Well things just keep getting worse for at the next version of Windows Home Server – Vail. Today, Microsoft’s biggest hardware partner for WHS has decided to pull the pin on there MediaSmart Servers. It’s a damn shame too, because they really solved an bunch of issues facing a modern day home.
Bill Gates vision was to have a computer in every home. Well in 2010 most homes have many more than one computer, lots of data that needs to be backed up and streamed around the home. MediaSmart servers running WHS provided the perfect solution to this.
With Vail due early 2011, I was planning on updating to a new MediaSmart running Vail enabling even more features. Then passing my existing EX490 to my parents. Unfortunately the decision today from HP ends that plan. I’ll be hanging on to my MediaSmart, it just got a whole lot more valuable.
It’s hard not to join to dots between HP’s decision to pull out with the announcement last week that Microsoft was killing Drive Extenders in Vail. Drive Extenders is the technology that allowed us to throw drives of any size together which combined to make one simple pool of storage. This sparked massive outrage online, many calling it the death of WHS. Apparently HP thought so too. While WHS has many great features, this was certainly a big one.
More @ Windows Team Blog
