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An Open Source Coffee Machine

Posted by timothy on from the quite-entirely-unlike-tea dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Open Source Coffee Machine [video link] is a recycled coffee machine, controlled by a PC running Beremiz, and using some MicroMod CANopen I/O nodes from Peak-System. This machine have been prepared by Peak-System and Lolitech for SCS-Paris-08 exhibition. It served free coffee during four days at Peak-System's booth, and has been donated to IUT of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France, so that students can have fun practicing automation."

99 comments

  1. Gratis by rlp · · Score: 5, Funny

    Free as in coffee?

    --
    [Insert pithy quote here]
  2. Repruhsent the Coffee Drinkin Players by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tweeked out Clique

    You know how we do.

  3. Huh by illumastorm · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought a open source coffee maker would be running on Java

    1. Re:Huh by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, and imagine a beowulf cluster of those! I'd be up for months!

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    2. Re:Huh by Talderas · · Score: 1

      Did anyone else read the message and think "Open Source Coffin Machine"?

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    3. Re:Huh by zeromorph · · Score: 2, Informative

      I thought a open source coffee maker would be running on Java

      NetBSD, NetBSD - like your toaster...

      --
      "Hannibal's plans never work right. They just work." Amy/A-Team
    4. Re:Huh by cayenne8 · · Score: 0

      No..but, I did notice that those were awfully small cups of coffee...small cups that weren't even very full.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    5. Re:Huh by nospam007 · · Score: 3, Funny

      "No..but, I did notice that those were awfully small cups of coffee...small cups that weren't even very full."

      It's open source, you can change that.;-)

    6. Re:Huh by dubbreak · · Score: 2, Funny

      Imagine Natalie Portman on a beowulf cluster of those.

      She'd be naked, petrified and trembling!

      Now all they need to do is design an open source hot grits machine to compliment it.

      --
      "If you are going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill
  4. Redundant by philspear · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure "push button on Mr. Coffee" is open source already.

    1. Re:Redundant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It isn't even a "coffee machine" it is a drink dispenser. Leave it to the French to build something this complicated that really only takes on chip.

    2. Re:Redundant by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      It isn't even a "coffee machine" it is a drink dispenser. Leave it to the French to build something this complicated

      You've clearly never seen one of these.

      We got them in our office this year. When one broke down (after two days) they had two technicians in working on it for half a day until they just replaced it. When it was open, it had a ridiculous amount of stuff which looks more like it belongs inside of a computer than a coffee maker. It really is a ridiculously over-engineered thing, and it uses coffee in single-pack mylar bags with lots of plastic and other junk.

      Never underestimate how much complexity and cost people will put into the pursuit of coffee.

      Heck, go price a good quality espresso machine -- it'll set you back more than a big screen TV!!

      Cheers

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    3. Re:Redundant by interploy · · Score: 1

      Never underestimate how much complexity and cost people will put into the pursuit of coffee.

      Which I find very strange, since some of the best coffee comes out of one of the simplest devices, a coffee percolator. Or for you espresso lovers, the Moka Pot.

      There's some engineering axiom about this which I can't think of now, but it basically boils down to Occam's Razor: All things being equal, the simplest solution is usually the best.

    4. Re:Redundant by freemywrld · · Score: 1

      I believe you are looking for KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.

      --
      Support a true independent artist - Leila Lopez
    5. Re:Redundant by fugue · · Score: 1

      I like how the first five bullet points are about the styling.

      --
      "The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
    6. Re:Redundant by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      It really is a ridiculously over-engineered thing, and it uses coffee in single-pack mylar bags with lots of plastic and other junk.

      Those types of coffee machine are much more profitable than ones that take coffee beans and grind them because the supplies are single source.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    7. Re:Redundant by Meski · · Score: 1

      Automatic coffee machines produce quite bad coffee[1]. If you're prepared to do a bit of work getting grind/dose/tamp set up, you'll get a much better cup. Also, eschew any espresso maker that says it uses a thermoblock. Rancilio Silvia is a good machine.
      [1] they get temperature, shot size, dose grind and tamp wrong. And they are extremely hard to clean.

