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This, along with the topic link, give me the impression that the Internet of Things can't possibly work, not in the medium/long run. Not without a huge shift in

by s_kilk 11y ago

This, along with the topic link, give me the impression that the Internet of Things can't possibly work, not in the medium/long run. Not without a huge shift in how manufacturers and developers think about security and maintenance of devices deployed in the field. As long as the general approach remains "take a device, slap some nodejs on it, deploy" then the whole endeavour is doomed to a spectacular (and potentiall bloody) failure.

skywhopper 11y ago
Indeed, lots of smart people have been saying that the Internet of Things vision is naive, counterproductive, and potentially dangerous. Some recent polls have indicated that most consumers at least have a sense that random cheap Internet-connected devices are problematic, so these sorts of stories are at least making an impact. For better or worse, this trend is going to keep going until something truly egregious happens and either market forces or government regulation steps in. Hopefully we'll see a pattern similar to that we've seen with desktop computers, where there'll be some messy worms or viruses that infect enough people that the big players in the field start taking these threats seriously.
jessriedel 11y ago
The situation will slowly improve with time as wisdom and expertise with software diffuses throughout industry. Right now, software is a crude tool in most industries, with little understanding among the decision makers. That's why the best software is found in pure software companies. (However good or bad Microsoft software may be, it's still true that Microsoft >> Ford >> Honeywell.) Over the coming years, better software practices will suffuse through non-software industries, and the CEO of the company that makes your toaster will need a gut level understanding of software in the same way he currently understands inventory management.

by s_kilk 11y ago

skywhopper 11y ago

Indeed, lots of smart people have been saying that the Internet of Things vision is naive, counterproductive, and potentially dangerous. Some recent polls have indicated that most consumers at least have a sense that random cheap Internet-connected devices are problematic, so these sorts of stories are at least making an impact. For better or worse, this trend is going to keep going until something truly egregious happens and either market forces or government regulation steps in. Hopefully we'll see a pattern similar to that we've seen with desktop computers, where there'll be some messy worms or viruses that infect enough people that the big players in the field start taking these threats seriously.

jessriedel 11y ago

The situation will slowly improve with time as wisdom and expertise with software diffuses throughout industry. Right now, software is a crude tool in most industries, with little understanding among the decision makers. That's why the best software is found in pure software companies. (However good or bad Microsoft software may be, it's still true that Microsoft >> Ford >> Honeywell.) Over the coming years, better software practices will suffuse through non-software industries, and the CEO of the company that makes your toaster will need a gut level understanding of software in the same way he currently understands inventory management.