2015 - Puppy Linux's Marching Forward

News, happenings
Message
Author
gcmartin

2015 - Puppy Linux's Marching Forward

#1 Post by gcmartin »

The Internet of Things (IoT), a rather new term that we are hearing more and more of. It has several interpretations and many more implications.

But, the reality of this is that life as we knew it, is and has changed.

Last year, 2014, as reported by public groups the likes of Gartner, IDC, etc saw a year where IT spending increased while PC shipments decreased, I wont go into the reasons as many in this forum are rashly opposed to change and any hint of it. But, they, too are already on-board with "change" as their family, friends, community, workplace and brethrens has already adopted the very things that are our now and our future,

In our own homes, we are finding useful ways of adding technology with the intent to make our lives easier. There is all sorts of discussions in this very forum of new and exciting changes addressing use of these. And, it NOT just physical additions as much new and interesting changes have even occurred in desktop, apps, browsers, subsystems all settling into a what "use to be" future concepts.

Puppy has past the stage of maturing, as it now is moving into evolving!

Much of the developers here and those coming here, now, are bringing "new and fresh" information that is finding its way to Puppy membership.

Yes, men and women, we are a part of a new generation which is shedding its past restrictive skins to a new use of CPU, RAM, LAN, peripherals, that aims to put functionality to the already existing speed we have enjoyed for so long in Puppyland.

Its not a new year as it is a "new look" at what we are now doing with the internal maturity of what has already been accomplished by this very Puppy development community. Puppy is NO LONGER A DESKTOP, it has now begun its move to an ENABLER to our membership community! An ENABLER who provides more than just a desktop to a single person. It now enables use beyond the simple desktop perception we started and had as our past.

And, its now time that we begin to look at our PUPs for what it can do for us in our homes beyond what it has done for us on a SINGLE DESKTOP since 2005. Its already happening and we, by our nature of purchases and acquaintances, are the primary contributers of this ENABLING.

The biggest change that will affect all of us in the understanding of all this data that we have in our homes and what we, as a community, need to embrace in its use. Currently, we are underestimating data, as we are muchly focused on video. But, there is much much more information occurring and about to occur in our homes, personal devices and travel units (cars) from the smartDevice and technology additions in the inevitable. You and I will be forced to begin to look at this information which is
  • at hand happening in our personal devices,
  • at what of that we keep and
  • what of that we continue to allow to fall out of our hands.
Its a topic whose time is drawing us into thoughtful approaches to guide, not just our workplaces, but also our kids, grandkids, family, and our homes/community using Puppy Linux.

Puppy Linux developers and its users, by the very nature of understanding these, becomes attractive to the larger community who will venture into and stay in the kennel. None of what is shared, herein, is new news to any of us; what is new, though, is that it is now being articulated and our acknowledgement of it.

2015 is not just a New Year, its a continuation as Puppy evolves. For even our "Fearless Leader" has now moved to "64bit understanding and builds" as he subtly positions this community for its directional continuation.

This is PUPPY and PUPPYLAND!

anikin
Posts: 994
Joined: Thu 10 May 2012, 06:16

#2 Post by anikin »

gcmartin wrote: ... Puppy Linux developers and its users, by the very nature of understanding these, becomes attractive to the larger community who will venture into and stay in the kennel. None of what is shared, herein, is new news to any of us; what is new, though, is that it is now being articulated and our acknowledgement of it.
Here's some visuals to better understand what's being articulated ...
Attachments
blabber.jpg
(45.74 KiB) Downloaded 1463 times

User avatar
8Geee
Posts: 2181
Joined: Mon 12 May 2008, 11:29
Location: N.E. USA

#3 Post by 8Geee »

The Internet of Things needs to be a secure place. If one is going to remotely start the car, arm the burgalar system, turn the washer/dryer on, program the TV, etc, one does not want to be hacked. I'm crossing my fingers and knocking on wood about the electrical grid itself.

