We Got Served

So first of all hello everyone! As Terry mentioned I work for Microsoft and I’m pretty active in the Media Center / WHS circles both internally and externally. I also take part in the Microsoft Champion program which I’ll speak a bit more about in a minute.

I do want get the quick disclaimer out first. Although I know many of the team members involved in Home Server and Media Center, I’m not affiliated with either department internally. I actually work as a tools and infrastructure developer in the Forefront Server Security group as a day job That given, there are certain questions which I just won’t be able to answer. Obviously these are more on the political side of things and have to do with timing etc. All of which I will have no control over.

Don’t let that make you think I’m going to duck everything though, if I really can’t answer it I will tell you If I can help with something or provide a work around or theorize why something may be happening, I will. In addition if I’m not sure about some rumor etc I should at least be able to clarify internally something, but I make no promises to the extent of this yet

Just a quick note on the Champion program, this program is a volunteer program in Microsoft in which the employees can volunteer to ‘Champion’ areas of Windows Vista, Windows Live, Windows Mobile and Digital Enthusiast areas in general. A part of this role is to do what they can to interact and help the community as well as evangelizing around current capabilities and attracting users based on them.  I think I’m a good fit for this due to being a natural tinkerer, I like to squeeze everything I can from something, and one thing I’ve found with Microsoft’s products is they ALWAYS do far more than you use them for. Sometimes these hidden or simply intricate features are deciding factors for small sets of users, and sometimes as these users don’t know they exist, they miss them altogether. One of my personal goals is to try and show people these things, so they get the fulfillment out of the product they want, we get a stronger community and the product helps lead us forward technically.

Ok now I got that part out of the way. YES I’M A BRIT - The second thing I am is totally crazy about Technology in general, Programming, Media Center, Windows Home Server, A.I, (some gaming, used to be a lot more - I got 1k Gamer score on Halo 3 within 2 weeks of release! , but time kills me now and I never get to game :(, Other things I’m crazy about are design and architecture and thinking of workarounds for problems which don’t have any (Hacks?!, it sounds so harsh :)) I also love Sci-Fi, especially Dr Who, Torchwood, Stargate SG-1 (Atlantis now), and Sarah Connor is growing on me again

In the Media Center / Windows Home Server portion of my life, I’ve been using Media Center since its original release in one way or another, I’ve tried pretty much every TV/Internet/Streaming technology you can think of, some I’ve loved, some I’ve hated and some I still think dang I wish MCE had that feature. Windows Home Server was something I’d literally been prowling the internet projects and lists looking for prior to us knowing anything about it internally. Then one day I saw it and it really matched up with what I’d been pouring over in my mind as the future of the digital home. Basically I’ve been hooked since.

I think at this point there isn’t anyone who doesn’t see the potential for the multiple end points we’re seeing in the home to need a central point of contact. I really believe WHS is that, obviously so do you guys as a community too. Terry has built by far one of the fastest growing communities I’ve ever seen in such a small portion of time. I believe this isn’t just because of Terry’s obvious skill in this area and his passion for the product (although that certainly IS a driving factor). It is also because you guys, the community, have such a belief in the potential of WHS that you have helped build a solid community foundation. I know for me when I first saw WHS it wasn’t an ‘OH MY ….’ moment but more of an ‘Of Course! At Last!’ moment.

With all of this in mind, my passion for the product comes from the same place as you guys. I see these multiple end points in my home (My computer screens, laptops, TV’s, digital picture frames, lights, mobile phones, land line phones, DVD backup drives, Modems, Printers, Cable boxes, video recorders, cameras, really I could go on) and I realize that all of these devices should have a single control panel, a single place where I can manage them from. A single place where I know my data will end up being backed up or be served up from; once I believed this solution was JUST Media Center. That changed with the ‘Of Course’ moment I mentioned above; it was the missing link. So now that it’s here, I want to help promote, evangelize and support it’s communities to the full extent of my influence, and help further aid the advancement of such an obviously centric part of the home in the next digital decade.

Anyway guys, I better stop prattling on and read some of your posts

Thanks for having me here

SL

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