And why, why, why ignore one of the few things every parent looks for in a home network management appliance: kid controls? Microsoft has a great proxy server, so how come Internet usage tracking, kids vs. parent permissioning, and black/white lists aren't part of this package? And all these complaints are about stuff Redmond's already got and simply had to repackage. If they'd put a little innovation into the mix, I would have thought some smart home partners or IPTV partners could have made Home Server the sexiest release since the iPod.

OK, I'm probably cranky because my feet feel like freshly skinned soccer balls, but considering that Home Server is supposed to have been in development during the past year and a half, I think I'm justified in expressing some disappointment. This really isn't a "home" server; it's a slightly souped-up storage OS. There's nothing here about running home-oriented services, just sharing files and backing up data. Microsoft could have gone so much further with relatively little effort.