Even we were surprised at the ferocious response when news broke last week that Microsoft would be dropping the drive extender feature from the next version of Windows Home Server - codenamed 'Vail'. Not only were there hundreds of responses to the official announcement, but the thread in our own forums spanned several pages.
Now it looks like news of this furore has reached all the way to the top and that Steve Ballmer may be taking it upon himself to investigate the issue. Microsoft MVP Terry Walsh - who also edits the website We Got Server - e-mailed the outspoken CEO with a detailed explanation of the issues in search of some clarification as to why the decision to drop this critical feature had been made.
In the style that we've come to expect from men in Mr Ballmer's position, Mr Walsh received the following response (reproduced in full):
"Let's look into it"
The fact that it wasn't dismissed right off the bat should at least indicate that the people at Microsoft understand the uproar that this decision has caused among WHS's supporters. Whether the company will actually backtrack on its decision and include drive extender in the next version of Home Server, though, obviously remains to be seen.
Hopefully fans of WHS can rest assured that, even though the OS may not be especially high-profile - or even that profitable - the company may still be listening to the opinions of its loyal users. We'll be sure to post more details as this story develops.
