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I am having trouble getting a read on their intention with the aesthetics here. They are DELIBERATELY showcasing 80's era interfaces including green-screen term
by crispyambulance 4y ago
I am having trouble getting a read on their intention with the aesthetics here. They are DELIBERATELY showcasing 80's era interfaces including green-screen terminals on their corporate home page.
Just trying to figure out if this is...
a) An ironic put-on of some kind
b) Maybe they're a company that continues to service this equipment for a customer base of aged moguls that had this installed in their grand estates 40 years ago, so they decided to get a web-presence (after finding someone to translate their Hypercard deck to a website).
b) They're playing it straight and trying to show that this stuff is a "long-term" solution-- with the argument that if this stuff is still running after being installed 40 years ago that, of course, it will be running 40 years from now?
On the other hand looking at the fragmented state of home automation right now, one has to wonder if there's a profound lack of vision that was lost in the last 30+ years. Perhaps it just goes to show that a well-thought out system design can last a long time almost regardless of what technology was chosen.
The home automation market right now looks like a sketchy hot mess of surveillance capitalism and blatant rent-seeking. If you want something that actually respects you and your household without ulterior motivations and you can't "roll your own" maybe something like this is the ticket for you?
- ungamed 4y ago> I am having trouble getting a read on their intention with the aesthetics here. HN users is not the target audience. It is not intended to be dissected and pulled apart for analysis and profit. Sometimes things are because they were.
- crispyambulance 4y ago> ...not intended to be dissected... Well, sure, "not intended" but that's what happens. It's OK though. It's refreshing to see stuff like this. I admire that someone will still provide support for such old systems even if folks like me don't understand why. There's some very compelling positives to something that can keep running for so long and which doesn't "phone home" to a corporate master because "its home" is where it is installed.
- p_l 4y agoThey are last remaining support company for the system, as well as provide upgrades that reuse the original wiring and components. The screen shots are of real, actual system, not some Photoshop visualisation, so at least they are honest.
- maxerickson 4y agoIt's (b). There's a link at the top of the page to a very high end home automation/technology company, running a small website for owners of what are likely expensive homes makes lots of sense as lead generation.