Me thinks you have a bit of a way to go yet! I attempted my search for Linux Home Automation and it failed to bring up a site in England (Fortune City). I kept the search to just central & eastern Europe. It only brought up 1 site about Linux (there are quite a few more sites than that in Europe).
I've always had trouble with search engines. I've registered my pages with various services and basically it hasn't helped. Most people find my pages though my sigs. Or off other similar pages which have links to my page.
I did a search on Northerlights and it didn't find my pages but did find pages wih links to my page. I also used the power search but that failed also.
I probably shouldn't be too upset as I get about 1000 hits per month. Since it is a specilaized page I don't think I'll get any more hits. But it does tick me off that if I want poeple to find my page I have to pay for it. I thought a search engines reputation was supposed to garner it more attention and therefor more advertisement dollars. Now to increase their rep's I have to pay them. -- Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only) http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
The code you mention was written by Dan Lanciani. And though I agree that the code looks ugly it does work. The comments most likely are mine. A couple of weeks ago I had taken the entire package and broken down the files so that it didn't compile as one file. Unfortunately I lost the drive and didn't have a backup of my work. So far I've been too lazy to make any more changes. The reason I prefer it to the other software is that it allows me to telnet to it from another box. None of the others have such an interface. I would prefer if the commands made more sense and the command response were less terse (or at least explained).
Oops rounding error:-), Sorry but I have no idea what year it is. I started using X10 with my 3B1 (AT&T Unix). The first Linux I had was.9x kernel in 1993. Sorry about that I was concentrating more on the HA stuff.
The Firecracker is not the same as the CM11A they are 2 different devices. I hope to have the Firecracker protocol on line within the week (and give credit to it's proper author, which is not me).--
I think what you meant was that each type of X10 controller has different software to control it. The CM11A has x10d, heyu, Mr. House and a few others, the Cp290 has software and the Firecracker has Bottle rocket. There are a few other controllers but they tend to need other hardware to use properly.
Note: I don't make a cent off any of the products mentioned here and this is not an ad for any of the companies. I'm just attempting to add info to the discussion.
If you want software and information about Linux Home Automation (HA) please check out my pages http://members.home.net/ncherry or http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52. The software, documentation and link are just a collection of the stuff I've found over the years. It should work with other flavors of unix. I have some other links to HA pages. If you find any interesting Unix/Linux HA projects, software, or documentation please email with the info and I'll add it to the pages.
I've noticed quite a few errant statements about Linux HA and X10. First the X10 technology has been around since the early 70's (which explains it's weird protocol). X10 is a lot like running a Unix operating system (if you just want to sit back and not know much about it I wouldn't recommend it). X10's customer support is weak and their documentation is poor. For the best source of info on HA (and X10 in particular) check out comp.home.automation. Now that I've said all these bad things about X10 I'll add that I use it and I can make it work pretty well. Mine runs correctly 99% of the time and last 1% is probably my fault. This doesn't include when I'm playing with software (which may tend to crash the system from time to time when you're experimenting with new coding ideas).
I've been using X10 with Linux for over 10 years and I have it working pretty well. The only thing that we're really missing is a good GUI to make the software collections easier to use. I currently have 5 devices under X10 control at all times (and at Christmas time I have a lot more). The reason for so few is that I'm working on the rest of the house and I haven't a need for more just yet. I have quite a few more devices I'll begin controlling when the time is appropriate. X10 is not the key technology in HA. But it is useful and when used with other technologies can be very nice. Steve Ciarcia (editor of Circuit Cellar Ink and a great many Byte magazine articles) has a fully automated home (he uses a custom controller which can be purchased ( HCS II).
I hope this is enough to whet some peoples appetite for the HA field.
First a little history: I've been in computers (hardware and software) since '78 but that doesn't make me an expert.
