Re: [Discuss] Personal finance software on Linux
On 09/20/2014 12:47 PM, Daniel Barrett wrote: Money is kind of important so I recommend throwing FOSS allegiences aside for this one. :-) Likewise for taxes (I run TurboTax in that same VM). freedom is also important, but we each decide our own priorities. i have been quite happy with gnucash for almost decades. i have very simple requirements, though. i glance through the release notes for gnucash and there seems to be many new features that it keeps adding [most likely prompted by quicken], but i don't use them. each situation is probably going to be different. for taxes, again, i have a simple situation of one income from one employer. but my solution has been to use the paper forms. as a web programmer, i just don't trust the other end ... of course, i'm probably in no better situation regarding privacy; nonetheless, there is something satisfying about using an outdated method to interact with a huge bureaucracy, but i think it has little to do with the technologies involved ... -- \js : sentient being ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Home security automation
Part of wanting to do it myself is because I would learn about all the different components and be able to troubleshoot and fix them if necessary. Matt On Sat, Sep 20, 2014 at 10:21 AM, Richard Pieri richard.pi...@gmail.com wrote: On 9/19/2014 4:37 PM, Matt Shields wrote: I'd rather not go with a provider based system (like Comcast, ADT, Vivint, etc) since I want to control everything and not have to rely on a company for service or pay a monthly fee. [...] Any suggestions? Pay a professional to help you plan the system, install and configure it correctly. It'll be worth it in the long run. -- Rich P. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Home security automation
On 9/21/2014 5:31 PM, Matt Shields wrote: Part of wanting to do it myself is because I would learn about all the different components and be able to troubleshoot and fix them if necessary. Yeah... see, security systems are very much a you get what you pay for kind of thing. To paraphrase Mr. Schneier, if you rely on amateurs for security then you get amateur security. You'll be better off bringing in a residential security consultant to audit the premises than doing it all yourself. -- Rich P. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Personal finance software on Linux
js js0...@gmail.com writes: for taxes, again, i have a simple situation of one income from one employer. but my solution has been to use the paper forms. as a web programmer, i just don't trust the other end ... of course, i'm probably in no better situation regarding privacy; nonetheless, there is something satisfying about using an outdated method to interact with a huge bureaucracy, but i think it has little to do with the technologies involved ... And aren't the paper forms still the only way to file without paying extra fees? -- Mike Small sma...@panix.com ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Personal finance software on Linux
Daniel Barrett wrote: Having tried all the Linux (and several of the Mac) options, none of them was as capable as Quicken... Can you elaborate? List a few specifics? The places where it fell short for you may be things most people consider obscure. One place where I bet the open source tools fall short is in interfacing with the online bill paying services provided by banks. For a while Intuit was the only third party the banks would deal with. It's gotten better, but I think Moneydance still struggles with this. (They work with some banks, but probably far fewer than Quicken.) Money is kind of important so I recommend throwing FOSS allegiences aside for this one. :-) Likewise for taxes (I run TurboTax in that same VM). I wouldn't apply the same logic to both. Double entry accounting is not all that complicated. The sorts of bugs you'll find are far more apt to be in UI quirks or missing features. Your important language implies FOSS solutions might not be trustworthy. When it comes to taxes that's a different story. Now you are asking volunteer programmers to implement a huge pile of complex rules, that vary by state, and a pile of which changes each year. No single volunteer programmer would want to or could take on all of that, and a project is unlikely to attract enough developers to consistently deliver each year a new version covering most states. Then there is the question of legal liability if the calculations are wrong. As a user, you might not want to use a product where you can't hold the developer accountable (sue for damages) and a volunteer developer is going to shy away from an area with that sort of liability risk. Open source tax software could work, but you really need to have several commercial contributors tied to the project, like a RedHat/Canonical/etc. type of situation. Then there would be a business model with revenues to pay a sufficient quantity of developers to implement the annually changed rules, and fund a liability insurance policy. It would also help if the various taxing agencies cooperated by unifying the standard used by the states (such as for e-filing), and releasing tax rules as machine readable descriptions. -Tom -- Tom Metro The Perl Shop, Newton, MA, USA Predictable On-demand Perl Consulting. http://www.theperlshop.com/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Home security automation
Matt Shields wrote: I'm considering setting up my own home security system, video surveillance and home automation. We talk about these topics on the BLU Hardware Hacking list: http://blu.wikispaces.com/Hardware+Hacking Some recent threads: Z-Wave door locks vulnerable to replay attack http://www.mail-archive.com/hardwarehacking@blu.org/msg01276.html Home Automation Startups in Boston http://www.mail-archive.com/hardwarehacking@blu.org/msg01278.html z-wave products at Monoprice http://www.mail-archive.com/hardwarehacking@blu.org/msg01300.html Buying a good outdoor security camera http://www.mail-archive.com/hardwarehacking@blu.org/msg01301.html I'd rather not go with a provider based system (like Comcast, ADT, Vivint, etc) since I want to control everything and not have to rely on a company for service or pay a monthly fee. On the security side of things, you'll want to consider whether using a home-brew or self-monitored solution will meet the requirements of your home insurance provider, many of which will offer discounts to systems that meet their criteria. If that isn't a concern, or the provider has flexible rules (for example, not requiring commercial monitoring, but requiring a UL-listed alarm panel), then you have some choices. If you care a lot about the reliability, particularly if you are monitoring the system remotely, you