08-26-2021, 01:05 AM
Thanks for your feedback deeproot, that's great.
I'm definitely committed to fully open source, after being allowed to use reef-pi as I am I couldn't do it. I do see the value in others able to contribute and there's definitely a few things that could be improved that is above my pay grade at this time, I'm no expert, just self taught. I'm hoping at some point I can learn from others that really know their stuff but one thing I like about my code is it's easy to read if you're not experienced as I use simple javascript functions and c++ is just logic. When I look in reef-pi code I don't know what I'm looking at, it's too professional, they do things in 5 lines that I would do in 20 but mine makes sense haha. That and no comments in the code is why I can't contribute anything of value, ultimately I would have made a UI for it. I tried for flow meters and it didn't go so well, it's very complicated just to work on it, mine is super easy, zero linux involved after installing, almost anyone can jump in and make basic changes. I've also been putting a lot of comments throughout so people can understand my thinking a little.
The app is a good idea but that would be difficult as it's a bunch more languages to learn but yes maybe one day. Selling accessories is difficult, I've contacted Milwaukee and there was another distributor for probes but it was a joke, the prices from so called Canadian distributors was way about what they could be purchased on Amazon so impossible to make anything unless I buy from Amazon and overcharge. The only option is cheap no name probes from China which I'm going to stay away from but is tempting. This is also why I don't package the kits with power supply or AC power cords, in the end everyone loses however I think soon I will start including those as it's not a good experience to need to buy things here there and everywhere and hope they work and it's not that much of a lose. That'll leave just the main probes to sort out someday.
A lot has changed since I started, back then it was all DIY, now I rarely sell a DIY kit so I do feel the risk is much lower. As long as I provide good hardware it should be ok.
The Patreon I'm teetering on the benefit of early releases, I was trying to think of rewards as that's kind of how it works. The more I think about it I worry it looks like a loop hole, maybe I'll just have one if people want to contribute without rewards, hey maybe some Robo-Tank tokens that may or may not be redeemable.
I know the tokens are crazy and most could careless, probably bad as people will think I'm running a ponzi scheme here and run away, I look at it like stocks, you get some free and if company does well you get rewarded. I just think it's cool for a few days of work and less than $5 I can have a Robo-Tank cryptocurrency that could be traded like any other, I never realized that was possible. But yeah that's another day, just popped in my head a couple weeks ago and can't get it out haha.
I'm definitely committed to fully open source, after being allowed to use reef-pi as I am I couldn't do it. I do see the value in others able to contribute and there's definitely a few things that could be improved that is above my pay grade at this time, I'm no expert, just self taught. I'm hoping at some point I can learn from others that really know their stuff but one thing I like about my code is it's easy to read if you're not experienced as I use simple javascript functions and c++ is just logic. When I look in reef-pi code I don't know what I'm looking at, it's too professional, they do things in 5 lines that I would do in 20 but mine makes sense haha. That and no comments in the code is why I can't contribute anything of value, ultimately I would have made a UI for it. I tried for flow meters and it didn't go so well, it's very complicated just to work on it, mine is super easy, zero linux involved after installing, almost anyone can jump in and make basic changes. I've also been putting a lot of comments throughout so people can understand my thinking a little.
The app is a good idea but that would be difficult as it's a bunch more languages to learn but yes maybe one day. Selling accessories is difficult, I've contacted Milwaukee and there was another distributor for probes but it was a joke, the prices from so called Canadian distributors was way about what they could be purchased on Amazon so impossible to make anything unless I buy from Amazon and overcharge. The only option is cheap no name probes from China which I'm going to stay away from but is tempting. This is also why I don't package the kits with power supply or AC power cords, in the end everyone loses however I think soon I will start including those as it's not a good experience to need to buy things here there and everywhere and hope they work and it's not that much of a lose. That'll leave just the main probes to sort out someday.
A lot has changed since I started, back then it was all DIY, now I rarely sell a DIY kit so I do feel the risk is much lower. As long as I provide good hardware it should be ok.
The Patreon I'm teetering on the benefit of early releases, I was trying to think of rewards as that's kind of how it works. The more I think about it I worry it looks like a loop hole, maybe I'll just have one if people want to contribute without rewards, hey maybe some Robo-Tank tokens that may or may not be redeemable.
I know the tokens are crazy and most could careless, probably bad as people will think I'm running a ponzi scheme here and run away, I look at it like stocks, you get some free and if company does well you get rewarded. I just think it's cool for a few days of work and less than $5 I can have a Robo-Tank cryptocurrency that could be traded like any other, I never realized that was possible. But yeah that's another day, just popped in my head a couple weeks ago and can't get it out haha.
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