My experiences with Windows Home Server

Several weeks ago, I took advantage of a free software program through Microsoft which allowed for users to install and use Windows Home Server for a 120 day trial period. I had been contemplating trying out Windows Home Server, and planned on pirating it in order to see what it was like, but much to my surprise Microsoft offered a legal way to do it.

For the past year, I have had a media server with about 1.5 Tb of capacity on which I keep all of my music, photos, documents, and music. Up until now, it was just a XP Pro box, using simple shared folders for general access and VNC for headless control. Sure this was crude as servers go, but it got the job done.

Compared to this previous setup, Windows Home Server is a major upgrade. The main draw to WHS is in its utter simplicity to set up and use. The package comes with three disks, an OS installation disk to put WHS on the server itself, a disc containing WHS connector software for all the other computers on the network, and a recovery disc to use when one wants to revert a computer to a previously backed-up image.

Within 15 minutes of installing the software, the server is up and running, sharing media, and backing up all the computers on the network.

Several key features set WHS apart from a run of the mill XP based box.

First, all hard disks which are flagged to be part of WHS storage, despite being physically separate, are viewed by the server as one large drive. For example, I have 3x300 GB hard drives and two 250 GB hard drives, all which show up as one large 1.27 TB drive. Within this volume are pre-made shares (music, photos, software, videos, etc.) which are accessible to anyone with the permission to do so. A check box allows for certain folders to be duplicated across several drives in order to provide further backup and data security.

Whenever one wishes to add more storage space, all they have to do is install the hardware (internal or external drives) and click the add button, WHS will perform the necessary steps to incorporate it seamlessly into the current storage system.

Each computer that is to be connected to the WHS must have the connector software installed on it. This allows the server access to the machine in order to perform remote backups of any files one wishes to add to the list. It also allows for remote monitoring of the firewall, virus, spyware, and Windows update status of each computer on the network, a handy tool for families with multiple computers. WHS is designed to be used on a headless machine, and built into the WHS connector software is a fairly robust WHS console which allows the user to control all aspects of the OS.

WHS also allows for access to its files remotely over the internet. As long as the user knows the IP address of the server and a has a valid username and password, they can access all the files and perform all the tasks one could if physically attached to the machine through a network.

The only negative aspect that I can find about WHS is that if you do not have a speedy network at home, backups (especially the initial one) can be very, very slow. This can be worked around by setting backups to occur during the night, when both network and processing activity will be at a minimum.

At the end of my 120 day trial, I do intend to purchase the full version - it does everything I expected and more and is the perfect tool for those with large media collections or large home networks to service.

Obama sets online donation record

The Obama campaign has raised $32 million, a single month record for a candidate still in the primaries. The most exciting aspect of this number is that 88% came from online donations! The internet is changing everything...

Macbook Air... Apple's best ipod ever?

"One way to look at the MacBook Air is as the largest and most capable iPod in Apple's line - think of it as an iPod touch Extreme with a built in keyboard."

Ars Technica's recent review of the MacBook Air brings up some interesting points that I have not considered regarding Cupertino's latest drool-inducer.

To look at the device as a fully fleshed out iPod is indeed intriguing, for a iPod is only as useful as the information that it has access to. The iPod can be seen as an extension of one's media library when away from home, and without a way to load it with said media, it is indeed useless (except for the touch's wi-fi capabilities).

Although the Air lacks a DVD drive and only has a total of three ports (audio, USB, mini-DVI) when away from home, these items are non essential when trying to do such things as accessing the internet, working on a quick document or email, and/or listening to some music while doing those previously mentioned tasks.

As a portable productivity device, it can hold its own with the Thinkpads of the world - packing a relatively speedy dual core processor, 2 gigs of ram, a large and bright (thanks to the led backlight) 13.3 inch screen, decent battery life, and a form factor that is a joy to regularly carry from destination to destination.

So, for a person on the go, who also has a desktop at home, the Air seems like the perfect addition to one's tech arsenal.

Super Bowl vs. Tecmo Bowl

Using updated rosters, the people over at ArmchairGM have simulated this weekend's Super Bowl match up between the Giants and the Patriots with the NES classic Tecmo Super Bowl. Youtube videos are available at the site of the two halves of the game, so I won't spoil the results - click for the game summary.

This brought back so many memories of playing season after season with the Dolphins, who were much better back when the game was made back in 1991. This is a game which I hope they release for XBLA soon! I need online Tecmo Bowl!!!

More evidence of the slow decline of pc gaming

In a recent interview with Epic Games' Mark Rein (Unreal Tournament, Gears of War), he laments the fact that FPS based games, once a bastion of PC gaming, have now made a near total transition to consoles:

Traditionally the FPS was very much a strong point for PC, but now do you think consoles are catching up?
I'm a real fan of the PC, but yes, consoles are definitely stealing a lot of hardcore gamers from the PC. When Call of Duty 4 came out, I heard some of our guys sitting around talking about the great game they'd had last night and I'm like, 'Hey guys, what server are you playing on? I'd love to come and join you,' and they said, 'Just send us a friends request,' It was at that point I realized they were all playing it on console. Plus, the sales of the console versions are something like ten times the sales of the PC versions.

The advantages that PC games once held over the console market (online multiplayer, amazing 3D graphics, ease of control, high definition displays) are now a thing of the past. Looking at the Xbox 360 in particular, I feel that Xbox Live is far superior to anything available on the PC (Steam comes close), the price is right (vs. shelling out thousands for a PC), the friends list system is intuitive and a cinch to set up and use, and and the ease of connecting the console to an increasingly prolific number of high definition TVs makes the console a very attractive prospect for a gamer.

The last remaining foothold that PC still has against the rising tide of console supremacy is in the realm of the MMORPG. Titles like World of Warcraft, Eve Online, and Everquest I and II still have millions of active users and show no sign of slowing. This is partially due to the mouse/keyboard combo, which lends itself to MMO style game play. Plus, Microsoft still hesitates to allow companies to release games which would require the hard disk to play, a stance that many, including myself believe that they should relax in order to allow for greater flexibility for game developers (you too Xbox Live Arcade space limit!)

I foresee MMOs also eventually coming to consoles, and the PC gaming market to revert back into a enthusiast only industry.

Barack Obama can even unite Bill and Steve

According to Gizmodo, both Bill Gates' father, William and Steve Jobs' wife Laurene have donated to the Obama campaign. I guess they too realize that he is the tech enthusiast's candidate.

An article was written last year at VentureBeat about Obama's ambitious technology plan, including his intention to name a technology czar or "Chief Technology Officer" for the country.

The of the most ambitious parts of his plan is his planned use of the internet to make government totally transparent and interactive, making sure that lawmakers broadcast their meetings over the web, and also requiring that they use blogs and wikis to communicate with voters. Finally a president who thinks of "the internets" as a valuable tool for all sectors of America, both public and private.

Eve Online - a story of espionage, treachery, and taking things way too seriously

EVE Online is a MMORPG set in space with a player driven economy, quests, corporations, manufacturing, trade, etc. The game's economy is indeed so complex that a PhD economist is employed to manage it.

A setting this intricate and interesting leads to some very intriguing events. This Shacknews article examines a covert war between two of the most powerful factions in the game, and it is one of the coolest accounts of any game that I have ever read.