1) Give us an evironment where we are allow to think. Don't distract us with time sheets (on a daily basis) and micro-management. Many of us wouldn't be able to put in less than 40 if we tried. And those that do will have their end customer notifying management shortly. And if we work more hours reimburse us for our time (so I guess time sheets are need).
2) Don't decide which tools we have to use. Power Point may be good for marketing but is next to useless for engineering diagrams. If you need to limit the tools because of support issues then ask us for our preferences.
3) Acknowledge our good deeds, let us know about our bad ones. We can't fix something if we don't know it's broken and Marketing didn't fix the technical problems by esculating (and annoying us) so stop giving them our credit!
4) When we are working on a problem keep out of our hair. Hourly conference calls only slow us down and keep us from fixing the problems. Also it annoys us to no end to sit for 55 minutes so we can be rushed in giving our presentation in 5 minutes!
5) When a technical person gives a solution don't allow management types to circumvent it with a political solution. It will not fix technical problems.
6) Keep the politics out of our hair, it is a distraction we don't need.
7) Pay us fairly and give us incentive plans. It's nice that Marketing and Sales have incentive plans but they were not able to make the sale without our help. Also if we see a job were we have the same conditions but we're payed more we will leave (we are not stupid!).
8) Keep our work interesting, we recognize dead ends and we'll leave even if you pay us more.
9) Support us with managers who understand us and do not resent us.
10) Group us together with other techies (of like work). We often need to bounce ideas off other techies to verify that we are on the right track. Breaking up the hardware engineers to work directly with the software engineers (or vice versa) may sound like a good idea but makes it difficult to perform sound board discussions. Or worse don't put the engineers with marketing. 'Suits' (Marketing/Sales) make us nervous!
11) Give us the tools and training we need to keep current. Then allow us to use both. I've seen enough companies train their people only to have them leave when they box them into the same job. We need avenues of advancement just like management but don't expect us to become management.
A friend of mine used to work for a US 3 letter acronym. He explained to me several stories that would point toward this having gone on for a great number of years. Here are excerpts from 2 of his stories. The first was about a weird hitech geek who took several 6502 processors and managed to build a voice to text translator. It worked on a single line and would translate the conversation into text (this was about 1978). Another story was about a tech who used to use radio tools to isolate phone conversation from a nearby PBX (the equipment was in a truck on the street). The tech would then instruct the PBX tech's on where to solder a specific value cap (down to the specific IC and board in the PBX).
I realize this is all third hand but the additional details did give the stories an air of creedance (I have forgotten many of the additional details so I won't attempt to guess at what they were). The only thing we can hope for is that there is so much info that the surveillance agencies are on overload.
When I see people who get into lifestyles that glorify nihilism, death, destruction, violence, just what is the cultural value?
Uhmm isn't that sometimes called war (or football:-)? Also reminds me of the other students with such little minds that they had to gang up on a single small individual to prove that they were tough (animal pack mentality).
Now I know what you are talking about and in a society packed onto a small planet (such as ours) you will always have such extremes. And making repairs to that way of thinking is necessary but the "geek" label has suddenly been swung around from the small, weak, coke bottle glass wearing, book worm to gun toting, suicidal, power mad dweeb. I've gone from being something that was loathed (why? because I am smart) to someone that must be corrected and brought into conformity before I wipe out society.
What is beginning to bother me most is that I no longer have the right to decide what fits my life best. I'm told that I'm different because I don't watch television enough. I'm told I'm different because I don't drive my care enough. I'm told I'm different because I didn't spend enough money on my car. I'm told I'm different because I ride my bicycle too much. Well I've come to realize that I am different and I no longer care what others really think about me, I only care what I think about me (how I project myself to others). And if you take it to an extreme how far is it before conformity requires blond hair, blue eyes and fair skin?
I don't sympathize with the 2 killers but do sympathize with their victims and all the people who are being label as dangerous without proof (wear a trench coat and you're going need councling) hey maybe we should outlaw trench coats as deadly weapons! (Sorry media frenzy and stupidity brings out the sarcasm in me).
