Introducing HomeRun

[rrodgers]

I've been working on a HA software system with some novel features,
and since it is now almost fit for human consumption,
I wanted to bring it to the attention of the CocoonTech community.

Features at a glance:

* Multi-platform: with few exceptions, all aspects run fine on Windows, Linux, Mac
* Client-Server architecture: small resident server supports clients anywhere and everywhere
* Protocol support: X-10 (PLC & RF), Insteon. UPB nearly done, then on to wireless
* UIs & APIs: desktop client, web, web service
* Vast assortment of notification channels: email, IM, IRC, SMS, Twitter
* 'Smart Object' support: Nabaztag Wi-Fi rabbit, Chumby coming
* Powerful logic engine: no scripting required
* Simple and modular: miniscule download, install only the packages you need
* Price: free!

Please download homerun and take it for a spin:

http://homerun.sourceforge.net

I know some of the UIs lack polish, but I would welcome
any and all suggestions, gripes, etc including what you don't find
in the platform that would make it compelling for you.

 

[electron]

Looks very interesting. In case anyone is looking for screenshots, you can find them in the manual. Are there any plans to support USB based devices, or is that a JAVA limitation?

 

[roussell]

This looks similar to jHomeNet which is also in Java. What is the difference between the apps and/or is this a fork of jHomeNet?

I like the prospect of platform independence but I have to admit that I was hoping for a Mono-based project. I have a prejudice against Java and I don't really know why. Perhaps you can explain why you chose to code in Java instead of something else and help to enlighten me and others that may not know what we've been missing with Java.

Either way, it looks like a nice start. Good job and good luck!

Terry

 

[rrodgers]

Looks very interesting. In case anyone is looking for screenshots, you can find them in the manual. Are there any plans to support USB based devices, or is that a JAVA limitation?

USB-attached devices are definitely in scope, though you are right that Java support for USB is problematic. There are a number of open source implementations, but generally each is
targeted to a specific OS. I'll probably have to offer OS-specific packages.

 

[rrodgers]

This looks similar to jHomeNet which is also in Java. What is the difference between the apps and/or is this a fork of jHomeNet?

I like the prospect of platform independence but I have to admit that I was hoping for a Mono-based project. I have a prejudice against Java and I don't really know why. Perhaps you can explain why you chose to code in Java instead of something else and help to enlighten me and others that may not know what we've been missing with Java.

Either way, it looks like a nice start. Good job and good luck!

Terry

Thanks! I became aware of jHomeNet long after I started, so it's not a fork. I see two main differences: first, that project is interested in 1-wire stuff, whereas I think that wireless protocols are likely to replace it before too long, so I didn't make it a priority. Another (though he states it as future work) is client server architecture: homerun is a free-standing embedded server, that doesn't require or load any client UI.

As to Java, I'm not really a language bigot, but found that the amount of open source code floating around was vastly greater than other options. That allows me to pick up an IRC or a UPB
library easily. If I had to write it all myself, it would be impossible to put something like this together.