It has been making waves on the net for a few days already, and I don’t want to keep anyone deprived from this utter piece of brilliance. “Mommy, why is there a server in the house?”, a children’s book made by Microsoft to ‘help your child understand the stay-at-home server’. “Big people have a server at the ‘office’. The office is a big place where people go and do boring things.” Not everybody will appreciate the twisted humour, but I sure do. Utterly brilliant, this. Update: There is more!
Before anyone says it: this IS a joke. Microsoft is not going to try to put this in the children’s section at your local bookstore, it’s just witty promotional material.
Most of Digg didn’t understand that.
As promotional material it’s certainly very creative. I’d be very concerned if MS actually started to target kids with their marketing strategies, though.
I hope that Home Servers catch on, but that Linux-friendly companies (such as ASUS and others) start offering their own products, so that Microsoft doesn’t capture yet another market.
I guess you are right, after all even though they went through the hassle of actually publishing this book complete with ISBN numbers and suggested retail cover price of $5.95 atleast when they posted the book info on Amazon they did so with out listing the price on there. Im not too keen on product marketing but I guess the more authentic a piece of promotional material seems, the effective the reception must be huh?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160530641X/ref=olp_product_details…
Funny marketing.. sure.. I can take an ad as a joke but damn.. getting it on Amazon as a book listing? That’s some comprehensive marketing strategy. It tries to blure the line between advertisement and reality a little too much.
Quick! We need to counter act! How about a “Daddy why is there a penguin in the bath?” series of books?
> “Your family can share pictures and music, and almost anything else”
> “You can even share files with people outside the house!”
How does so much talk about “sharing” (even if its a joke) fit with Microsoft’s and industry’s crusade to practically demonize everyone engaged in “file sharing”?
Maybe because this is about sharing content you actually hold copyright over?
Just a wild guess.
Out of curiosity, do you know a lot of people who own copyrights for the music they listen to?
They do say “share music”. I’m reasonably sure most families dont have a lot of music they have the copyright for.
It’s even more fun of you go to the WHS home site. There’s one interview with a guy who says he burned their entire music collection and stored it on the WHS to share. Hello copyright violation.
Err, copies for personal use are allowed in most jurisdictions. In fact, in The Netherlands, you can keep an infinite amount of copies no matter the medium. As long as you don’t share them beyond the family/home.
Personal use does not include the family. It means you. That’s the actual law. Granted, no-one really cares about that (seriously, who didn’t make mix tapes in their youth?) but still, the devil is in the details.
Either way, sharing on your WHS also mean that presumable anyone visiting your home could possibly have access to it. Or, as they like to point out, your mom and dad from their home.
Not a big deal by any means, but a somewhat ironic detail.
Microsoft can produce some weird wacky stuff.
They’re preaching to a crowd who barely knows how to utilize what they’ve got. I doubt there’s even a market for that given that you can share the files on computers at home…
Sweet:
http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/gallery/4/2008/01/medium_217…
http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/images/gallery/4/2008/01/medium_217…
Needless to mention that you don’t need the server to be at home, and it doesn’t have to be Windows. A regular oversold Linux web hosting account at $7/m will do the trick.
Well, that really depends on what you’re planning to do with your server. Sharing streamed media just isn’t that easy with a web server. Not that you need a super expensive Windows server for the task, though…
Why? Just create the following directories: Videos, Music, Images in your remote home directory and mount them locally as a local folders on the computers of your house.
I have done something similar to work at the office and at home at night. You can have remote directories on both Linux and Windows workstations.
heheh … if you thought that was funny go check http://www.stayathomeserver.com ( as one of the comments write )
its almost as good as “the office”
This may be the best thing Microsoft has ever made.
Seriously, how can you top this?
http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/microserveces08/1000446233
Haha :p … talk about being desperate :p
”
And files don’t get lost
even when bad things happen to your computers.
Because there all backed up
in a special place…on the server!
”
Did they patch that bug that can currupt your file when doing such heavy load tasks as saving or copying it too the server (ie. normal server operations like storing a backup image)?
hehe.. either way, I have some “The Office” fans at work that have got to see these.. damn good marketing.. could sell ice boxes in the arctic.
Microsoft Bob, anyone?
Because upgrading every two to three years and having a computer for every family member isn’t good enough to sustain Microsoft’s revenue stream …
… nor does it destroy the environment fast enough.
I’m waiting for the exact same people stand there ‘its oh so confusing! I don’t understand! its so complex!’. As satirical as it may be, lets remember that Joe and Jane average is as thick as two short planks; when push comes to shove, most do very little independent thinking of their own – especially on matters relating to IT.
