On September 30, 2017 at 09:21, gwstudios said...
... have dedicated hardware with code on a processor. They will continue to work as long as the equipment holds up. Cloud stored automation... really? What were people thinking?
... This is why your Pronto remotes and gear still works. Locally stored programming and graphics.
I agree
While there are some advantages for the manufacturer in terms of customer support and control of intellectual property, as a user I don't like cloud based development. The main reason for this dislike is that it is too easy for the cloud to go down (for maintenance, or whatever) or go away. If someone turns out the lights, it's instantly over for everyone. Also, on some of my projects I'll be in there before any Internet service is available at the site. (and on some remote sites there is no practical cell service either) And, the cloud based stuff that I've seen is slow.
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As far as all of this modern technology is concerned, it's a risky world. Not so much that the hardware will not perform or fail, but that things are moving so fast in terms of user interfaces and underlying hardware, a two year old product typically has no place in the market and becomes a profit drag on the company if the company continues to support that legacy product. Hats off to Sonos for their continued support for most of their older products.