BTW: Since I've grown up (37 year old "computer enthusiast" (we used to be hackers but that's another thread...)) and I now exercise, manage my finances, I'm married, well educated and happier. I still do not understand why we (there are others like me) had to endure the hardships to get here. I won't hurt anyone, life is to short "smoke 'm if you've got 'm".
There are a few of us working on just that. BTW the LIRC can be found on my homepage but it may not be the most up to date code. I better add a link to the LIRC project. My page is a place to collect software and links related to Linux HA. I am also writting some software but I mostly modify others software (see my page ref's below).
I really think that this something the Linux HA really needs. Of course this can be useful in other areas also. I plan to purchase it as soon as possible and see if I can intergrate it into the stuff I'm working on. But I won't forget that other people may not have it so my code won't depend on it.
Hey the buck stop somewhere and Bils at the top. But do remember that he chooses which direction the company takes and who stays and who goes. If he doesn't like the person pointing them in that direction he boots them out so the company can go in another direction. He may not be a monster but he is trying to be a Robber Baron.
Melisa, ha! What til the post Y2K hype hits!
on
The Melissa Syndrome
·
· Score: 1
I agree that the media has made this a much bigger problem than it should have been (Networks Crash, computers died, oh the tragedy!). But if a lot of little indistries fail the real Y2K test I think the media will jump all over it. Heck if nothing even goes wrong they'll dig out the smallest of problems so they can scoop everyone else. The media is worse than a million clueless nubie's! At least the nubies get the idea sooner or later. I mean the WSJ made a statement to the effect that Linux doesn't even support SMP! An it is supposed to be a top notch paper. What a sham! I'm begining to think the news that they want us to hear is what they're feeding us. (did I just say that!)
You can anounce to potential employers that you are a hacker but you have to be careful about it. When I was hired it was a well known fact that I am hacker (not elite) and I made it well known that I am a white hat (you gotta stress that). Unfortunately the security culture where I work is down on hackers and wants any employee who knows a hacker to report their activities to security. This keeps me on my toes but angers me in that I could be fired for just doing my job!
Slashdot Mirror
Me thinks you have a bit of a way to go yet! I attempted my search for Linux Home Automation and it failed to bring up a site in England (Fortune City). I kept the search to just central & eastern Europe. It only brought up 1 site about Linux (there are quite a few more sites than that in Europe).
--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
I've always had trouble with search engines. I've registered my pages with various services and basically it hasn't helped. Most people find my pages though my sigs. Or off other similar pages which have links to my page.
I did a search on Northerlights and it didn't find my pages but did find pages wih links to my page. I also used the power search but that failed also.
I probably shouldn't be too upset as I get about 1000 hits per month. Since it is a specilaized page I don't think I'll get any more hits. But it does tick me off that if I want poeple to find my page I have to pay for it. I thought a search engines reputation was supposed to garner it more attention and therefor more advertisement dollars. Now to increase their rep's I have to pay them.
--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
The code you mention was written by Dan Lanciani. And though I agree that the code looks ugly it does work. The comments most likely are mine. A couple of weeks ago I had taken the entire package and broken down the files so that it didn't compile as one file. Unfortunately I lost the drive and didn't have a backup of my work. So far I've been too lazy to make any more changes. The reason I prefer it to the other software is that it allows me to telnet to it from another box. None of the others have such an interface. I would prefer if the commands made more sense and the command response were less terse (or at least explained).
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
check out my pages, I collect software and their links for HA.
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
Oops rounding error :-), Sorry but I have no idea what year it is. I started using X10 with my 3B1 (AT&T Unix). The first Linux I had was .9x kernel in 1993. Sorry about that I was concentrating more on the HA stuff.
