On 10/08/2009, at 10:33 AM, Joe Touch wrote:
Users already have many similar things - DHCP, NAT, SSID default to
announce, etc. - "on" by default, and they allow the user to shut it
off
or alter the configuration.
Duplicate DHCP servers and double-NATs are a huge problem for vendors of
home networking equipment when the unskilled user needs to shut it off.
The user may need to shut it "off" when upgrading to a new 802.11N AP
and attaching it to an existing home gateway/router/NAT, for example.
Experience has shown that a majority of home users cannot do that
without making a service call to the vendor's 800 number or hiring
GeekSquad or some other service to reconfigure the network. The call to
the vendor typically costs the vendor tens of dollars, often for a
device
that sells for under $50. GeekSquad, Firedog, etc. costs the non-
professional user about $150 or so.
It should make us more sensitive to HCI in the home when considering new
features that get exposed to users. Some HCI folks are very hot on
social
controls and other innovations for this very reason.
That's the point I am trying to make. Not that there is anything that
is
particularly complicated in your proposal. Practically every config
knob
on the home network has a cost associated with it, often a large cost.
Mark
