Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] Cable Modem - Feature suggestion Ingo Pakleppa Thu, 24 Sep 1998 10:44:02 -0400

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Reddy,

personally, I would prefer using HTML and/or Java and/or a Telnet interface.
PCAnywhere is good as a stopgap. Its main drawback is that it requires a PC,
won't work through most firewalls, requires you to install PCAnywhere on the
controlling PC, and it pokes a big security hole because essentially anybody
with PCAnywhere can take over the whole ECS machine. I'm often at a client's
site where I don't have control over what kind of machine I have, so some kind
of portable access that works on any type of machine would be great.

Telnet's main advantage is that it is available on pretty much any type of
machine, even old DOS boxes or text-only terminals on a Unix system. but many
firewalls will block it. Java is available on many of todays machines but for
the most part will require graphics capabilities (OK, you can write a text mode
program in Java...) and a fairly new OS.

I have an idea how this could work myself, but it would probably require a
significant redesign of ECS: the engine that actually runs the system would have
to be converted to a service without a user interface. Instead, it would have a
Telnet port and a proprietary TCP/IP control port. The user interface would be a
Java application or applet that uses the proprietary control port. These two
would communicate through TCP/IP. Not exactly a weekend project, I'm sure...

Ingo

William Biggs wrote:

> Ingo,
>
> My thoughts exactly. I've seen Bruce Winters' web site, and it seems that
> the house itself is rarely online.
>
> Their temperature page is uploaded once a day to an ISP.
>
> I have a couple ideas on how this could work. PCAnywhere can be used across
> the internet to give you control , but it is relatively slow. I would rather
> use html and write hooks into ECS.
>
> I'm going to start on this project when I get my Windows setup, probably
> within the next 2 -3 months.
>
> Reddy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ingo Pakleppa <ipakleppa@ecs.com>
> To: ecs-list@vancouver.ml.org <ecs-list@vancouver.ml.org>
> Date: Wednesday, September 23, 1998 11:12 PM
> Subject: [ECS] Cable Modem - Feature suggestion
>
> >I've got a cable modem, too, and what I love most about it is the "always
> >on" feature; no more dialing to the Internet!
> >
> >And since I'm travelling a lot, I've always thought that there would be one
> >feature that would be fantastic if ECS had it: allow remote control through
> >the Internet - for instance, view the status of all items in a Web page,
> >listen to messages, ...
> >
> >OK, one can dream, right?
> >
> >Ingo
> >
> >At 03:23 PM 9/23/98 -0500, Bill Walters wrote:
> >>All -
> >>
> >>I've got a new e-mail address -
> >>
> >> wtwalters@home.net
> >>
> >>
> >>Up and running on a Cable modem as of last night; blazing fast!
> >>
> >>Test download of ECS34v24.EXE (3.5 meg) from GALLOPS ftp site had it
> >>residing on my hard-disk in 35 seconds......  Ya' gotta like that!
> >>
> >>Will be trying to bring up a network to use the cable modem from other
> >>locations in the house; don't know what security issues that will open,
> >>so will go v-e-r-y slowly.  If anyone has any experience with same,
> >>please e-mail privately since it doesn't really pertain to ecs-list.
> >>
> >>Bill Walters

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