--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
The Firecracker is not the same as the CM11A they are 2 different devices. I hope to have the Firecracker protocol on line within the week (and give credit to it's proper author, which is not me).--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics GB)
I think what you meant was that each type of X10 controller has different software to control it. The CM11A has x10d, heyu, Mr. House and a few others, the Cp290 has software and the Firecracker has Bottle rocket. There are a few other controllers but they tend to need other hardware to use properly.
--
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry - ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics)
If you want software and information about Linux Home Automation (HA) please check out my pages http://members.home.net/ncherry or http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52. The software, documentation and link are just a collection of the stuff I've found over the years. It should work with other flavors of unix. I have some other links to HA pages. If you find any interesting Unix/Linux HA projects, software, or documentation please email with the info and I'll add it to the pages.
I've noticed quite a few errant statements about Linux HA and X10. First the X10 technology has been around since the early 70's (which explains it's weird protocol). X10 is a lot like running a Unix operating system (if you just want to sit back and not know much about it I wouldn't recommend it). X10's customer support is weak and their documentation is poor. For the best source of info on HA (and X10 in particular) check out comp.home.automation. Now that I've said all these bad things about X10 I'll add that I use it and I can make it work pretty well. Mine runs correctly 99% of the time and last 1% is probably my fault. This doesn't include when I'm playing with software (which may tend to crash the system from time to time when you're experimenting with new coding ideas).
I've been using X10 with Linux for over 10 years and I have it working pretty well. The only thing that we're really missing is a good GUI to make the software collections easier to use. I currently have 5 devices under X10 control at all times (and at Christmas time I have a lot more). The reason for so few is that I'm working on the rest of the house and I haven't a need for more just yet. I have quite a few more devices I'll begin controlling when the time is appropriate. X10 is not the key technology in HA. But it is useful and when used with other technologies can be very nice. Steve Ciarcia (editor of Circuit Cellar Ink and a great many Byte magazine articles) has a fully automated home (he uses a custom controller which can be purchased ( HCS II).
I hope this is enough to whet some peoples appetite for the HA field.
--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics GB)
First a little history: I've been in computers (hardware and software) since '78 but that doesn't make me an expert.
1) Give us an evironment where we are allow to think. Don't distract us with time sheets (on a daily basis) and micro-management. Many of us wouldn't be able to put in less than 40 if we tried. And those that do will have their end customer notifying management shortly. And if we work more hours reimburse us for our time (so I guess time sheets are need).
2) Don't decide which tools we have to use. Power Point may be good for marketing but is next to useless for engineering diagrams. If you need to limit the tools because of support issues then ask us for our preferences.
3) Acknowledge our good deeds, let us know about our bad ones. We can't fix something if we don't know it's broken and Marketing didn't fix the technical problems by esculating (and annoying us) so stop giving them our credit!
4) When we are working on a problem keep out of our hair. Hourly conference calls only slow us down and keep us from fixing the problems. Also it annoys us to no end to sit for 55 minutes so we can be rushed in giving our presentation in 5 minutes!
5) When a technical person gives a solution don't allow management types to circumvent it with a political solution. It will not fix technical problems.
6) Keep the politics out of our hair, it is a distraction we don't need.
7) Pay us fairly and give us incentive plans. It's nice that Marketing and Sales have incentive plans but they were not able to make the sale without our help. Also if we see a job were we have the same conditions but we're payed more we will leave (we are not stupid!).
8) Keep our work interesting, we recognize dead ends and we'll leave even if you pay us more.
9) Support us with managers who understand us and do not resent us.
10) Group us together with other techies (of like work). We often need to bounce ideas off other techies to verify that we are on the right track. Breaking up the hardware engineers to work directly with the software engineers (or vice versa) may sound like a good idea but makes it difficult to perform sound board discussions. Or worse don't put the engineers with marketing. 'Suits' (Marketing/Sales) make us nervous!
11) Give us the tools and training we need to keep current. Then allow us to use both. I've seen enough companies train their people only to have them leave when they box them into the same job. We need avenues of advancement just like management but don't expect us to become management.
