6 replies to this topic

[James Abbott]

Hi,

First, I would like to say a big congrats to Chris and the Secret Labs team for making such headway for their Agent Smart watch campaign - as I'm writing it's over 8x the funding target. This revenue stream is going to help Secret Labs grow as a company, which can only benefit all of us Netduino users.

Please remember, the Netduino product is open source, which in any environment means there's a limited amount of profit it can generate. AND yet they're still throwing support at the product.

Chris has stated many times that the Agent has been in development since late 2011 - And we have had Gen 2 hardware, NETMF 4.2 and 4.3 updates in that time span. Not once has the development or production slowed during this time. 

The only thing that has changed here, is that Chris has had a lot of updates/comments to keep up with on the Kickstarter campaign - but that's the point of the project being Open source, and it being a "community" - that other members can help out where needed.

I personally think he has done a great job seeing the number of responses on the campaign, and on this forum to date - and I dread to think of the number of hours he must spend reviewing them - and for that, I would like to say THANK YOU. 

[Verdris]

as I'm writing it's over 8x the funding target.

 

Maybe they can throw some funding towards developing a mini powered by the STM32F!

[Chris Walker]

Hi Verdris,  

Maybe they can throw some funding towards developing a mini powered by the STM32F!

We need to keep separate budgets for AGENT and Netduino engineering so that they both have protected roadmaps. But...let's just say that the engineering team has been looking at options for a next-gen mini-Netduino. Chris

[theTroll]

More hate for the trolls.  So very sad.  Trolls need love too. 

[khmesmer]

Well I posted a Troll like response simply out of concerns of company getting side tracked from a great product. Chris Walker has responded more than satisfactorily to those concerns and I am no longer a Troll. I didn't read the other Troll posts so I don't know what was said. I agree Chris has done a fantastic job with this forum and personally I don' t know how he manages this alone along with his other responsibilities. I too hope the smart watch is a hit and that it was the right move. I am not running the company nor would I try so I have to trust in the judgment of Secret Labs.

 

Chris you don't have to respond to this as you already have me convinced. For the rest of you though please understand many of us are investing a lot of time in these products. We have a vested interest in seeing these products grow and expand. I am trying to use the product to help a handicapped mom who can't hear for example. If I put all of my time in learning Netduino (I know nothing about microcontrollers and programming) and then the company goes kaput well then you can understand my frustration. Now I have to go learn something else. The .net MicroFramework may reduce the learning curve as a result of it's standardization but GHI doesn't use all virtual pins for example like the Netduino Go does.  It makes the effort all the more difficult when it shouldn't have been.

 

So don't bash the Trolls too much because some of them have a point. Some people are trolls just to cause trouble. When you see that bash away. But if a reasonable argument is presented respond reasonably. Chris did and I was a very happy customer as a result. Another high five for Chris.

 

Signed Kevin the Troll  )

 

Edited note: Now you got me all upset over the dang trolls. I need some Zantac! Gahhhhhh!

[cutlass]

IMHO, I see the AGENT watch as solidifying the Netduinos!

 

If the AGENT watches are super successful (which I hope ), then the Netduino line would also benefit from any AGENT development.  It's easy to go from an AGENT form factor to a big development board with connectors.

Of course, the Netduino line will have it's own R&D budget and plan.  Chris has shown that he knows business. IMHO, you don't ignore a good/profitable product line.

 

Also, having a good low power Netduino that could run on a button-cell, or a small rechargeable battery and solar cell would be great!  Such as a Netduino based on the AGENT watch.  But, obviously without the AGENT "OS customizations" and without some of the added AGENT required hardware - Qi charging, display, BT, magnetometer, accelerometer, etc.

 

Although I would love to see a 1GHz Netduino, I don't see that in the near future.  The processors in the Netduino product don't have a simple upgrade path to anything that fast made by the manufacture (yet).

 

Also, IMHO, with the AGENT watch, and people able to make money from AGENT apps, that will bring a lot more people to the .NETMF and C# world.  That will bring more code examples.

 

Also, IMHO, there are other reasons why I think the AGENT watches will benefit the Netduinos. 

[Chris Walker]

Hi cutlass, Very good points, thank you. You will also be seeing some cross-breeding between AGENT technology and Netduino technology We're open-sourcing the SAM4S NETMF port for AGENT. We'll be using some of what we created for AGENT in future Netduino hardware. And of course AGENT itself was prototyped with Netduino, an example of a really powerful commercial product built from Netduino and on top of NETMF. Together we can inspire even more developers and manufacturers to create their own customized hardware based on NETMF, making the ecosystem even stronger. Chris