Contest For a Better Open-WRT Wireless Router GUI

Reader RoundSparrow sends word of a contest, with big cash prizes, being mounted by a commercial vender of open source Open-WRT routers. You have 10 months to come up with "the most impressive User Interface/Firmware for Ubiquiti's newly released open-source embedded wireless platform, the RouterStation." Entries are required to have open source licensing and will all be released. First prize is $160,000, with four runners-up receiving $10,000. RoundSparrow adds: "Could be built on top of existing X-WRT or LuCI OpenWRT web interfaces. OpenWRT Kamikaze 8.09 was just released. Now is perfect timing for OpenWRT to get some kick-ass interface and usability ideas. I'm not affiliated with the contest vendor."

Comments

Re:X-WRT?

[pz]

What's wrong with X-WRT?

OpenWRT is something you set up, then forget. It doesn't need "themes" or "skins", or 3d effects. This is not "pimp my router".

Regrettably, it sounds like the contest is, exactly, Pimp My Route. And, as you point out, that sort of endeavor is a waste of time. I have spent perhaps a total of 10 minutes, cumulatively, with a router interface of one form or another. None was so horrible that it had me cursing or pulling my hair in frustration. Bang, set up, done. Polishing usability for something that is rarely used and for which a decent interface already exists? Utter waste of time.

My laboratory is working on treatments for blindness to restore vision. I could put that $200,000 to good use (and with a tax deduction for the company, too, since I work for a university hospital). And the CPU-months that will be spent? SETI@home, or any other distributed cpu-intensive project could use the cycles.