Considering a lot of folks have been scared off about setting-up the browser, and seeing the defaults allowed, the general public needs an education, and a helping-hand.

One of the things the IoT needs, therefore, is a pre-configured browser that

a.) won't auto-update the moment its connected
b.) does not allow low-encryption (TLS1.0 or SSL3 or less)
c.) does not allow major search-engines to be "consulted"
d.) allows new IoT scripting like HTML5
e.) provides simple tools to prevent "spoofing" of websites/IoT addresses

So if the IoT is here, the safer IoT is NOT.
Linux user #498913 "Some people need to reimagine their thinking."
"Zuckerberg: a large city inhabited by mentally challenged people."

gcmartin

#4 Post by gcmartin »

Here's is some of what is being presented this week. Its happening at a rate that as users we should position ourselves to consider. My personal concern is how can I capture the data/content of these devices that I will be seeing in my home's LAN. Further, that data is directly usable by me for the same reasons that the automakers, advertisers, and Amazon would want it for.

In our past many of us olders started with just a dial up PC, then came 2nd/more PCs, then came routers/switches, then smartPhones, then Games, then Cameras, then smartTablets, now smartDevices of all sorts where things like door accessories know it you or I at the door and unlocks without use of keys, and much much more....not to mention the car and the data it is generating in both use and its intelligence.

Connectivity and data is driving our future.

bark_bark_bark
Posts: 1885
Joined: Tue 05 Jun 2012, 12:17
Location: Wisconsin USA

#5 Post by bark_bark_bark »

I shouldn't need an internet connection to microwave some mac and cheese.

The mentality of IoT, is that turning on a lamp (or any basic everyday task) should require an internet connection.

If I forget to pay the bill, I probably wouldn't be able to use my toilet bcause it would require an internet connection.
....

tlchost
Posts: 2057
Joined: Sun 05 Aug 2007, 23:26
Location: Baltimore, Maryland USA
Contact:

#6 Post by tlchost »

bark_bark_bark wrote: If I forget to pay the bill, I probably wouldn't be able to use my toilet bcause it would require an internet connection.
But, if you had an outhouse, you could control it via a local network...no need to connect to the net.

wboz
Posts: 233
Joined: Wed 20 Nov 2013, 21:07

#7 Post by wboz »

bark_bark_bark wrote:If I forget to pay the bill, I probably wouldn't be able to use my toilet because it would require an internet connection.
If you live in the US, it's very likely this is already the case, in a slightly different way than you're talking about. Most water meters now live in the basement, and communicate wirelessly with a neighborhood base station that communicates back to the water company. (Compared with, when I was a kid, a water guy would come to check an outside meter). Then, the sewer bill is issued by the same water district, and is based on your water intake (no one wants to meter sewage directly, gross).

Don't pay the sewer bill -> no more water -> ergo no more toilet :)

Of course that's not true if you have a well and septic system.

Personally I actively do NOT want most appliances connecting to the internet, unless there is a definite benefit (for example, a water leak alarm).

darry1966

#8 Post by darry1966 »

bark_bark_bark wrote:I shouldn't need an internet connection to microwave some mac and cheese.

The mentality of IoT, is that turning on a lamp (or any basic everyday task) should require an internet connection.

If I forget to pay the bill, I probably wouldn't be able to use my toilet bcause it would require an internet connection.
I frankly refuse to go down the line of everything connected to the net like my fridge and microwave I simply can't see the value of it. It seems we are more and more determined to compromise our privacy and open our selves more and more to being hacked.

Over the years I have seen appliances become more and more electronic at the cost of the build quality.

My vote is with the Preppers and people who strip life down to the basics.

So for me the future value of Puppy Linux and Debiandog and similar distros which just do what you need is you don't get "extras" that Windows has and that they just do what is required and no more.

Also I have control over how much/what these systems do.