  5. LoLi by AkaKaryuu · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think editing the name of LoLiTech would be beneficial for such people who read that as "Loli-tech".

    I for one was extremely confused.

    1. Re:LoLi by oodaloop · · Score: 0

      I can haz free koffi?

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    2. Re:LoLi by Warll · · Score: 1, Informative

      Um, no thats lol-cat, loli, well thats differnt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolicon

    3. Re:LoLi by oodaloop · · Score: 5, Informative

      Thanks for the NSFW tag there. Much appreciated. Now when I'm asked why I was checking out that page on wikipedia, I'll have to explain what slashdot is, what an open source coffee maker is, what a lolcat is, and what icanhascheezburger.com is to justify why I went there on company time. Should be fun.

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    4. Re:LoLi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      demands at least one of the tags: dfc, deliciousloli, deliciousflatloli, lolihaetcoffee, freeasinloli

    5. Re:LoLi by jollyreaper · · Score: 4, Funny

      Thanks for the NSFW tag there. Much appreciated. Now when I'm asked why I was checking out that page on wikipedia, I'll have to explain what slashdot is, what an open source coffee maker is, what a lolcat is, and what icanhascheezburger.com is to justify why I went there on company time. Should be fun.

      Oodaloop's boss: I am interested in your newsletter concerning those topics and would like to learn more.

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    6. Re:LoLi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you saying that you only have to justify wasting company time by clicking on a NSFW link? What about the company time spent just reading and posting on slashdot? There's a less of a legal liability, but it's just as much wasted as looking at porn, isn't it?

    7. Re:LoLi by d3ac0n · · Score: 1

      What are you talking about?

      Nothing NSFW in that link. Unless Wikipedia has a rotating image in the upper right corner, all I saw was a bunch of kids in poofy "granny" undies. Looked like late 19th, early 20th century bathing suits. About as UNsexy as you can get. What in the world was NSFW about that?

      --
      Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
    8. Re:LoLi by idontgno · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oodaloop's boss's boss: This is relevant to my interests.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    9. Re:LoLi by MaWeiTao · · Score: 1

      What in the world was NSFW about that?

      You might not have a problem with it, but many others may. Especially in the overly-sensitive corporate world.

    10. Re:LoLi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dfc

      delicious free coffee?

    11. Re:LoLi by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      That's simple..

      A popup appeared and I clicked on it. Then I started clicking on everything I could see. That's what you are supposed to do right? Click on everything?

      Oh and what did it mean when It asked to install SmitFraud and Weatherbug?

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    12. Re:LoLi by Shikaku · · Score: 1

      Boss may think you are now a pedo. Not safe for your life position more than anything.

    13. Re:LoLi by Ragzouken · · Score: 1

      You're trying to browse the internet without seeing something that might offend someone? You must be new here.

    14. Re:LoLi by d3ac0n · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Well, I took the safe bet and browsed the article using an encrypted Tor connection.

      Boss ain't gonna know JACK about that article.

      --
      Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
    15. Re:LoLi by i7dude · · Score: 1

      why would you click on a link you know nothing about at work? doubly so when you know your workplace monitors your internet usage?

      making the excuse that you "assumed" the link was safe because they didn't explicitly say NSFW is also incorrect so please do not include that in your answer.

      dude.

    16. Re:LoLi by ion.simon.c · · Score: 1

      *snerk*

      This is the best thing that I've read all day! Thanks for the laughs!

    17. Re:LoLi by jack2000 · · Score: 1

      Coffee and some Delicious cake? Sure sign me up.

    18. Re:LoLi by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Well if you get fired, at least you'll have more time to spend on /b/

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    19. Re:LoLi by oodaloop · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't get very far on the internet if I only clicked on links marked SFW, would I? Pretty much rules out every link on every page I would ever go to.

