watching the tv program. I would have Mythdora as the tv system full time except that my tv cards IR receiver

  • Sounds like Microsoft Home Server = Xbox360+XP Media Center, but without Gears of War.

    Someone in their marketing department needs to find a better produce name. "Home Server" isn't going to catch on.

  • Then Sony is well positioned? Or Charter's cable? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by xxxJonBoyxxx ( 565205 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:09PM (#17540492)
    Today's battle isn't about 'what brand of computer sits on the desk in your spare room, or even what operating system it runs, it's going to be about who gets to dominate the market for home servers that will control your entertainment, television, telephony, and your home automation system


    Then Sony is well positioned? Or Charter's cable offerings?

    For the past few decades, I'd say the trend has been to bring toy/home systems into the business. For example, desktop PCs of the '82 vintage eventually became mission-critical servers and the Linux you played Doom on in '93 eventually became a viable business OS. If this keeps up, will we see Nintendo rack-mounts in the server room in 10 years?

    • Re:Then Sony is well positioned? Or Charter's cabl (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:23PM (#17540746)
      *fade into the server room, 2017*

      Network Administrator, BOFH, is monitoring the networking from his Nintendo console. The screen gleefully displays the Mii's of all of the network users. LameUser253 tries for the 3rd time to post his personal information on a phishing site despite the warnings.

      The Administrator locks onto LameUser253's Mii with the Wii-mote and administers a fierce wacking with the nunchuck.

      This ... doesn't sound half bad :).

  • what in the world... (Score:3, Funny)

    by phorest ( 877315 ) * on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:11PM (#17540524) Journal

    "what in the world do I want a server in my home for?"

    Newb User: Pretend I'm happenin' (calls his neighbor)
    Average user: Check this out (calls Geek Squad)
    Super user: I'll be the hit of the party now! (wastes 3 weeks trying to stream a video to his fashionable 98 box)
    IT Guy: But will it run Linux?

  • Home server a commodity? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Dareth ( 47614 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:13PM (#17540568)
    If home servers are a commodity, they will not be worth the expense of maintaining them, much like PC's right now.

    To diagnose problems with a PC, back up user data, reinstall everything, restore user data is still quite a time consuming task. Usually the cost of this task is greater than the worth of a PC.

    Will people sign service agreements, such as with HVAC ( heating/AC ) units, or will they die from slow neglect like many PC's. Are people selling their home going to "brag" about the cool server their house comes with, or will they take their server with them when they move?

    If the bandwidth to the home ever reaches a critical level, will people even want a server in the home? Would a simple router/switch/local non-hd based cache appliance be all they need?

    • A home server will have an entirely different maintenance profile than a typical desktop or laptop. Think of what creates a need for maintenance on a typical computer:

      --Spyware
      --Viruses/worms/trojans
      --Cruft build-up from installing/uninstalling applications
      --Degradation in OS performance due to such cruft
      --Software Updates
      --Hardware failure

      Except for the last item, everything on that list disappears when you take away the user and have it automatically download patches.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by CastrTroy ( 595695 )
      But home PCs only die because people install tons of programs on them, run viruses, and visit web sites they shouldn't. If they made a home media server, it should be a true appliance. It should only run the preloaded software and do that stuff it's supposed to do. Routers, Cable/Satellite set top boxes, game consones, and many other things in the home are essentially computers. However the fact that the user can't just do whatever they want is what keeps them running.

  • Paging Dr. Forbin.. (Score:4, Funny)

    by Rob T Firefly ( 844560 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:17PM (#17540636) Homepage Journal
    it's going to be about who gets to dominate the market for home servers that will control your entertainment, television, telephony, and your home automation system,'
    This is the voice of world control. I bring you peace...

  • Notnooz (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Stringer Bell ( 989985 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:19PM (#17540664)
    I've been hearing the same "the future of computing is home automation" line for at least 15 years. Yeah yeah, the computer's going to turn on the coffee maker in the morning, shut off the back porch light at night and keep tabs on who called during the day.

    I call fluff piece. Weren't we supposed to be vacationing on the moon by now?

    • Yeah, really. Whenever people have talked about having computers to run you a bath or turn off the porch light, I always think, "Really, is that anywhere near worth it?"

      Think of the R&D costs, the cost in materials, the price of installation, and then maintenance. You *know* these things are going to break. They'll malfunction sometimes. The light will turn itself on at inopportune moments, and refuse to turn on when you really need it. And for all that, what have you gained? You've saved yoursel

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Verity_Crux ( 523278 )

      I've been hearing the same "the future of computing is home automation" line for at least 15 years. Yeah yeah, the computer's going to turn on the coffee maker in the morning, shut off the back porch light at night and keep tabs on who called during the day.

      Yeah, I don't get it. It's not the cost of the parts that's the problem. $400k for a house; what's a few grand in automation? Maybe the advanced education involved in construction management these days? [duck as the hammer flies by...]

      Here's what I want in home automation:
      1. A nice remote control for the whole house where I can get status and control on everything electronic including lights, fans, outlets, webcams hidden above the front porch and elsewhere, garage doors, music through a number of b

      • I think you hit on the key ingredient. What most people want is not a system that automates, but a system that enables. Give me the information in an easy to access and use format, I will still be making the decisions.
  • for various java components licensed from Sun. or embedded Linux. why would any manufacturer want or need to run the bloated Vista for this type of application?

  • I built my own (Score:3, Informative)

    by Robber Baron ( 112304 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:25PM (#17540778) Homepage
    I built my own server in a Coolermaster Stacker case with an 8 channel SATA RAID controller and hot-swappable drive bays.
    But then again I'm a geek who does this for a living and wouldn't expect your average home user to do anything even remotely similar.