@GC As for your comment that most on this forum are opposed, maybe they just have a healthy dose of Skepticism and want to be sure that any new developments are beneficial and what harm there may be also is there a threat to our freedom. I'm against anything that allows Authorities, Governments or whatever to have more power to snoop and spy on us and have more control over us.

My future is not driven by connectivity. It is driven by living life to the full, helping others and enjoying new experiences. So I disagree our future is driven by technology, it depends on an individuals values.

Technology can be a useful tool but I don't live for it, like I don't live for shopping.
Last edited by darry1966 on Thu 08 Jan 2015, 21:39, edited 1 time in total.

wboz
Posts: 233
Joined: Wed 20 Nov 2013, 21:07

#9 Post by wboz »

First rule of Internet: If you want it to be private, don't put it on the Internet.

That includes whether I turn the water temperature in the washer down to Cold to save money when my wife isn't looking.

You guys should listen to Stephen Colbert's satire on the smart cup. "Wow, a cup that can tell you both what's in it, and the calorie count? That's amazing. That information was previously ONLY AVAILABLE on the side of the can that the beverage came in."

darry1966

#10 Post by darry1966 »

[quote="wboz"]First rule of Internet: If you want it to be private, don't put it on the Internet.

Agreed.

gcmartin

#11 Post by gcmartin »

@wboz: Saw that Stephen Colbert's satire... loved it!

BTW: Please dont get any impression that I intend to use IoT for "their"purpose, rather, I see IoT as providing means for MY USE of the things I buy.

So when I view IoT, I see my home as the center of these items. And data coming from these devices need to be captured by me for my use. Thus, somewhere in my future I look to have a PUP harvesting and managing my Home and all purchases I make! Not to mention that my PUPs will be delivering needed information and services to ease life within this premise.

Frankly, I don't think this view or its desire is out-of-line with what many of us in this forum want. I should say that much of what PUP developers have done over the last year has been to improve how content is made available to local and LAN users. We, really, are already doing IoT!

Hope this clarifies why I bring this topic to forum.

bark_bark_bark
Posts: 1885
Joined: Tue 05 Jun 2012, 12:17
Location: Wisconsin USA

#12 Post by bark_bark_bark »

How to ruin an IoT fanboy's day:

Code: Select all

./hack-internet-toaster.sh --burn-toast
....

wboz
Posts: 233
Joined: Wed 20 Nov 2013, 21:07

#13 Post by wboz »

----print-will.i.am-face-on-toast

Honestly, I don't need a fridge to tell me that I'm out of beer. I know when I'm out of beer. What I need is more beer.
Last edited by wboz on Fri 09 Jan 2015, 14:21, edited 1 time in total.

wboz
Posts: 233
Joined: Wed 20 Nov 2013, 21:07

#14 Post by wboz »

Regarding using your own system to monitor your home ...

I have some very limited experience here because a few years ago, way before IoT was a consumer thing, I started playing with an Arduino as a way to enable environmental monitoring. I learned a lot about electronics, but I hit two major limitations:
1) Sensors are hard. Most environmental sensors have to take analog voltage and if you're starting from scratch, YOU have to figure out what voltages indicate what. The downstream action when your conditions are met are easy; what's not easy is getting there.
2) Buying an Arduino for each sensor is OK if you just need one, but if you need lots .. you need something cheaper. So frankly, I think you're best off outsourcing the building of the sensor devices unless you really can't find one on the market.

Then the challenge becomes: how do I coordinate/monitor my sensors? Most connected home companies don't want open-source access - understandably, it drops barriers to entry way down for their competitors. If you're lucky the company may have an API you can use, and may also include access to systems to transmit data over the web, or drive actions. The most casual-hacker-friendly devices have IFFT integration which is very convenient.

You really need to pick a single device and then dig into: how does it communicate? With what other devices? Is there info on how to interpret its communications? (I'd love to be able to read my water company's sensor's broadcasts so I can use it to monitor for leaks ... they're not encrypted, but they're in binary and there's no documentation on what the blips mean). Can I alter any of those processes or access the data at some point? There's really no standardization, so you have to start one at a time.

