Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?

A 24-page illustrated children’s book written by Tom O’Connor, illustrated by Jill Dubin, and produced by Microsoft and HP in 2007 to market Windows Home Server.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “explains an entire industry” thread. Whether the reply was sincere or deadpan, it is a real artifact — a picture book commissioned to explain home servers to families, and a compact specimen of how the industry marketed itself in 2007.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @WillManidis asking “what is the single best book you can read that will explain an entire industry?” (June 2, 2025). The full recovered list lives on what is the single best book… (tweet).

Filed without the trailing question mark in the filename, since a ? is awkward in a path. The full punctuated title is the first alias.

Connections

• what is the single best book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Microsoft — the publisher; the book was a Windows Home Server promotion.