Windows Home Server has been released to manufacturing (RTM)

Today Windows Home Server has been released to manufacturing (RTM).

The software has now been finalized and its now being handed off to the OEM partners. The evaluation version (with 120 day evaluation period) and the system builder version are also heading into the distribution channels and will be available in the next couple of months. French, German and Spanish versions will be finalized shortly, and the OEM products will hit retail shelves this fall.

Charlie Kindel at the RTM ship party had this to say:

“It started with a vision that an always available device on the home network was an essential ingredient of a Microsoft platform for the home. At first there was only one of us, then three, then five… We put together a plan for a plan and executed. The result was an ambitious, yet pragmatic product plan that would deliver real value to consumers. We formed a team of extremely passionate, diverse, and hard working people. Some will say we had great luck but we know the best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself. We had a spirit of getting it done, no matter what. We broke some rules but never any laws. A community of highly enthusiastic customers rose around us. We made them part of the development process and rewarded them and they amplified our efforts.  We made some mistakes…and corrected them. We took a few risks…and they paid off.  In April 2005 we said we’d ship V1 in the first half of 2007. It wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always fun, but we said what we were going to do and then we did it. You know what they say…the fourth time’s a charm.†  Congratulations and thanks for helping ship the coolest version of Windows ever: Windows Home Server.”

Well that’s it boys and girls the beta period has finished and whilst the Home Server Team have a well deserved break, we can now look forward to the OEM products reaching us around October 2007. Well done all you beta testers!

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