In terms of COLLECTING all that info on your PC? Geez, I don't know. Doable, I'm sure, if you have the knowledge to write scripts to check certain cloud services and pull in data. Or, if you wanted to do it all local, you might be able to have your devices writing to log files either on your machine or on some kind of limited base station like a Raspberry Pi.

User avatar
technosaurus
Posts: 4853
Joined: Mon 19 May 2008, 01:24
Location: Blue Springs, MO
Contact:

#15 Post by technosaurus »

Sensors are easy ... Mostly just ioctl or reading/writing from/to their /dev/xxx. What we really need for the next generation of internet is much more profound, an internet sideband where everything is a router in a mesh network that forwards packets until a suitable on ramp is encountered (if needed at all) Take the power over information back from the corporations and give freedom and anonymity back to the populous.
Check out my [url=https://github.com/technosaurus]github repositories[/url]. I may eventually get around to updating my [url=http://bashismal.blogspot.com]blogspot[/url].

wboz
Posts: 233
Joined: Wed 20 Nov 2013, 21:07

#16 Post by wboz »

Zigbee and Z-wave can both support mesh networking. I'm not sure if it's always enabled, but my suspicion is yes because it makes range less of an issue in the home if you have multiple devices. In a mesh network, your sensor 1 can zap data over to sensor 2 in order to get it to base station 0. It also has some advantages on power consumption because start and end points don't necessarily need to be talking at the same time.

If you mean mesh across internet access point nodes ... that's different :)

scsijon
Posts: 1596
Joined: Thu 24 May 2007, 03:59
Location: the australian mallee
Contact:

#17 Post by scsijon »

wboz wrote:(Compared with, when I was a kid, a water guy would come to check an outside meter). .
Still do in my part of Australia!
wboz wrote:no one wants to meter sewage directly, gross). .
I am reminded of an April 1st joke on this 20 or so years ago in a major TV Channel "EXCLUSIVE". Had to recant it later that day, someone apparently forgot what day it was.

However, on topic, I actually like the way puppy is diverging and remerging and updating, all at the same time. It means it's still relevant.

Even since BarryK is mainly in a mentoring roll he's still getting ideas out there for us to run with, and helping us with his broad knowledge!

I for one have a big thanks for him for it.

gcmartin

One example of Puppy's March

#18 Post by gcmartin »

@ETP has had an interesting project where he has been building distros where PUPPY is a managing hub in the home for multimedia that is watched on one's TV(s). The 2 most recent, this year, are UCF2FS and ChromeCastPUP.

Another project, although, presented much more subtly is the work of @BattleShooter with the multimedia packages he focuses on in Vanguard.

Take a gander, and I think you'll understand information management done by a PUP distro that is placed in the home's LAN. It an example that many members can relate to in concept and operation.

Hope this is helpful.

raffy
Posts: 4798
Joined: Wed 25 May 2005, 12:20
Location: Manila

badmouthing forward

#19 Post by raffy »

gcmartin wrote:...I wont go into the reasons as many in this forum are rashly opposed to change and any hint of it...
Am surprised that you got away with this irreverent remark, perhaps because the people here whom you are insulting are too friendly...
Puppy user since Oct 2004. Want FreeOffice? [url=http://puppylinux.info/topic/freeoffice-2012-sfs]Get the sfs (English only)[/url].

bark_bark_bark
Posts: 1885
Joined: Tue 05 Jun 2012, 12:17
Location: Wisconsin USA

Re: badmouthing forward

#20 Post by bark_bark_bark »

gcmartin wrote:...I wont go into the reasons as many in this forum are rashly opposed to change and any hint of it...
Wrong!

As long as there is good change, I don't see a reason to oppose it and many puppy users would agree.

Stop making inaccurate generalizations about puppy users!
....

Post Reply