Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] [Fwd: ECS] Dan Carrington Mon, 10 Aug 1998 16:19:52 -0700

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Mark,
	I would also have to agree with some of the statements that have
already been made on the report.  People who just work windows would
probably have a hard time with installing your software.  But consider
this, if they have no clue about DOS or reading the instructions on the
software, would they ever be able to program anything into ECS?  If they
had a hard time just reading and installing, they might be able to get
PCS things running but probably would be lost after that.  I mean, what
joe blow off the street would even know what the difference between an
analog and digital input is?  Or even a relay output!!!  Unfortunately
for the moment at least, I see your product as a niche market product. 
If it does not set itself up fully, and I mean including the events that
run the automation, most people would not want it.  But that is the pure
power of your system.  I see softwares in the HAS catalog and others
that are fancy pictures of the house with tags stuck over the lights and
such.  Even those need tons of setup with importing the picture of the
house if people even have one!  Plus, why would I need a picture to know
what I am doing or even need to sit at the computer to control
anything.  I prefer the power of programing anything that my devious
little mind can want and letting it run without me having to reside over
it.  I don't want the program to give me a small list of options that it
feels like letting me do with my house.  I agree that you may need to
bulletproof the interface with windows for the unskilled trying to use
ECS.  But the softwares power speaks for itself.  I don't think it would
be too hard to follow windows protocalls for installation, just possibly
hard to find out what they all are.

In retrospect, I am reminded of a quote that I may not remember exactly
but it goes something like this.  "Never before in the history of
mankind have so many known so little about so much." or something to
that effect.

Dan Carrington
5 or 6 year user of ECS!!!!

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