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    20. Re:LoLi by i7dude · · Score: 1

      ok. that didn't address my question. i'll try again posing it in a different way.

      1. you know that your employer monitors your internet usage.
      2. you saw a link on slashdot; wanted to click on said link but were not sure of its contents.
      3. you chose to click on the link anyway.
      4. the contents of the page were questionable in your eyes.
      5. you posted on slashdot sarcastically thanking the parent (ie. bitching) that you'd have to answer to your employer as to the contents of the link in question.

      given these events. why is it the fault of somebody else that you will have to answer for your actions?

      dude.

  6. Firewalled by mcgrew · · Score: 1

    I'm at work and can't access the site, and TFA is mighty short on details. Coffee makers are pretty generic for the most part, and have been around long enough that any patents on their tech would have long ago run out.

    And coffee makers are decidedly low tech, even moreso than the old fashioned percolators that you can brew coffee on a stovetop or camp fire with. It's simply a heating element that heats the water which runs through the coffee.

    So would someone with access to the site please tell me what I'm missing? Thanks.

    --
    Free Martian Whores!
    1. Re:Firewalled by Aladrin · · Score: 1

      This isn't a coffee pot, it's a bit machine with a touch-screen LCD (with only 1 button on the screen, apparently) that has tubes and containers and fills a single cup half full at a time.

      What you're missing here is that this is just some geeky project that nobody cares about except the creators.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    2. Re:Firewalled by Hijacked+Public · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You are missing me trying to figure out what is open about it. I get Beremiz but the software on the Peak-System doesn't appear to be, at least not all of it. I think maybe the firmware for the IO modules is but I'm not positive.

      As for the machine itself, it is more along the lines of a commercial coffee vending machine. Touch a screeen to, I assume, pick the drink you want, and a PC, via IO boards, starts and stops the appropriate field devices to fill the cup.

      It would be nice to see some openness come to industrial level automation. Allen Bradley needs to be punished for charging people $200 for a null modem cable.

      --
      "Sacrifice for the good of The State" - The State
    3. Re:Firewalled by shivamib · · Score: 4, Funny

      So would someone with access to the site please tell me what I'm missing? Thanks.

      TFA is a video showing an attempt at building a Nutrimatic dispenser to produce a cup of coffea. Instead, it invariably produces a concotion that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike coffee.

      Not really my cup of tea.

    4. Re:Firewalled by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      What you're missing here is that this is just some geeky project that nobody cares about except the creators.

      Gee, geeks put ridiculous amount of technology into the problem of making a cup of coffee. Film at 11.

      I mean, when web cams first came out, people were putting them next to coffee machines to be able to know if there's a pot on.

      This isn't exactly a new phenomenon. :-P

      Cheers

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    5. Re:Firewalled by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Maybe if you took the time to explain how coffee is grown, how it is hand picked and roasted, etc. you would get the perfect cup of coffee from it.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    6. Re:Firewalled by johnjaydk · · Score: 1
      Easy there. A good deal of the fieldbuses in use these days are actually open standards. Especially the successful ones. Ethernet/IP and BACnet are good examples. I have participated in some of this standards work myself and You don't even need an invite! That's fairly open IMNSHO.

      I do find it puzzling why You would want a null modem cable for CANopen since it runs on EIA-485 (also know as RS-485).

      --
      TCAP-Abort
    7. Re:Firewalled by Hijacked+Public · · Score: 1

      Many of them are, I'll add Profibus, but Allen Bradley is very popular in the US and they are still selling a lot of proprietary IO.

      I don't want a null modem cable at the moment, but if it was 1998 and I wanted to connect my PC's serial port to a SLC5/03 I'd need a null modem cable, only Allen Bradley didn't call it a null modem cable they called it a 1747-CP3 and they wanted something like $200 for it.

      I recall carrying around pinout diagrams for half the cables in their catalog just in case I ever ran into something new.