probably want to go with a purpose built alarm panel, rather than adding on security sensors to a home automation platform. I haven't surveyed the market lately, but several years back when I was in the market for an alarm panel, I was rather disappointed with the proprietary offerings. They're generally designed to only allow dealer/installers to access programming features remotely (which you may not care about) and they require you pay a monthly fee to the vendor's authorized partner (usually alarm.com) if you want to monitor the system over the Internet. (I'm hoping this isn't still the case with at least some current panels.) There is a similar limitation on the cellular backup systems used by the panels. The GE panels use a cell service that's again tied to alarm.com. So in addition to buying the cell module for several hundred, you have to pay a monthly fee. No option to drop in your own SIM. (It actually uses GPRS data transmission, I believe, and is hard wired to talk to alarm.com servers.) At least the GE panels and some of the others can be configured to dial out to phone numbers of your choosing, so it is possible to use them in a self-monitoring configuration. (Up to you to figure out a backup channel in the event your phone line is cut.) Several alarm panel vendors have tried getting into the home automation space as an add-on to their panels. Some GE panels and 2GIG, for example, will work with Z-Wave devices to control lights, electronic locks, and whatnot. These capabilities generally are only usable if you again have a monthly subscription to alarm.com. (That's true for the GE panels. Not sure about the 2GIG.) Do you spot the pattern? Basically anything that requires connectivity outside the home they either assume no home owner would be sophisticated enough to handle setting that up on their own, or they simply want to lock you into using a service where they get a cut of the monthly revenue. If you're really more interested in home automation, and security is just a nice-to-have add-on, then you could instead build the system around a home automation controller and get security sensors that talk home automation protocols. The controller could be something from a turn-key solution like Vera (http://getvera.com/) or SmartThings (http://www.smartthings.com/) hub (which offer some limited form of openness) to a fully D-I-Y solution running on a Raspberry Pi or the like. Often times the wireless sensors available for the commercial alarm panels will be cheaper and offer better choices (smaller door sensors, smoke alarms, etc.) than what you can get for home automation sensors. An ideal solution might blend the two. Use a D-I-Y hub with a software defined radio to talk to alarm panel sensors. See: the insecurity of wireless alarm systems http://www.mail-archive.com/hardwarehacking@blu.org/msg01263.html Ideally I would like it to have all three things (security, video automation) all work together in the same system and I'd like to have it network based and even have a mobile app. If you don't want to do much integration work, one of the turn key offerings are going to be your best bet. -Tom -- Tom Metro The Perl Shop, Newton, MA, USA Predictable On-demand Perl Consulting. http://www.theperlshop.com/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [Discuss] Home security automation
On 9/21/2014 5:31 PM, Matt Shields wrote: On Sat, Sep 20, 2014 at 10:21 AM, Richard Pieri richard.pi...@gmail.com wrote: On 9/19/2014 4:37 PM, Matt Shields wrote: I'd rather not go with a provider based system (like Comcast, ADT, Vivint, etc) since I want to control everything and not have to rely on a company for service or pay a monthly fee. [...] Any suggestions? Pay a professional to help you plan the system, install and configure it correctly. It'll be worth it in the long run. Part of wanting to do it myself is because I would learn about all the different components and be able to troubleshoot and fix them if necessary. I think what Rich recommends is good advice: a professional will be able to tell you, gently, that most thefts are done by people you know, and that most of your planning will be concerned with ways to prevent that. Here are a few items to consider: */Theft prevention:/* 1. It's important to understand that most snatch and grab thefts can't be prevented. Police response times allow junkies to force entry, heist your TV and iPad and iPhone, and get out of reach before the police arrive. That's what insurance is for. 2. Every home monitoring system that's sold to civilians can be disabled in seconds with a pair of wire cutters. Anyone who has spent time in prison knows this trick: even amateurs will take the phone off the hook and dial a nonsensical number, to disable old-school burglar alarms which are tied to the phone line. Banks, gun shops, and other target risks all have radio backup systems which are secured behind effective barriers. So, if you are trying to protect high-value items, think of WiMax or Satellite Internet service as a minimum first step. 3. If you have jewelry, antiques, firearms, or other high-value items, you'll probably need a safe, depending on the value of the item(s) you're protecting, and applicable laws. Your insurance carrier will insist on it if you ask them to cover high-value items, and on having a notification procedure when the jewels (or whatever) are being taken off-premise. The safe will have to be appropriately rated (that's why the testing company is called the _/Underwriters/_/' //Laboratory/) and professionally installed so that it can't be dragged away and cut open later. 4. You will need to set up security zones. You can't put a Maginot line around your home, because experienced thieves will be gaining entry when they visit family members, or come to a Tupperware party, etc. You're going to need Private areas where casual visitors are never allowed, and (more importantly) the willingness to erect barriers to exclude them. 5. Alarms and safes and security zones are all about buying time. Safes, for example, are rated by how long they can withstand various kinds of attacks, and a properly designed and installed system will delay attackers until help can get there. 6. You and your family members might be asked to attend security-awareness and self-defense training. Safes are only as good as your willingness to resist when a street stomper points a gun at you, and God knows that there's no shortage of guns or street stompers to hold them. */Remote Management: /* 1. /99% /of environmental control can be done with programmable thermostats. 2. The other 1% is handled by giving your neighbor a house key and your cell number. Bill -- E. William Horne William Warren Consulting 339-364-8487 ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