I know many geek who have passed up "higher pay" for more interesting work. It's not all about money. BUT we are not willing to work for free either.
I realize this is all third hand but the additional details did give the stories an air of creedance (I have forgotten many of the additional details so I won't attempt to guess at what they were). The only thing we can hope for is that there is so much info that the surveillance agencies are on overload.
When I see people who get into lifestyles that glorify nihilism, death, destruction, violence, just what is the cultural value?
Uhmm isn't that sometimes called war (or football :-)? Also reminds me of the other students with such little minds that they had to gang up on a single small individual to prove that they were tough (animal pack mentality).
Now I know what you are talking about and in a society packed onto a small planet (such as ours) you will always have such extremes. And making repairs to that way of thinking is necessary but the "geek" label has suddenly been swung around from the small, weak, coke bottle glass wearing, book worm to gun toting, suicidal, power mad dweeb. I've gone from being something that was loathed (why? because I am smart) to someone that must be corrected and brought into conformity before I wipe out society.
What is beginning to bother me most is that I no longer have the right to decide what fits my life best. I'm told that I'm different because I don't watch television enough. I'm told I'm different because I don't drive my care enough. I'm told I'm different because I didn't spend enough money on my car. I'm told I'm different because I ride my bicycle too much. Well I've come to realize that I am different and I no longer care what others really think about me, I only care what I think about me (how I project myself to others). And if you take it to an extreme how far is it before conformity requires blond hair, blue eyes and fair skin?
I don't sympathize with the 2 killers but do sympathize with their victims and all the people who are being label as dangerous without proof (wear a trench coat and you're going need councling) hey maybe we should outlaw trench coats as deadly weapons! (Sorry media frenzy and stupidity brings out the sarcasm in me).
BTW: Since I've grown up (37 year old "computer enthusiast" (we used to be hackers but that's another thread...)) and I now exercise, manage my finances, I'm married, well educated and happier. I still do not understand why we (there are others like me) had to endure the hardships to get here. I won't hurt anyone, life is to short "smoke 'm if you've got 'm".
Hey not a problem, I'm just the librarian but one day I hope to have some of my programs posted on my pages too!
There are a few of us working on just that. BTW the LIRC can be found on my homepage but it may not be the most up to date code. I better add a link to the LIRC project. My page is a place to collect software and links related to Linux HA. I am also writting some software but I mostly modify others software (see my page ref's below).
I really think that this something the Linux HA really needs. Of course this can be useful in other areas also. I plan to purchase it as soon as possible and see if I can intergrate it into the stuff I'm working on. But I won't forget that other people may not have it so my code won't depend on it.
Linux Home Automation - Neil Cherry ncherry@home.net
http://members.home.net/ncherry (Text only)
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/lig htsey/52 (Graphics GB)
Hey the buck stop somewhere and Bils at the top. But do remember that he chooses which direction the company takes and who stays and who goes. If he doesn't like the person pointing them in that direction he boots them out so the company can go in another direction. He may not be a monster but he is trying to be a Robber Baron.
I agree that the media has made this a much bigger problem than it should have been (Networks Crash, computers died, oh the tragedy!). But if a lot of little indistries fail the real Y2K test I think the media will jump all over it. Heck if nothing even goes wrong they'll dig out the smallest of problems so they can scoop everyone else. The media is worse than a million clueless nubie's! At least the nubies get the idea sooner or later. I mean the WSJ made a statement to the effect that Linux doesn't even support SMP! An it is supposed to be a top notch paper. What a sham! I'm begining to think the news that they want us to hear is what they're feeding us. (did I just say that!)
You can anounce to potential employers that you are a hacker but you have to be careful about it. When I was hired it was a well known fact that I am hacker (not elite) and I made it well known that I am a white hat (you gotta stress that). Unfortunately the security culture where I work is down on hackers and wants any employee who knows a hacker to report their activities to security. This keeps me on my toes but angers me in that I could be fired for just doing my job!