      --
      "Sacrifice for the good of The State" - The State
    8. Re:Firewalled by Meski · · Score: 1

      Could be that the person wanted a shot of espresso. 25ml will look half full for must cups.

  7. Why? by Jabbrwokk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Really, why? It's simple. Open machine. Put in coffee and water. Flip switch. Wait. Enjoy. Why build a convoluted contraption to do something so simple? I know that's not the slashdot way, but c'mon. What's next? An open-source potato peeler that allows you root access to your root vegetables?

    1. Re:Why? by slashdotmsiriv · · Score: 1

      "why build a convoluted contraption to do something so simple?"

      Cause you can!

    2. Re:Why? by jpyeck · · Score: 2, Funny

      This is the Killer-App we've been waiting for to justify IPv6!

    3. Re:Why? by ChrisA90278 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's not the home type machine. This looks more like the vending machine that you see in a public place where you put in money and select the type of coffee. the machine dispences a paper cup and then makes one cup of coffee, trea, hot chocolate or whatver.

      The real purpose of the machine is to reach people how to write software that controls machines. it purposly uses some interface that are used on factory floors

      They could have used as a teaching device a machine that bends tubing to make automotive or aircraft parts but then you have to teach the students not only how to program but about tube bending machines. Coffee they already understand so you can get right into teaching programming.

    4. Re:Why? by nschubach · · Score: 1

      An open source potato peeler would be awesome if I could just pull some potatoes out of a bag and put them in a chute and forget about it. No sense getting your hands dirty peeling taters.

      Also, the coffee machine should be piped into the water system so all I need to do is add coffee. If I can somehow skip the shopping for coffee, putting it in the chute part and actually having to press a button, then I'd be even more pleased. I just want to wake up and drink my coffee. The same applies to cereal (or oatmeal), my glass of milk and the TV.

      Then again, I'm a geek because it feeds and supports my inner laziness.

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    5. Re:Why? by Hatta · · Score: 1

      An open source potato peeler would be awesome if I could just pull some potatoes out of a bag and put them in a chute and forget about it. No sense getting your hands dirty peeling taters.

      Why peel potatos? The peels are delicious, and that's where most of the vitamins are. Just pop out the eyes, chop, and cook.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    6. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed. This just looks like any coffee machine, but with its guts on the outside and probably custom "open" interfacing. Why do this? "Because I can" is not a good reason to build this, imho, because you know you can. It's just an interfacing exercise with little added value, imho.

    7. Re:Why? by nschubach · · Score: 1

      I never said anything about throwing them out. ;) In fact, I used to steal the peels out of my Mom's strainer when she would peel the potatoes for mashing.

      --
      Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
    8. Re:Why? by david+duncan+scott · · Score: 1

      Well, that, and Bender would have told them to "bite his shiny metal ass" and they wouldn't have learned much of anything.

      --

      This next song is very sad. Please clap along. -- Robin Zander

    9. Re:Why? by MadMidnightBomber · · Score: 1

      Look, along with porn, coffee machines have been driving our network tech for some time: Trojan Room Coffee Pot.

      --
      "It doesn't cost enough, and it makes too much sense."
    10. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My grandfather was Rube Goldberg you insensitive clod!

    11. Re:Why? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      that's where most of the vitamins are

      And pesticides. Potatoes are cleverly disguised (and delicious) junk food anyway (they turn to sugar in your stomach), no need to eat them for vitamins.

      Sweet potatoes, though. Those are good eats.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  8. Caffine-Related Tech by lobiusmoop · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Reminds me of the world's first webcam at Cambridge University.

    --
    "I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
  9. Is it BSD or GPL? by ducomputergeek · · Score: 1

    If GPL, I'm not sure they want the modified source my body expels after drinking...

    --
    "The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
  10. Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Open Source will take over the business Desktop..

  11. Well... by Timosch · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...does it support HTCPCP?

  12. That's one heck of a feedback loop... by gillbates · · Score: 3, Funny

    A machine which automatically makes coffee, which powers the programmers who write the code for a machine which automatically makes coffee...

