Microsoft! Plot! Lost!

I'm worried. When I read about Microsoft's big CES announcement, the Microsoft Windows Home Server, I realised that either Microsoft or I had totally lost the plot. In fact the plot is so far gone it is no longer in the same universe as I.

Sure, we have a lot of computers at home. But to tell the truth I wish that I could get rid of most of them. Unfortunately my Windows software doesn't work well with my Linux software. To say nothing of my daughters Windows 95 games that don't work on Windows XP. This, then, is my pain.

Incompatible applications, on incompatible platforms, often from the same company. An extra Windows only server is not going to heal it. If anything, it offers only to make the pain worse.

If Bill Gates had taken the podium and announced the functionality offered by the Windows Home Server as an on-line service, available to existing Windows users for a small fee, then Microsoft, the plot and I would all be in the same universe.

If Bill Gates had taken the podium and announced a special version of Windows for ISP's (Internet Service Providers) then the plot would have impressed me no end.

Imagine a version of Windows that:

• Allowed the ISP's themselves to offer Windows Home Servers functionality to their Windows clients
• Managed the ISP's clients usage and billed according to the ISP's policies
• Allowed super easy connection of Windows machines to the Internet (Mac OSX and Linux not supported here)
• Auto-updated, so that once installed the ISP's never had to worry about upgrading to the latest version.
• Also auto-updated all the Windows clients to the latest version of Windows (for an extra monthly  fee)

Now imagine that the ISP's could use this version of Windows for a base charge of only $1 per customer per month. No upfront fee - just install and bill. The commoditisation of ISP's.

$1 per month from 90% of the people who connect to the Internet would put a smile on my face... It would certainly give Microsoft a revenue stream to match their OEM one...

Sadly, to me Windows Home Server offers a digital lifestyle of extra computers, extra cabling and more software headaches. Who really wants this?

Some of the brightest people I know work for Microsoft. This keynote announcement shows that we appear not to share a common vision of the future. Do you now understand my worry?

11:04:36 AM