Tell the Windows Server Team what you need

The Windows Server Team at Microsoft is looking for your opinions and voices in helping them plan the next version of Windows.  Take a minute to make your voice heard, we are listening. 

https://www.windowsserverfeedback.com/

I don't want to sound like too much of a homer, but I'd encourage them to keep on keeping on. Lots of the things we got in Server 2003 were great, like HTTP.SYS, not running services than needed, etc. I would love to see more CLR/WinFx "nativeness" like less ADSI for Directory Services...

Oh and while I love the Indexing Service to death, it could use a significant refresh.

Hmm, sounds interesting. And how exactly are the entries seen or streamlined? It seems there are wishes from past betas, or other flows of wishes via several many ways. How is this feedback differentiated?

I would prefer to give my suggestions - not fill out a questionaire.

Phil

True - Im not filling in that marketing report either, but I will write what Id like:
*This is more for all Windows in general - not just server


1. A cross between WinPE and WinCE - all comonentized, NO superfluous apps (no calc/media/etc) all available as a free download - NO authorization - no licence just an empty FREE base install - to combat Linux's myth of freeness - and to Win-seed the market.

2. The ability to PAY to add the features I want. From MSN to Fronpage to games to IIS to Active Dir

3. A licence that could be read & understood by a 5th grader

4. NO more smarmy microspeak marketing. Talk in plain language - like google - and stop using pics of "happy office droids using computers everywhere ( standard Getty Clipart)

5. A floppy equivilant of the brilliant Win98se startup disc

6. Compatibility with Fat32 ( ntfs is slow - and again removes DOS )* longhorn fat32 please!

7. No DRM

8. True unencumbered P2p

9. NO alerts or phone home

10. Developer edition of Servepack 2 ( that lets you run stuff with out all the errors!!

* Even the "Click here to make this your homepage" script is not allowed to run with SP2 installed.

hahahah, that's some funny stuff! Mind if I answer a few of those?

1. So you want a copy of windows without any applications? wouldn't that make it hard to use.. and as these are standard apps that don't get developed much your not going to push the price down.

2. You are aware that such a scheme would push up the price of the entire package. And FrontPage is a separate package as are REAL games. It is also worth noting that Microsoft, with its web-server edition has been moving in this direction.

3. A licence that would not hold up in court because of it was not set out correctly you mean. There are legal reason to have such a over-whelming licence, I suppose they could make a 'For Dummies' version where they sum it up in nice easy words.

4. No Comment

5. But with floppy drives being phased out completely, it would have limited usability. I would like to see some better diagnostic tools in the recovery console, including the ability to remove service packs and copies of the .Net framework.

6. Wow... so instead of a system which manages security and indexes the files you want a system which will damage your files and corrupt your drives? Also having FAT32 would cripple the security on all systems. FAT32, is resource friendly but has so many disadvantages I'm not going into them, the day people switched to NTFS was a good day for all concerned.

7. DRM is evil and will never work!

8. Sigh...

9. What?

10. You mean the *beta* service pack? hmm anyway, I am not a SP2 fan boy (it did trash my system!) but you shouldn't complain about beta software, are you even a legitimate beta tester?

Whats so funny - every point is pretty basic:

1. A base/emtpy windows thats FREE ( like Linux )
2. Derive revenue by paid features (like Clik'n Run)
3. A simpler licence ( like gpl)
4. Plain english - non marketing speak (like google)
5. Easier Commandline access ( like 98se disc)
6. Fat32 in longhorn (user choice)
7. no drm (user choice)
8. P2P - but done right (no spyware) (user choice)
9. No phone home (user choice)
10. Serpak 2 - for developers ( easy on/off )

simple.

NTFS to me means: impossible to get to a c prompt..and slow accessing drives/files

laugh all you want at fat32 - ill take easy to boot and faster data access anyday

** this stuff probably shouldnt be under a Server specifc thread - but windows is windows server or not

I know that some of you might not feel that a survey is the best way to get your feedback in. Either way, if you can take the time, thanks. If not post here and we will point the Windows team to this thread for additional feedback.

What I'd like to see on Windows in general is a better command prompt. Something like bash perhaps. Nice and scriptable. Perhaps throw in Perl or Python too

Please include SSH by default (both client and server). It's the one thing I keep having to install on every Windows machine I have to use.

1. MDI Browser (tabs)(i grow tired of trying all these IE based browser only to find errors all over them)

2. it seems the sound doesnt like me in win2k3serv maybe its just me.

3. in office2k3 allow for horizontal and vertial side bars(the direction of the text, so i dont have to read them side ways if i want them on the side).

4. the ability to add my own folders to the start menu. (on the right)  along with a more customizable start menu

5. a more streamlined less of a fingerprint Active directory server for small home networks.

6. a movable start menu, task bar and system tray.(i grow tired of living in a righty world and wish to reverse those [try for more of a office2k3 effect])

7. irc server

8. an easy way to make my television to display at 320 x 240 so maybe i can read what it says (as a second moniter)

9.a customizable login prompt (just look at linux i think you will get the point)

10.powertoys!!!(ex: windows xp vwm)

11. a gui for net send for easy communication in networks (teaching everyone every computer name becomes a pain)

12.last but not least remote control toasters... that can tell the time, the weather, the location of all family members, and has a network hook up for updatable firmware.  ohh maybe as an after thought it can play mp3's.

AR wrote:

11. a gui for net send for easy communication in networks (teaching everyone every computer name becomes a pain)

im aware about making one but i think its time that they start making those novel item into intergrated items of the O/S

2 more
1. an ftp server that has a gui complete with inheritance from the primary user list along with the abilty to add users to only the ftp user list.

2. a way that you can modify permissions per directory for http smb and ftp etc. think .access that stores all the information for that directory would make things nice.(use xml with like:
<html>
   <allow={all}>
   <auth=none>
</html>
<ssl>
   <allow=bob,joe>
   <auth=basic>
</ssl>
<ftp>
   <allow=joe,john,{ftp list}>#to include the extra users on a seperate list
   <auth=??>
</ftp>
<share>
   <allow={local}>
   <auth=none>
</share>
[thats a big sub-thought])
something like that i realize that it is a crude example but i believe get my point across.

It really does scare me that people want to use XML for everything. Seems nobody (else) is aware of how inefficient it is and how legacy INI files do the same but for less. I mean take a look at MediaPlayers playlists

<?wpl version="1.0"?>
<smil>
    <head>
        <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Windows Media Player -- 9.0.0.3008"/>
        <author/>
        <title>Playlist2</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <seq>
            <media src="mysong.mp3"/>
        </seq>
    </body>
</smil>

Here is WinAmp's version of exactly the same thing:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1,mysong
mysong.mp3

So how much CPU time was wasted there? This isn't the only example.. I mean XML is supposed to make the information more portable because people can see what is going on but 'songName=MySong.mp3' would be more straight forward than '<music>mysong.mp3</music>' or something. Even the creator said it is too difficult for humans to edit XML by hand anymore..

Run Windows Server on a Unix/Linux kernel similar to what MAC is doing on a BSD kernel.

Don't give me any Xenix stuff either, please.

well in this case xml is a reasonable usage, at some point they might want to make it actual smil, so they have a head start on that. also if you go in and add the following to your metadata

<meta name="Author" content="some guy"/> your not gonna have a problem. this is of course useful because the easy extensibility of the format makes it easier to build solutions that interact with the format without screwing it up for the player. I don't know about the winAmp version above but I doubt that it could be extended in as many different ways as the wpl version can.