As each generation is becoming more and more “digital,” it’s tough to manage all that technology. I had been looking into ways to manage document/photo sharing amongst members of the family when i discovered a few options:
- Google Apps “Standard” – Basically, its Gmail/Docs/Sites/Calendar/Chat for up to 50 users with a single domain name. You get the ability to share all those things with each other, or with the world. Best of all, it’s totally FREE!
- Microsoft’s new “Windows Home Server” – a nifty little OS which is aimed at the home user with lots of technology. Check out the following two blog posts:
- http://blogs.amd.com/patmoorhead/2008/04/22/secret-find-of-the-family-network-administrator-hp-mediasmart-server/
- http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver/
Think about it. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you fit into one of the following categories:
- you’re either the “family network administrator” (aka, your family’s “techie”), and everyone asks you for help when it comes to computers
- or, on your own, you’ve come to realize that your house has a fairly large share of electronics and computing devices (laptops, desktops, netbooks, usb hard drives, peripherals, xbox consoles, etc).
I’ve actually been playing around with Google Apps the last few days, and have set-up the website for my consulting firm via Sites (http://www.mw2mltech.com). It is slick and easy (and FREE), although what you gain in ease of use is offset by lack of customization (i.e. ability to add code/custom functionality). However, it is a great way to create your own little spot on the Internet, and integrates flawlessly with Google’s other tools (Adsense, Analytics, etc).
As for WHS, it looks very promising. I’m actually working to procure some hardware to play around with this. I will let you all know what I think when its done!
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