Not just IT. There is a whole generation of people here in the UK between 18-36 who cannot cook. They think cooking is opening a tin of food and heating it in the microwave.
To enjoy good food, they need to go to a restaurant where someone else will cook for them.
Let them starve I say. Close all the fast food places and see how long they will survive.
Lol, we need to start a ‘jaded old mans club’ for all grumpy old men such as you and I. To think my generation of friends are impressed by my culinary skills – I always thought my food preparation skills were barely a notch above ‘survival skills’ level
I remember watching my grandfather put together his television and video which be bought down the road; set the whole lot up himself – how did he do it? he followed the instructions! he read the friendly f*cking manual – and praise the lord, it worked! I find it therefore funny when I hear people whine of *MY* generation claiming things are oh-so-difficult.
There is nothing remotely difficult about a computer; if I can by the age of 10 programming my own games in AmigaBASIC, and hacking around using UNIX by the age of 14, I damn well expect at least my generation to know how to navigate a basic GUI interface as provided on computers these days.
Edited 2008-01-13 10:43 UTC
“There is nothing remotely difficult about a computer; if I can by the age of 10 programming my own games in AmigaBASIC, and hacking around using UNIX by the age of 14, I damn well expect at least my generation to know how to navigate a basic GUI interface as provided on computers these days.”
Hear, hear. As a game designer, I often attend focus groups/user tests and the like. It’s amazing to see how quickly kids can pick relatively complex games, and how clever they will be when trying to break them…
Thinking that “the masses” are stupid is not only elitist, it’s also pretty stupid in its own right. The problem is that the current generation has been told it can get everything without lifting a finger. In French we call it the generation of “Enfants-rois”, or “Child Kings”. They can be smart, but it’s really hard to teach them any kind of self-discipline.
And, yes, this is off-topic, so I’ll shut up now.
Most home internet plans specifically forbid hosting a web server “because servers belong in the office” – and, as they would have it, on an office plan. Does Microsoft expect that this ‘soft’ contract breakage will be overlooked by consumers? I mean, many have no problem straight-out breaking copyright laws, but this puts the consumer in a different position.
Most isp have policies now where a home network will not get touched, but the call advisor will help getting one computer connected. After all, they are calling for an internet connection problem. So, get them either to plug in a laptop alone, or disconnect one pc from the network while the internet connection is tested.
After that, it is up to the consumer to set up his network connection how he pleases.
Don’t expect a call advisor to do that for you, why should he ?
The ISP around here are getting better at dealing with home networks since most people are getting wifi routers with the connection plan (cough.. Sympatico.. cough).
It’s the open ports on the outside that will get you a mean sounding email; “we have detected a webserver running on your internet connection which is in breach of your contract. Please disconnect your server within…” (They spotted port 80 or 21 open and you didn’t buy a business plan)
Granted, that also means the home user had to be able to configure there own router well enough too forward ports.
Actually, that’s not strictly true. ISPs will (theoretically) allow you to run a web server; however, they’ve placed so many obstacles in your path that it simply isn’t practical for you to try it. For example, very few IPs will allow you to run with static IP, which would be necessary to register a website with DNS. Also, ISPs typically have strict limits on your bandwidth rate and throughput and, if you read your service terms, they will tell you that they can cut your service or force you to upgrade to higher-priced service if you exceed those limits. To be honest, you can’t entirely blame them: Bandwidth isn’t limitless or free.
The ISP has no right to dictate what you run at home. It’s not valid to put such conditions in a consumer contract. Sure, they can block incoming connections but they cant stop you from running a server for your home network, which is what WHS is primarily designed for.
Actually they have every right. It’s a business contract that both parties sign, and if the contract does not suit you, you don’t use their service. Simple as that. It would be the same as if you rented out your house, and the tenant said they could install whatever appliances they wanted, and could grill (barbecue) on the balcony, even if you write in the lease that it is prohibited.
I’m beginning to think that too many people have had their funny bones surgically removed at an early age — this was a really funny, satirical example of what can happen when you give your creative folks free reign.
I’m no fan of Microsoft, but this was terrific!
Perhaps it says something about Microsoft if so many people percieved this at first glance not as funny, but as ominous.
Frankly, it hasn’t made me crack a smile. Even after I realized it must be a joke of some kind. I can’t seem to find the humor in disguising peddling of wares as a children’s book.
I tried replacing the Microsoft server with another product, in my mind; a vacuum cleaner, a dishwasher, whatever. Just to see what I thought about it then. The ominous feeling lessened, so it shows that I am indeed biased against Microsoft’s business practices.