    --
    The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
    1. Re:That's one heck of a feedback loop... by shivamib · · Score: 0

      A machine which automatically makes coffee, which powers the programmers who write the code for a machine which automatically makes coffee...

      Now, if only the programmer could automatically generate coffee for the machine... I'm sure it would involve cats and toasts.

    2. Re:That's one heck of a feedback loop... by Maajid · · Score: 1

      I can see someone finding a causal link to free energy in this.

  13. Not truly open source by sunderland56 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Cue the FSF complaining about the beans being proprietary in 3... 2... 1...

    1. Re:Not truly open source by mcgrew · · Score: 1

      Coffee beans aren't proprietary. Unless, of course, they've bben genetically engineered by Monsanto. AFAIK all coffee beans are free (as in speech).

      --
      Free Martian Whores!
  14. Magic Steps by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

    1) Make Automatic Coffee Maker
    2) Push Button
    3) Drink Coffee
    4) ????
    5) HYPER!!!!!!

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  15. Can it run on HTCPCP/1.0? by sexybomber · · Score: 1

    In other words, the Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol?

    1. Re:Can it run on HTCPCP/1.0? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. But for some reason it intermittently throws "ERROR: 418 I'm a teapot."

    2. Re:Can it run on HTCPCP/1.0? by rickb928 · · Score: 1

      "RFC 2324 HTCPCP/1.0 1 April 1998

            Putting coffee grounds into Internet plumbing may result in clogged
            plumbing, which would entail the services of an Internet Plumber
            [PLUMB], who would, in turn, require an Internet Plumber's Helper."

      I KNEW it! The Internet Is a bunch of tubes! He was right!

      OMG! WFT! The bastards!

      --
      deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
  16. Recycled coffee by drgould · · Score: 1

    Yum.

    1. Re:Recycled coffee by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Best space station technology can produce....

  17. Will it be compliant to the rfc? by bigredradio · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol (HTCPCP/1.0)
    http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2324.txt

    --
    Flexible bare-metal recovery for Linux/UNIX
    1. Re:Will it be compliant to the rfc? by Verdatum · · Score: 3, Informative

      Wow, I haven't read this thing in ages, but this protocol is HORRIBLY restrictive. No thought was given to extensibility at all. The coffee pot should really respond to an incoming request responding with a freeform list of supported modifiers, so the client can have processing to resolve compatibility issues. No worry about being restricted a mere 4 types of alcohol or any such silliness. IETF usually comes up with better designed protocols than this...I guess they didn't have enough coffee or something.

    2. Re:Will it be compliant to the rfc? by Shikaku · · Score: 1

      Woooooooooooooooooooooooooosh

      That's the sound of a freight train of a joke.

  18. RFC 2324 by russlar · · Score: 1

    RFC 2324 dealt with just this sort of thing.

    --
    Anybody want my mod points?
  19. For Some Reason... by jlf278 · · Score: 2, Funny

    my mod for brewing better hot coffee has already been downloaded over 1 million times

  20. Recycled coffee? by operagost · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Recycled coffee?" Where I come from, that's called "pee pee."

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  21. Oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lolitech != Logitech, my bad.

  22. You missed the point by luca · · Score: 1

    This isn't about coffee.
    It's about industrial automation, specifically replacing PLCs (programmable logic controllers), programmed with horrible languages (think assembler but more cumbersome and interpreted), with PCs running an open source version of those same horrible languages.
    Since, among other things, I program PLCs for a living, I'd love replacing them altogether with PC based controls (the customers don't usually want to, due to the perceived reliability of PLCs), though I don't see the point of using the same shitty languages.
    Heck, 20 years ago I programmed machines in pascal, and it was a lot more convenient (think maintainability and code reuse) than lad/cfs/stl.