    I think the real truth is the PC manufacturers are scared because the market is saturated and they're trying to come up with new ways to get consumers to buy their shit.
  • I suspect that he's right, there's a battle brewing for the home server market. I mean, ubiquitous access to everything is both cool and useful. Whoever controls your home server will control your music, you photos, your work... That's pretty big. ...And we can all envision the world moving that way. But the article is still sensationalist.

    There's the big fight for the home server to control our digital content. HD and Blu-Ray are in a big fight to control our digital media. Plasmas/LCDs are mounting a

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by faedle ( 114018 )
      Sony's VHS won the Beta-VHS war and much was made about it in the news, but they've since lost out to DVRs, PVRs, and other digital formats. Was there mourning for VHS??

      Umm.. no. JVC's VHS. Sony's was Beta, and they lost. Just like Sony has lost every other format war they've ever fought.
      • Umm.. no. JVC's VHS. Sony's was Beta, and they lost. Just like Sony has lost every other format war they've ever fought.

        Sorry, I stand corrected. You're right. My family actually had a JVC machine and a Sony Beta. Had high hopes for Sony back then.

  • I think I want this to fail.... (Score:3, Funny)

    by LibertineR ( 591918 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @12:38PM (#17541000)
    You know things have gone to far when your Grandmother calls to tell you her RAID array has gone tits-up in the middle of Jeopardy.

    Keep servers out of the home, dammit!

  • I have a Series 2 TiVo and a Series 3 TiVo (HD-TiVo). The HD-TiVo has two HD/digital CableCards. I can record three programs at a time, I can listen to web radio stations, and I can get quite a bit of Internet content. All of this and more (including the TV) can be controlled with one easy to use peanut shaped remote.
  • First it was the PowerPC vs. Intel "megahertz myth"-that was shattered when Jobs touted the Intel processor as "superior". Then they made fun of Windows (not Linux, oddly) users as a bunch of uber-geeks who do nothing but spreadsheets and corporate stuff and no nothing about computers, while Mac-ies are the mega-intelligent people because they can make an album in iPhoto (one of the most clunky and limited catalog programs I've ever seen by the way), all the while touting they want to break into business, w
  • We at the International Spammers Assoc (also known as "Total Bastards") hope that whatever server system you choose for your home that you purchase the most bandwidth you can for your connection to the internet. We also encourage you to keep your system unpatched, use dictionary word passwords (we suggest "aardvark" or "password"), and keep the port for IRC open. Leaving your system on 24 hrs a day will also greatly help ISA members in other time zones who like to sleep in.

    Thank you!

    p.s. Please click on
  • But from a home automation standpoint, who would ever want a machine that doesn't have crond?

    From this perspective, only OSX and linux are contenders. Vista is a total loser.
  • "My prediction: Microsoft's Home Server will put an end to the perception of "Apple cool, PC geeky" once and for all -- and hopefully an end to those annoying commercials. " Hmmm, now who seems to be on the Microsoft Advertising Department payroll. For gods sake, these people writing these articles must think everyone reading their articles are only 7 years old. And these people want us to think of them as journalists?

  • Typical myopia (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Gothmolly ( 148874 ) on Wednesday January 10, 2007 @01:05PM (#17541546)
    There is no "home server" market, except for .1% of the population that is geeky enough to need one. Home DVR setup? Rent a Tivo from your cable company. Who rips all their DVDs to a PC to watch on demand? Who needs their own mail relay? Who needs a media server to share pictures with? The media whores that this guy is talking about already have iPods and camera phones, what else do you need?

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by bmajik ( 96670 )

      There is no "home server" market, except for .1% of the population that is geeky enough to need one

      Microsoct doesn't agree with you. I've been keeping up with the internal information on the Microsoft Home Server product for months now and am exited its finally public.

      Based on what I've read, and what anecdotes suggest, the market segment exists.

      Think about how many people in the US have more than one computer at home. How many people have wireless at home, or have multiple computer users in their family,

  • I don't care what nifty hardware products Microsoft comes up with. If they have to depend on Vista, then its going to be a while before they sell much of anything. The consumer is going to have Vista forces upon him when he buys his ordinary computer, decide it really sucks, and then will be unlikely to want to shell out big money for Microsoft hardware.
  • Here's the problem to having a home server be any more than a niche market - you have to have people understand they want or need a home server. People already have "home servers" - they are called "The Computer".

    That's why Apple has come in with a device that realizes the computer you already have is going to be the "Home Server" for some time to come. Most people are not going to want or need anything but the computer they use every day, and they would like a way to display that easily on TV...

    I'm not s
  • Isn't the "dominant home server" right now some sort of generic video hard disk recorder or PVR? Or if not that, maybe Tivo (in the US) or Sky+ (in the UK)? Not many of them are networked (unless you count sneakernet of DVDs), but they tend to be what has replaced the VHS.

    I don't know that there are that many people using Windows "Media Center Edition" actually as a media center.

  • If its possible to stream just the video out over a wireless connection... Imagine putting a small transmitter through the spare VGA out of your computer, and having it connect wirelessly with a receiver hooked to your TV through various ports...

    Now that i would buy... Not a new computer just to spare me the hassle to put my laptop close enough to my TV...

    Anyways, home server will dominate the market? Tagged Bullshit.
  • The home media servers are trying to differentiate themselves by using a completely different set of protocols than the HTTP we've known and loved. It's so complicated to get these new protocols to work and they seem to redundant, it's as if their only reason is to make it not a web server.

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