Ever since Microsoft released their version of “Windows Home Server”, I’ve added one more thing to list of stuff that bugs me.  “Home Server” is a Windows version like Small Business Server that must be even easier to use.  I’ve never used it, and I’m sure it’s a great product, but why couldn’t they just add these features to regular Windows?

More importantly, why does it seem that people all of a sudden have to refer to practically any non-desktop system as a home server? Home web-server, home media server, home food server…

I have had a “server” running in my house since 2001. It was a Win98 box, my desktop actually. It was our household file server and printer server. It was later upgraded to the Internet gateway (probably very insecurely as well) until I splurged for a new switch and router. I then had an experimental linux samba server, then a box running Win2k Server as an ftp and file server, then a Win2K3 web/file/mail/print/dns server, now a FreeBSD server, all running at home. Never did I feel the need to call it a “home” server. Home was simply it’s location. Frankly, I don’t see the need to add “home” as an adjective, especially if you are a so-called geek or techie. “Home” products, especially coming from MS, are most likely overpriced, under-equipped, and far inferior to a product without the term “home” and probably even to those without the word “server” in their name.