OpenSource house control system invitation.

Hi All of you,

I have been buying several different house control systems that all have had some kind of problems or not enough possibilities to customize to own needs. They are closed systems that can not be changed if a bug is found. Some of the developers do not give any support at all.

Therefore I started a group to develop an OpenSource house controller, under the GNU license, containing the following parts:

1. Tint windows.
2. Sliding doors with lock.
3. Swinging doors with lock.
4. Lights on and off.
5. Access control.
6. Maybe other control possibilities to turn on fountains or other elements.

If you are interested in being part of this development team, then please join the group "OpenSource House Control".

Remember that the source code will always stay open.

Sincerely

Aemilia Firanelli.

Sounds interesting My suggestion you should provide an API so that it will be possible to add new functionalities, like new buttons - for that fountain switch ! And an open communication protocoll would be good. That way it would be possible for content creators to add their stuff, without necessarily put their own scripts under the GNU license! That way I think it would be easier to get them to support your system!

This project would be great, but maintaining it and keeping it going is probably going to be more trouble than it's worth. I agree with the concept of providing feature-rich tools and allowing the builders to decide for themselves what they want to include in their project and how they want their objects to look. I design all of my products this way, so that builders have ultimate control. Prefab controls and objects stifle a builder's creativity.

Ok, but taken another way the project would probably take care of the needs of 90% or more of builders. How many different ways are there to tint a window? It's not a problem worth solving over and over again. Might as well do it once and use it over and over, and if you do happen to run into that special case, fine, write your own to handle it. Have a handy source for all these trivial little effect details and you'll free up more time to do the more interesting stuff.

Here are some goals that I think are important:

- documented communications protocols, so that compatible products can easily be added
- as close to "plug and play" capability for adding controlled subsystems to the control panel
- ability to easily configure regions, such as floors on a house, or apartments in a building. Ideally there would be global control as well as regional
- control system design shouldn't have built-in preconceptions about categories of controls or the specific controls for the category. This information should come from the controlled subsystems.

I'll probably join the group. Good luck with your initiative.

The need for a product like this exists, yes, but I think open source is the wrong way to go. You have to consider the amount of work it would take to have a working product and to keep everyone on the same page. Also, most script writers, like myself, like to be compensated for their efforts. Supporting an open source product like this would be a nightmare and someone would always be introducing something into the mix. Quality control would be non-existent and you really need that with SL scripts. I would rather support my own products and have control over what does and doesn't get into them. Not only do I get compensated for my hard work, I develop a support relationship with my customers and improve my products.

I have a product on the market right now that follows the same lines as your idea (giving the builder control) but with lighting. I've had the outline you described on my to-do list for some time, just haven't gotten to it yet. Maybe I'll tackle that next.

Yes, there's a need for a product like this, but I can't see it ever coming together as open source.

Not as easy as you may think, yes the individual parts are- a system not so easy. Can feel your frustration but you being an "architect" I see your goal clearly, also think it's quite clever to have people work up a system for you.

200% agreed with Yingzi. It's not like i don't support open source (which we have a few in our product line atm), the major attraction in SL is to make item and sell. Turning L$ into real money. Imo, open source should be considered as library, function module etc. adding onto your creations. Thanks to the solutions of the hardworking maths behind the scene, we are then able to take a further step into UI and customer service.

One could simply make all scripts mod and eventually those would become open source in no time. Despite those business-in-a-box people would have their thumbs up, this purely kills the "nature" of SL. Like many existing systems, we do as well have a product that meets the exact requirements with window, door and lighting control. We could start having all scripts posted here to begin, but we won't ...

On the other hand, i do admire people who are kind enough to provide diligent open source as well as continue to improve and offer update in a non-profit manner . If to commencing an open source project, the initiatives should provide starter kit scripts - or else if you want something, you need to pay for it.

One could never please all and people never get enough.

come on guys you can post as many free scripts on here as you like and you may lose 0.01% of sales combined, people want to buy the product with the system built into it, not buy the system and try and set it up for themselves.

the people who would truly benefit from this are the builders themselves, talk about being tight-fisted and short-sighted, bleh!

I believe there are already numerous control products on the market. The problem with every one of them is their look can't be changed and their functionality is limited. How many builds have you seen that use NDE doors? Chances are you've seen your fair share. And why is it? 1) The doors are easy to use. 2) They work. What's the one flaw with the NDE doors and most of the control products on the market? Prefab look, prefab objects. What builder wants their control objects to look like their competitor? What builder wants their doors to have the same tell-tale door sound as everyone else? Right now there's really not much choice, only what people want to sell you, which is mostly prefab limited functionality product. Welcome to the free market of SL. lol Builders want tools that feed their creativity, not stifle it.

I post all of my scripts to the forum to help others learn. I sell absolutely nothing anymore so can not be accused of being prejudiced. But what is being asked here begs the questions:

Amelia, if the scripts are provided and it meets both yours and the other builders expectations, are you then going to open source all of your builds and make them with copy and transfer enabled at a cost of $L0? Because this is EXACTLY what is being asked in this thread. You want a "perfect" system to be used in builds that you can then sell.
Do you even know how to script so that you can contribute to the project? Or is the only contribution going to be forming the group and starting the thread?

