Open source Home Control box?

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Snelvuur
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Open source Home Control box?

Post by Snelvuur »

As far as i know the home control box is linux right? Are you allowed to play with it yourself? or is everything shut tight?

Althought it would not be a real big issue to grab the data if wanted, unless its all compiled code.

But merly meaning, if you have a few graphs, can you change a layout off o graph, or change the layout of the website. Or add new stuff if you build it yourself.

Cheers,
Erik
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Post by Bwired »

I'm not a Linux guy but as far as I know it's all compiled code. I told the guy's form Home Automation Europe to make it open source code so everybody could make there own version or create easy extra functionalities. The good ones they can adapt in the original firmware. This way the community is getting bigger much faster so also much better for completing the product.

Pieter Knuvers
www.bwired.nl Online House in the netherlands. Domotica, Home Automation.
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Snelvuur
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Open source Home Control box?

Post by Snelvuur »

And more people would buy it, the only reason why i wont buy it is that i'am stuck with what they give me. In the end it will cost me more time but i can make something nicer. But you do have a point there. Dont think they will do it soon, because its a total package people sell if they do a domotica house. Which is a pitty, but i can imagine there scared of people selling a slighty different box, or people make there own box, which would cut back costs to like 1/3 perhaps (and then there out of the loop)
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Open source Home Control box?

Post by MindBender »

Did you receive a copy of the GPL with your Home Control Box? The very least they are obliged to do, is to mention the GPL status of the software with a reference to where a copy of the GPL can be obtained.

Per requiest they are obliged to make the sources of all GPL code (and the tools to compile them!) available. In the HCB case, this is at least the kernel. If they are clever, they didn't use any GPL code in their HCB application. That way they don't have to publish those sources which usually contain the added value of their product. But avoiding GPL code takes some extra effort because glibc is GPL code and nearly all applications use glibc functions...

Did anybody ask Eaton for the sources? They're not obliged to publish them, but they are obliged to make them available on request.

Who can send me a disk-dump of the HCB? With that image I can investigate GPL infringments.
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Open source Home Control box?

Post by Snelvuur »

we got mindbender all shook up now ;-) pieter should perhaps have something , he played with one.
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Open source Home Control box?

Post by RDNZL »

Not only mindbinder, but RDNZL is also al eyes and ears now.

He is right about the gpl stuff.

I have a Philips SLM5500 media player for example, they also use gpled code.
I have asked them the source code, and after a few phonecalls i got a download link.
It was not more than a big tar-ball with their kernel drivers and patches... but its alway fun to see what they build their product upon.

If there is any News about the HCB source im also interested, or did I say that already? ;-)

Ron.
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Post by Bwired »

Hi Guys,
Yes have the Home Control Box here for testing purposes. I will ask the guys from Home automation Europe to give some explanation about the firmware and there plans for the future regarding possible open source, GPL code etc. I know they are reading this forum as well. As you all know I'm not in to Linux. Get back on this soon.
Regards Pieter
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Post by Bwired »

I Popped the question last week at guys from Home Automation Europe, they promised to get back on this.
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Post by Bwired »

Update: Still not getting any answers from Home Automation Europe on the open source part.
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Post by Snelvuur »

That didn't come as a suprise ;-)
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Post by MindBender »

And? Can we build a Kernel already? Or should I mail the good guys at http://gpl-violations.org/ again?
For WebGate, the supplier of my video servers, this has proven to be very effective: http://www.webgateinc.com/gpl/
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Open source Home Control box?

Post by Snelvuur »

Hey mr. english ;) i would say, go ahead.. might save us some programming work too. Or the box might be getting interesting after all if thats the case.
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Post by mar99 »

hopelijk wordt het ook snel open source.. de prijs wat ik er nu voor moest betalen was niet weinig. en zeker niet als je hetzelfde (en nog meer) met de cm11.
na de laatste firmware is het al wel een stuk beter geworden. nu kan je ook offline je x10 sturen via een webbrowser.
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Open source Home Control box?

Post by Bwired »

I don't understand your first sentence, do you mean its almost the same as a CM11?
I still got my home controlbox lying around here doing nothing :-)
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Open source Home Control box?

Post by RDNZL »

Here is a very interesting essay about the Xanura HCB development. It talks about the fact that the old prototype was based on the misterhouse framework.

http://essay.utwente.nl/57490/1/scriptie_Braam.pdf
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