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Linux is an Obvious Choice for Automating the Beer-Brewing Process (Video)
Linus Torvalds, Jon 'maddog' Hall, and many other names closely associated with Linux are also closely associated with beer. (Ed. note: I have personally watched them associate with beer, and may have even joined them.) It comes as no surprise, therefore, when Linux advocate and LinuxAutomation.org founder Kurt Forsberg talks about using Linux to control his beer brewing. Kurt is a strong believer in Linux Automation who talks about home thermostats, sprinklers, and many other application, "anything you can automate..." but, he adds, "we spend all our time brewing beer so we haven't explored many of those yet." He says this with a big smile, of course. And if you want to keep up with Linux Automation on Faceboook, go ahead; like everyone + dog they have a Facebook page.
You're right. It's not necessary. But some people may find it enjoyable.
A fine steak is not necessary. Neither is spending a day at the beach. Catching up with old friends isn't necessary. More than 15 horsepower isn't necessary. Almost nothing is necessary. Some of them are downright dangerous. But we do them anyway, because it's what makes us human. I feel sorry for you not because you don't drink alcohol, but because your justification for it.
The traditional Unix approach to computing, having a lot of small programs that do simple thing, combined with "Everything as a file" makes these systems very good at automating stuff. While systems like VMS or Windows was designed to run larger programs, and access libraries.
This makes Linux/Unix very good at automation, as it makes it easy to combine a lot of simple steps and get them scheduled and run in order without having to do a lot of extra programming. To automate using other OS's it usually means you will need to write a program to do the work.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
You know what else is useless....your post.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
Does it matter? If it takes less time to hammer out "a series of batch scripts" that work, then Linux is the right choice. What would he get out of buying an arduino and learning wiring when he has a working solution today? And how are you going to provide a web interface and GUI with an arduino?
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