HomeOS - Microsoft reinvents LinuxMCE

[valent]

http://blog.genie9.com/index.php/2012/05/03/microsoft-destination-smarthome/

Has Microsoft just reinvented LinuxMCE with their HomeOS home automation system?

[JaseP]

Yep,... Looks like they're getting on the bandwagon along with AT&T and everyone else,... Whataya wanna bet that they claim to have patented it and "revise" history to show they created the whole thing...

[DragonK]

If its Microsoft.... It will have virusses and Trojans and worms...

I dont want worms in my setup.

[golgoj4]

i see no news here.

meanwhile, LinuxMCE still needs a designer. jus sayin...

-golgoj4

[valent]

i see no news here.

meanwhile, LinuxMCE still needs a designer. jus sayin...

-golgoj4

Agreed, Microsoft stuff isn't news but it is slick looking. Here are even more demos - http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/homeos/homeos-demos.htm and it looks like they are also using Vera for most of the stuff (AFAIK which shares lots of LinuxMCE code).

[l3mce]

If they are using vera then it is news.

This means saturation of more home automation products which will work with LMCE. I for one would be very happy about this.

[kyfalcon]

Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? 

[totallymaxed]

Agreed, Microsoft stuff isn't news but it is slick looking. Here are even more demos - http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/redmond/projects/homeos/homeos-demos.htm and it looks like they are also using Vera for most of the stuff (AFAIK which shares lots of LinuxMCE code).

MS use Vera as a gateway to control ZWave devices... like some other HA systems do too. All of the items on this page are research projects funder by MS... showing for the most part that they can integrate with 3rd party stuff.

MS, AT&T, Verizon... and many other Telco's too are all looking at HA as way to jump into a new 'sticky' market for services built around the home. All the studies and research say that this market, the HA market, will grow at an average compound rate of 11-16% per year for the next 7-10 years. The US HA market today is valued at just over $3.3 billion per year.... you do the math. This market is already a big deal and its growing very reliably. Up to now HA has been a kind of invisible 'back water' but it has immense value to these companies as people tend to stick with what they know when it comes to their houses. Big companies love that characteristic ;-)

We see this as just 'growing' the market... its a massive and growing market and these big companies just validate it and accelerate growth in our view.

All the best

Andrew

[kyfalcon]

I worked at Duke Energy in Cincinnati on the Smart Grid project up until last year. They had a test project going on that was basically a smart home. Their model had the home automation, especially with regard to power delivery going through smart meters and I believe the ZigBee protocol. The test house/ neighborhood they had built in a warehouse in Northern Kentucky was quite impressive. I tried to get on as a test house, but that was all being done in North Carolina.

[JaseP]

Does MS realize that the Vera is a Linux box?!?! I thought Ballmer said it causes cancer... or something like that. Between that and MS setting up 10K Linux Skype servers, I guess I am living in the twilight zone. I think it's hilarious that MS is using a Vera, when Homeseer Hometroller runs WinXP embedded...

[totallymaxed]

I worked at Duke Energy in Cincinnati on the Smart Grid project up until last year. They had a test project going on that was basically a smart home. Their model had the home automation, especially with regard to power delivery going through smart meters and I believe the ZigBee protocol. The test house/ neighborhood they had built in a warehouse in Northern Kentucky was quite impressive. I tried to get on as a test house, but that was all being done in North Carolina.

There is so much happening right now. Yeah many of the SmartMeters that we are working with/looking at use ZigBee to link in the remote displays.

There is an incredible amount of activity in this whole space... another indication we saw just 6 weeks ago was the size of the eCoBuild show here in London - it was enormous and packed with people on all days too.

All the best


Andrew

[totallymaxed]

Does MS realize that the Vera is a Linux box?!?! I thought Ballmer said it causes cancer... or something like that. Between that and MS setting up 10K Linux Skype servers, I guess I am living in the twilight zone. I think it's hilarious that MS is using a Vera, when Homeseer Hometroller runs WinXP embedded...

Yes I'm sure MS realise Vera is running Linux...just like 99% of the Wifi AP and routers/switches are out there too. Fact is MS already has to work alongside Linux in almost every household and data-center.

All the best


Andrew

[JaseP]

I just downloaded their whitepaper. It looks like they are indeed trying to reinvent LinuxMCE. They split their version of DCE router into two different layers, called DCL and DFL, essentially.

What is nice about what they are doing is focusing on the ease of use aspect of things. I didn't read the entire thing... and they are pretty far away from a shipping product... But it seems like a relatively unsophisticated user was able to use a kinect as a control interface to turn on appliances.

However, like LinuxMCE, the devil's in the details, and I don't believe that they would ever be able to release a finished project that didn't smack of "hobbyist" in terms of set up, maintenance, etc. In other words, they will have to deal with all the complexity issues surrounding integration that we do currently. And LinuxMCE has more than half a decade head start. They hint at this in the closing paragraphs. So, I think they realize that they have to do a lot more development work to even begin to make a finished project that the average person could use.

[davegravy]

They do of course have a lot of capital, which can be used to give incentive to 3rd party hardware manufacturers to cooperate in the integration process.

[totallymaxed]

I just downloaded their whitepaper. It looks like they are indeed trying to reinvent LinuxMCE. They split their version of DCE router into two different layers, called DCL and DFL, essentially.

What is nice about what they are doing is focusing on the ease of use aspect of things. I didn't read the entire thing... and they are pretty far away from a shipping product... But it seems like a relatively unsophisticated user was able to use a kinect as a control interface to turn on appliances.

However, like LinuxMCE, the devil's in the details, and I don't believe that they would ever be able to release a finished project that didn't smack of "hobbyist" in terms of set up, maintenance, etc. In other words, they will have to deal with all the complexity issues surrounding integration that we do currently. And LinuxMCE has more than half a decade head start. They hint at this in the closing paragraphs. So, I think they realize that they have to do a lot more development work to even begin to make a finished project that the average person could use.

I agree they are trying to address ease of use and all that entails. But I suspect that they are aiming at the wrong place in terms of end-user simplicity at least. What is pretty clear to us is that the mass market requires something that essentially requires no programming and either no specialist installation or something akin to what the cable guy in the US or a Sky TV installer does here in the UK - ie very basic and simple physical install.

Programmability is important so that you can pre-configure or adjust configs after installation - i'm not advocating in any sense the removal of software programmability from HA devices...just that your aunty/mum doesn't need that. I'm also not suggesting that we're there already and MS aren't... but I do agree we're closer and liley to get there first.

Also I am pretty sure that most big service providers are very unlikely to roll-out a pure MS solution... they know where that will lead them and it aint pretty ;-)

All the best


Andrew