The latest publication from CTACS describes how to use Windows 8.1 as a server at home or in a small business setting. In some situations, Windows Server 2012 R2 or Essentials is too complicated and expensive, whilst some people find Networked Attached Storage (NAS) too unfamiliar. Most people are accustomed to regular Windows, so it makes sense to use it, particular as it has so many networking features built-in. As with all CTACS guides it is written according to the Goldilocks Principle: not too much information, not too little, but just right! |
Besides the tablets, there are also laptops. These use solid state drives rather than conventional hard drives; of relatively low capacity, the idea is that files and documents will be stored on the cloud (OneDrive) rather than locally. To all intents and purposes, these are Windows versions of Chromebooks and designed to compete with them. It is intended that such laptops will be available at around the £200 price point.
Leading the assault is HP, with their Stream laptops and Stream tablets. However, expect other vendors to join the fray as Microsoft are putting a lot of support behind this initiative as they are determined to see off the challenge of Google's Chromebooks and Android operating system. Synology have introduced their lowest-priced DiskStation so far - the DS115j. It is a single-bay NAS, capable of holding 6TB storage. Priced at around £90 in the UK, it is around 20% cheaper than its predecessor, the visually identical 112j. With an 800 MHz CPU and 256MB RAM, the technical specification is the same as the DS214se launched at the beginning of the year. Although we haven't yet had the opportunity to take one apart, we rather suspect it may be based around the same motherboard. Like the 214se, there are some strange omissions. For instance, the ports are USB 2.0 specification rather than USB 3.0. In order to use a 2.5" hard drive, an adapter bracket has to be purchased. And if it is the same innards as the 214se, there is no support for scheduled power on/off or Wake-On-LAN (WOL). Whilst this helps minimise the price, it reeks of penny-pinching and can only be saving a pound or two. Still, the DS115j is a worthy successor to the DS112j and a great first NAS for many people. Update: a video of the DS115j being unboxed is now on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLX_iJOSI8c Microsoft have announced the next version of Windows. The current version is Windows 8 so the next one is, logically enough, er, Windows 10. It is not yet on sale, indeed it is not yet finished, but an early version in the form of a "technical preview" is available for download. The finished article will not be available before April 2015 and possibly some time after that (new Microsoft operating systems tend to ship in the Autumn so it's still probably a year way).
There are two main changes. Firstly, the conventional and much missed Start menu of Windows 7 has returned, enhanced so it can display tiles and launch apps. Secondly, the different variants of Windows (for PC, tablet and smartphone) are being consolidated into something more consistent which will, nevertheless, perform equally well on any platform. So why no Windows 9? Microsoft's explanation is that it is so different from Windows 8 that it is really two versions on. We have an alternative theory: the Mac operating system is OS X (where X stands for 10) and by calling it Windows 10 they are implying parity with what many people consider to be the trailblazer. Just a thought... |
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