Here's how I'd like to see things like that done. I'd like to see some nice, clean individual components for this kind of stuff. In this example, separate components for:
1) sensor reading
2) database manipulation
3) plotting
Take the database manipulation module for example. I'd like to see a clean interface that allows me to create, add to, and query databases from any script. I could use different databases for different things or put everything in one. It would be up to me. I could use this from any script (and maybe from plugins). It could be written as a plugin with appropriate hooks (or done as a script). The point is that it would be a nice module dedicated to this functionality, not something dedicated to a particular application.
The sensor reading can be handled by a script or a plugin. If it's handled by a script, I can easily call database functions from that script to put the data in at each reading. Or, I can just use a timed event to store the data every 5 minutes. This leaves the functionality as versatile as possible, I think.
A plotting module that can take any data (from any database) and display it would be very useful. I can manipulate the data in a script to put it in the right format if necessary. But, it shouldn't be dedicated to temperature or weather data. Something that is versatile and easily customized would be nice.
If these components are available, it's very easy for me to use them for more things. I can add a security database that keeps track of all door and window events (which I do now in a flat file). This will parallel the type of functionality you have with the weather setup, but won't require developing all new modules (if I can reuse the database and plotting modules).
I can write a script that combines data from the temperature and security databases and plots them to see how opening and closing doors may affect my heating bill. This will not require that someone write a specific plugin for this.
I think that a set of these modules would be extremely useful. They rely on scripts as the glue to pull them together and create additional functionality. I would hope that this would once again stimulate sharing of scripts. While many people will not be willing to write their own from scratch, there are still people willing to modify others and learn.
Part of the problem I see with some of the current plugins (and scripts) is that they have gotten very complicated, merge a lot of different functionality, and do not provide for much expansion (without going back to the author).
So, I guess what I'm saying is that I think rather than combining your different modules into a single plugin, it may be more useful to keep them separate and provide them as tools that can be combined in many ways.
Note: This is coming from someone who wants a nice, simple way to work with databases, hasn't gotten around to figuring it out himself, and is tired of writing all his data to flat files.
1) sensor reading
2) database manipulation
3) plotting
Take the database manipulation module for example. I'd like to see a clean interface that allows me to create, add to, and query databases from any script. I could use different databases for different things or put everything in one. It would be up to me. I could use this from any script (and maybe from plugins). It could be written as a plugin with appropriate hooks (or done as a script). The point is that it would be a nice module dedicated to this functionality, not something dedicated to a particular application.
The sensor reading can be handled by a script or a plugin. If it's handled by a script, I can easily call database functions from that script to put the data in at each reading. Or, I can just use a timed event to store the data every 5 minutes. This leaves the functionality as versatile as possible, I think.
A plotting module that can take any data (from any database) and display it would be very useful. I can manipulate the data in a script to put it in the right format if necessary. But, it shouldn't be dedicated to temperature or weather data. Something that is versatile and easily customized would be nice.
If these components are available, it's very easy for me to use them for more things. I can add a security database that keeps track of all door and window events (which I do now in a flat file). This will parallel the type of functionality you have with the weather setup, but won't require developing all new modules (if I can reuse the database and plotting modules).
I can write a script that combines data from the temperature and security databases and plots them to see how opening and closing doors may affect my heating bill. This will not require that someone write a specific plugin for this.
I think that a set of these modules would be extremely useful. They rely on scripts as the glue to pull them together and create additional functionality. I would hope that this would once again stimulate sharing of scripts. While many people will not be willing to write their own from scratch, there are still people willing to modify others and learn.
Part of the problem I see with some of the current plugins (and scripts) is that they have gotten very complicated, merge a lot of different functionality, and do not provide for much expansion (without going back to the author).
So, I guess what I'm saying is that I think rather than combining your different modules into a single plugin, it may be more useful to keep them separate and provide them as tools that can be combined in many ways.
Note: This is coming from someone who wants a nice, simple way to work with databases, hasn't gotten around to figuring it out himself, and is tired of writing all his data to flat files.