But even so, I still didn’t find it particularly funny or more than mildly clever, I found it disturbing. The mere suggestion of children being subjected to such strongly manipulative advertising makes the whole thing too repulsive to appreciate the joke anymore. It just triggers a strong “this is wrong” reflex in me. Even after eliminating the Microsoft component, even if no child will ever see it.
Imagine that it advertised smoking cigarettes or picking up hookers and perhaps you’ll understand how I feel. Some things are meant for the grown-ups and associating them with children does not a good joke make, it only comes out in bad taste. And I’m sorry if for some people advertising has become so pervasive that they cannot see it for what it essentially is anymore: mind control.
Edited 2008-01-13 23:08 UTC
Frankly, it hasn’t made me crack a smile
You simply have no sense of humor.
No it doesn’t.
You must lead a very boring life.
Everyone knows that the sole purpose of having a windows server environment at home is to spread worms, spam and automated exploits when the company servers are down due to worms, spam and automated exploits.
See, now that’s exactly why I keep a backup MS Home Network ™ safely dormant and ready in my VM collection.
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/network.png
“The office is a boring place where big people go and do boring things.”
About as accurate a representation of adulthood as you can give to a kid.
Somebody who wrote this is a parent.
I would like to see “stay at home thin clients” next.
Until networks, DHCP devices and home servers are built into new homes as standard, and there is some demand to build them into existing homes (Powerplug is probably the best option and it’s really cool), all this ‘server in the home’ stuff is a pipe dream. The server might be easy but the networking isn’t, which is why people have such trouble with wireless.
It’s a nice piece of marketing though, and a decent attempt. I absolutely love the ‘the daddy wants to give the mommy a special gift’ part – a new gadget! I’m not sure whether that’s intentional, but it’s funny.
I heard the lawyer in a suit say to mommy and daddy they didn’t get a license use their home server.
Seriously, shouldn’t a marketing company like Microsoft be focusing on improving their products rather than creating a child-oriented marketing brochure? Everyone who had a hand in this at Microsoft should be fired for wasting company resources.
I’ve had a server in my home, in one form or another, for well over a decade now and it’s never been a Microsoft one.
Edited 2008-01-13 16:09 UTC
“Seriously, shouldn’t a marketing company like Microsoft be focusing on improving their products rather than creating a child-oriented marketing brochure? Everyone who had a hand in this at Microsoft should be fired for wasting company resources.”
Except every geek and their dog are talking about this little book, so I say it worked wonderfully. Got you to even comment on it. That’s an effective bit of advertising, in my opinion. Raises all around!
I would not have known about it if I had not seen it here first. I guess Thom and OSAlert are to blame.
Then I got busy repairing one of those “new fangled” Vista computers. Second Home Edition in a month. Porn sites do it to a Windows machine every time. LOL.
Maybe the Microsoft home server thing will be good for my pocket book as well.
Edited 2008-01-14 03:16 UTC
a) Microsoft is not a marketing company
b) it’s not targeted at children.
c) Hell no. These people should make EVERY promo from now on.
Josh Barnhill, is that you?
Edited 2008-01-14 03:30 UTC
I strongly believe there’s little to no market for home servers. All the people who really need a home server are geeks. And most of the geeks are smart & keen on opensource. Linux has no weaknesses as a server OS for geeks.
Damn, can MS ever market a product. I rather liked the aproach in the same way I like the Apple ads; pure fantasy but entertaining to watch. They even managed to do so without bashing the direct competitor which may even put the MS ad department slightly above the Apple ad department.
Almost makes me want a WHS.. almost.. there is still those pesky funcion set and product quality technicalities.. but damn good marketing plug.
That is some seriously hilarious stuff, especially stayathomeserver.com The guy who plays “Mark Steele” is comedy gold. It doesn’t make me want a Windos Home Server or even use Windows but still, it’s hilarious.
How anyone could EVER fail to understand that this is humorous promo material is beyond me.
I wish more marketing was this funny.
There’s a funny thing.
Verizon clearly states that FIOS subscribers can’t run a server on their side.
Now, don’t you feel like installing a piece of software that contains ‘Server’ in it’s title would clearly violate the contract?
I’m stunned that there are people here that thought that site or the book was funny. I just sent a link to someone to make the point that MS just can’t come up with a good idea. It reminds me of the Windows 386 promo video – http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4915875929930836239
I don’t get it, why can’t they do something that isn’t lame? Surely they have enough money to hire smart, creative people. I guess it’s true that money can’t buy taste.