Windows Home Server Add-ins

As part of yesterday's announcement about Windows Home Server (WHS) Power Pack 2 (PP2, codenamed "Snoqualmie" -- see my overview), Microsoft also revealed that WHS is now available on MSDN so that developers can get their hands on the code and start making Add-ins. In concert with this information, Microsoft is now promoting its WHS Add-ins. First, the info from the WHS blog: A key benefit of Windows Home Server is the versatility and power it offers as a development platform.  Even when Windows Home Server software was still in the beta stage, we published a software development kit (SDK) so that 3 party developers could develop interesting add-ins for the product. There are currently 100+ add-ins developed for Windows Home Server (up from 70+ in January of this year).  We have a dedicated Windows Home Server Add-ins page on the Microsoft web site. That Add-ins page is something that all WHS users should at least check out, though I'd point out that anyone with a first-gen HP machine (and/or a box with just 512 MB of RAM) is going to run into immediate performance issues if they load up the box with too many Add-ins. It's interesting to me that, of the top downloads list, AV and disk defragmentation are well represented. But there are what look like some gems in there, such as a Recorded TV Manager for Media Center users. Update: Be sure to check out We Got Served's Windows Home Server Add-ins page as well.

Paul Thurrott

March 24, 2009

1 Min Read
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As part of yesterday's announcement about Windows Home Server (WHS) Power Pack 2 (PP2, codenamed "Snoqualmie" -- see my overview), Microsoft also revealed that WHS is now available on MSDN so that developers can get their hands on the code and start making Add-ins. In concert with this information, Microsoft is now promoting its WHS Add-ins. First, the info from the WHS blog:

A key benefit of Windows Home Server is the versatility and power it offers as a development platform.  Even when Windows Home Server software was still in the beta stage, we published a software development kit (SDK) so that 3 party developers could develop interesting add-ins for the product.

There are currently 100+ add-ins developed for Windows Home Server (up from 70+ in January of this year).  We have a dedicated Windows Home Server Add-ins page on the Microsoft web site.

That Add-ins page is something that all WHS users should at least check out, though I'd point out that anyone with a first-gen HP machine (and/or a box with just 512 MB of RAM) is going to run into immediate performance issues if they load up the box with too many Add-ins. It's interesting to me that, of the top downloads list, AV and disk defragmentation are well represented. But there are what look like some gems in there, such as a Recorded TV Manager for Media Center users.

Update: Be sure to check out We Got Served's Windows Home Server Add-ins page as well.

About the Author(s)

Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott is senior technical analyst for Windows IT Pro. He writes the SuperSite for Windows, a weekly editorial for Windows IT Pro UPDATE, and a daily Windows news and information newsletter called WinInfo Daily UPDATE.

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