  23. Translucent? by Midnight+Thunder · · Score: 1

    Seeing this makes me want a coffee machine which has translucent or transparent sides so that you can see what it is doing inside. That would be a step closer to the Geek's dream coffee maker.

    --
    Jumpstart the tartan drive.
  24. Coffee??? TEA!! by coolate · · Score: 1

    Forget an open source coffee maker, I want an open source tea maker!!

  25. Maybe not proprietary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We have the source for water. That is no problem. The beans though, while not proprietary are more like a poorly documented perl script all written on one line. Would be tough to recreate them in the lab from freely available molecules.

  26. Nutri-Matic anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just don't ask it to make tea.

  27. What about Open Standards? by Bazman · · Score: 1

    Does it use the ESE Open Standard Coffee Pods though?

    http://www.1stincoffee.com/illy-pods.htm

  28. ho hum by MooseTick · · Score: 1

    Call me when they open source a milkshake machine.

    --
    Ninjas don't carry tic tacs
  29. Coffee HOWTO @ tldp.org by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Open source and coffee making have been around for years...just check out the HOWTO over at the Linux Documentation Project:

    http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Coffee.html

  30. Beremiz by edbob · · Score: 1

    I have been looking for something like Beremiz for some time. I work with PLC's and vendor lock-in is a huge problem (IMO much greater than Windows on the PC). Although a standard (IEC 61131) exists, each vendor has its own extensions and interpretations that make it impossible to port code between products. My hat's off to these guys!

    1. Re:Beremiz by ahfoo · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I was impressed as well. I don't work in PLC, but I sure hope to design some low cost and open automated hardware at some point. I do hang out in some related forums.

      For anybody interested in learning more about programmable logic controllers you might want to try

      http://www.control.com/

      Which looks like it uses an older version of Slashcode.

      or

      http://www.plctalk.net/

      There is also a nice intro tutorial on ladder logic and PLCs in general under the "PLC Basics" sidebar at

      http://www.plcdev.com/

      So while I've got no hands-on experience, I've lurked around those sites for a few years and I have to echo what EdBob is saying. PLCs are hurtin for some open solutions and this project looks awesome because it integrates CAN Bus as well and that's going in widespread in the automotive sector which means economies of scale.

      Very interesting story indeed. Glad I got away from Reddit for a minute to check on ol' Slashdot.

  31. What I Want to Know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... is can I finally use Emacs for making coffee?

  32. It ONLY makes coffee? by JakartaDean · · Score: 1
    Check out the Pomegranate, which can also be used as a cell phone.

    I can't wait to get me one of those.

    --
    The subject who is truly loyal to the Chief Magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures (Junius)
  33. I've seen this before... by acb · · Score: 1

    This looks like a modern version of the Commocoffee 64.

  34. Open Source Java! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See, all of those years of whining, we now all get an open source Java!

  35. Taking technology serious by jandersen · · Score: 1

    A computerised coffeemaker? I know there is a trend to put computers into everything from toilet paper to toothpaste, but just how far will it be pushed before somebody spots the utter idiocy of it?

    I suppose it is harmless enough as such, but I can't help thinking that we should try taking the whole issue of technology and what we use it for just a little bit more serious. Then again, this kind of thing will probably die out in todays economical conditions, leaving the world slightly better.

    I am not attacking the idea that somebody takes an existing gadget with a computer in it and gets it to run Linux - playing is a healthy thing and the best way to learn. It is the use of technology to solve non-existing problems and making complicated gadgets to perform trivial tasks; what could possibly be the purpose of it? Other than the entirely unworthy one of making people feel helpless in the face of simple, everyday tasks, such as cooking food or turning on your windscreen wipers (now, apparently, some cars detect the rain for you so you don't have to move your finger and flip a switch). It is the kind of thing that doesn't do the least bit to help people's lives, but which means that people will feel compelled to buy ready-made meals or little capsules of crappy coffee for their coffee maker at massively greater expense. Just another way of cheating you out of your hard earned cash.