Re: Stargate Vs other home controllers?

[MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

On 6 Jul 2005 14:31:43 -0700, "Mark Thomas" <mrt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message  <1120685503.739236.169200@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

>
>
>MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>> Right. And with the Ocelot comes the need to do microprocessor
programming
>> in an arcane proprietary language (C-max) which makes it unsuited for the
>> vast majority of homeowners.
>
>I don't think you *need* to use C-max. You can access and control all
>its I/O from the serial port, so you could use a PC-based program to
>control it.
>
>But I don't think C-max is that bad:
>
>   IF Module #1 Analog #0 becomes < 32 // If it gets dark
>   THEN X-10-A1-Switch, Turn On        // Turn on light
>
>But then I've been programming for years, so I don't know what's
>considered "hard" these days.
>
>- Mark.

It seems useful to remember that programming a personal computer is getting
harder and harder -- not easier.

Z80 assembler, TPASCAL, FORTRAN-IV/77, GW/QBASIC,  FORTH -- OK;
After that ....  ;-)

More seriously, any program that breaks if a comma is missing (see second
line of your code), is too rigid to be useful to 'most folks'.

And an environment that doesn't intrinsically check for errors and
inconsistencies will lead to inevitably lead to programming errors with
realistically complex/complete rules . This constitutes  "broken" as far as
most homeowners are concerned and is/can be, for the population as a whole,
dangerous.

... Marc
Marc_F_Hult