I have been around since before "Userware" - some of you may remember that phrase... I like the idea of Opensource, however I am afraid that in SL, there are too many that will take the Opensource code, whatever it is, for themselves, claim they wrote it and sell it for themselves. Actually, I think this is probably already happening. It happened to me in the old days - somebody took my "opensource" code for this "Userware" system that I worked very hard on, removed my name as the original author both in the code comments and documentation and replaced it with their name. And if that wasn't bad enough, then had the gall to claim I stole the code from them! Well, after talking to a copyright lawyer and realizing the cost of getting a lawyer that was on the Bar in my state and the bad guy's state was beyond me, I just let it go... It was painful and sickening at the same time. Once bitten, twice a fool.

It is a noble idea, but I won't contribute, sorry, it's SL's nature that prevents me.

Jesse's post was pure genius. I agree with Dytska too. No one wants to see their hard work stolen by someone else. There's only one way to ensure your work isn't stolen and that's to sell it and distribute it yourself with the proper permissions.

Not to bring politics into the mix, but it's the same thing as socialism. The hard work of some being distributed to those that don't work at all. Here's my advice--pay someone to make it.

I assumed Ameila was a scripter and was going to be making a significant contribution to this effort. If she's just begging for free stuff she wants, to be made by others, well, good luck!

And yeah, it would be nice to have some decent high quality freebie castles, houses, etc.

The timing for something like this is right and needed. A group of open source developers creating tools for builders/residents and setting up standards is a wonderful idea. It would be nice to make universal modular items that everyone can use for various standard functionality.

I am excited to see work like this happening. Looking forward to the maturing of your group and hoping to contribute what I can.

I saw a need for this awhile back, scripts for builders, not prefab items. That's why my main focus has been script-sets that builders can use to be as creative as they want, not objects with my scripts in them.

This is a much better solution in my opinion.

Prefab items like doors, windows and the like generally bring DOWN the quality
of homes. It won't help builders in the long run, it will generally hurt them as
they continue to produce homes that look like, behave like and sound like all
the other homes built by everyone else.

Script collections allow the builders more freedom to be creative and to produce
unique homes with familiar menus that produce varied functionality. I'm all for
familiar, functional and user friendly interfaces but prefab scripted prims just
cater to the lowest common denominator.

I have been away from SL for awhile due to change of internet service provider. So I have not been able to follow the discussion. I understand your concerns.

Now I am not good enough at scripting as of yet, since I am fairly new in SL. To be honest, then I have since realized that the project was more than I can chew on. Though I do have a couple of friends that might pitch in. But some of you experienced scripters are welcome to take the lead.

I am not begging for free stuff. I like to participate as much as I can. I am an altruistic person who likes to pay it on

I too think it would be nice to have some decent high quality houses etc. It more and more dawns on me, that SL is ALL about the money even though some people contribute with free stuff. We have to pay for land. If we want to have land, then we also have to pay for the account. It is no wonder if people like to earn money in SL. On the other hand, we should also begin to think about being generous and helping one another, so earning money does not become an absolute for being in SL. There are lots of other things one can use SL for.

I nearly have a full sim (Cradle) on the mainland and I think it would be an very good idea to set up an OpenSource GPL warehouse/shop where people can get houses, scripts, vehicles etc. of good quality. The rule would be the following:

Items should be released under the GNU GPL license http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html. If you get an item from the warehouse and make changes to it, then you can send a copy back to the warehouse to share with all other people in SL. All items should come with full permissions. Else this would not work.

Sincerely

Aemilia

To all the mistrusting people, then my buildings would become OpenSource the moment I am not bound by a bought house systems permissions!

I can not make it OpenSource if I can not give buyers a transfer permission. The commercial products only permits copy and modify permissions to the buyers.

OpenSource does not kill commercial products. This is absolutely rubbish. Just look at the computer industry in general. It gives good competition, so the commercial products gets better. (Think of OpenSim) Without OpenSource, commercial producers could rest on their laurals and not make an effort to make their products better. So commercial scripters have to get on their toes to be in the frontline of the scripting "industry" if they want their products sold. This is benefitting everybody.

You all forget that it is allowed to sell products made from items of the GNU GPL license. You can also sell knowhow on how to customize it for a customer etc. It is up to you to figure out what you want to do.

I will start this project up in near future. I just have to get back on my feet in SL.

Sincerely

Aemilia

No argument, Aemilia, except for the "you forget" part. We haven't forgotten. And nobody said that open source kills commercial products.

The way open source works is for the communities that need the projects contribute to the projects. In the majority of significant projects, these contributors are NOT programmers working for free for fun (though there's certainly an amount of that), but rather, big companies who want the results donate the time of paid professional programmers.

Open source is great. I'm a big advocate. And I also do a lot of pro-bono work, like Easy Sit Target Positioner, MLPV2, my poseball script, and a number of freebie "products" I've distributed (full perms). (I won't go on about how my reward for this has been numerous help requests from people who about products created by others who poorly applied my scripts.)

My point was simply that those who want these for the purposes of their businesses should expect to contribute to the work, one way or another. Perhaps I didn't put that clearly, for which I apologize.

I want to learn more about this open source business. Yesterday, I successfully logged into OpenSim and OSgrid. I would love to learn more about this. I know they could sure use some builders there. If one can not accomplish having their own server, could you still 'build your virtual place' on your own computer? I still don't understand the logistics of this.
BT

opensource is a great learning tool this would be great for functions and maybe a standard for things to work together but to just make a plug n play full working system ?