The PERL home automation software system !
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• The Image
  The image itself has been 'lightened' and several apps have been removed. This was done to free up some memory, and make the audrey more easily customizable for any location.  Freeing up memory has made a significant difference on standard Audreys in terns of speed/responsiveness. On overclocked units she has a smooth polished feel.
  A stub applicaton has been written to popup a dialog that states that this option is not available, and if you want it you need to goto the 'Package Downloader/Installer' to retrieve and install it.  Many support apps for the original 'maribba' and 'channel' apps are now gone, and some smaller support apps have been added.
  The menu, structure, and graphics all look the same to keep the feel consistant between this and the last image (there may be some subtile differences)
  Startup has been changed to flick to channel 1, and that will be the same as the  main screen (the current default) , till you change it in the Channel Manager. It'll start on whatever channel you assign to Channel01, you choose what your default startup screen is !
  

• Channel Manager
  This one's where I started, It looks and feels simlar to the original audrey channel manager, except it's entirely run out of the Browser (channel 11, by default).
  You can select which package you want installed on any of the 12 filmstrip channels. The page will show the current assignments (dynamically), and they are also links to the actual channel page currently assigned. Additional Navigational links are included to get you to the MrAudery Settings, or Package Manager Pages.
  
  
• MrAudrey Settings
  This was a late development, Now on the MrAudrey.shtml web page you  not only can see what the settings are, but now the ability to actually change the MH_HostAddress  the  New MH_RoomPath (see MH-Room Channel discription below )  configuration settings !   No more manually editing the '/config/MH_HostAddress' file !!
  
  
• Packager Download and Installer
  This is a rather simple looking  page, but it's not.  It allows you to set a 'site' to look for MrAudrey installer packages on, retrieve a list of packages that are on the site, and then it manages downloading, and installing the package onto your Audrey. The defaults site is to http://vsa.cape.com/~pjf/pkgs, but it is not set in stone, as there is another config  file setting that will allow you to change it to wherever you want.
  
  
• Bonus Feature !
  Well, I had an ephiphany. Since the 3 new features run out of a web page, why not enable them to be run remotely? Well I did, and it works great ! All the functions of the Channel Manager, MrAudrey Settings, and the Downloader can be used on Any Audrey on your LAN !
  I like it. No more running around to tweak something on the Audries (I have 6 and it can be a pain).  Even the ChannelManagers links actually open that machines channels (remote varification of channels)
  

• Updated Applications
  PhJuke (v 1.1) , this is available as an add-on package to further lighten the image
  

• NEW/Updated CHANNELS
• MH-Room - Will pull up the nice 'big buttons' (on/off) webpage from MH specifically for the 'Livingroom' X10 lights/applicane group. This can be changed for any other page/group you may want on a channel ¹.
  
• MH-Clock - Go to the nice big misterhouse clock ²
  

• Special MrAudrey Configuration Settings in the '/config ' directory (default values shown)
  

Upgrades for_02-1
ins-utils.zip        Installs the utilitys needed to use the packager system

ins-chR21b.zip  This will re-organize and update all the original channels to the new format (you will loose customizations)

Application packages for _03-?
ins-ntaim.zip......Installs the text based Instant messanger client
ins-psin.zip........Installs the Photon Task manager utility
ins-pv.zip..........Installs the Photon Phote viewer
ins-phplay.........Streaming audio anyone.? (Photon gui app)
ins-mpgnoph.....Similar to above, no gui (hmmm... can you say web page/channel ?--- didn't do streaming ...darn. put on back burner)  Ok I mad it work, I can start it from a webpage (passing it an address) Stopping is another issue ...still beta see below for latest stable test

• Improved volume control startup script
  
  
• install/update utiliy
• The development of a simple update/package utility has been done, tested, and ready.  This will allow for various aspects of the system to be modified, added to , and updated, in an automated manner. 
• Currently it's a command line only utility, but it does all the thing it needs to in order to control the manipulation of the system. 
  
• It is a self installing utility/packager, all you need is to grab one file, and run it.
  
  
• Easier channel modifications
• This utility is currently in beta. It allows you to manipulate the channels, rearrange them, and jump to a specific location.  It has the general feel of the original ChannelManager, but is almost exclusively a JavaScript web page (therefore easily modified )
• There's still a bit of work to be done to make it a bit more bullet proof, but it does allow you to reassign the channels you've loaded to whatever slot on the Filmstrip you want.
  
  
• Updated Channel layout
• The channels are now all contained in their own directories.  This has been done to allow the rearrange option in the ChanMan, as well as allowing you to have additional channels that may or may not be somewhere on the Filmstrip.
  
  
• Installation/Update front end
• This will be a front end for retrieving and installing packages from a web site.  
  
  
• Remove all the unnecessary propriatory 3Com XML utilities
• ChannelSelector
• Replaced By  Cahnnel Modification tool above ( 63k )
• Various CGI utilitits
• GetXML, SetXML... LoadXML...  (16 utilities ~ 250k)
  
• Marimba libraries
• marimba.so ( 220k )
• UpdateChannels ( 102k )
  
  
• Strip out all the Options and make it 'customizable' for the end user
• Some of the Photon entries will be dead ended with a 'Option Not Installed' Popup
• These should be able to be put back in on an as wanted bases useing the channel loader, thus allowing you to maximize available memory.

Excerpt from email to Bruce:

Seeing the palm hotsync function is still in the image, and there is a
datebook on the Audrey, as well as another one in MH ... :)
Maybe we could recruit someone who knows the perl db functions to write
us a 'synchronizer' then you could sync the palm to the audrey that is
sync'd to MH and have a common 'portable' datebook / addressbook across
them all ;) [ the audrey uses a 2 gdbm files for the address and
datebook ]
Hmmmm..... might be useful, sync at the nearest available audrey ...

And another:

This could be a common gdbm file on the MH server. There is a way to
have the audries share a common set of gdbm files from a central server
(these files are usually locally located in the
/data/hotsync/__kojak$name folder ). symlink the files to the share and
viola common audrey and palm across them all.  If it's on the server
then MH could monitor for changes, and update the organizer or the
audreys (either way) A/R.

Alternately (without common share) the audries could upload wait for MH
to process into organizer and regen the gdbm files then go back and get
them (via kcron job), but I like the immediacy of the common/monitor
method above....
(ooOOOoooo ...  and epiphany I think I can coax the audries into
listening for an update ie http:xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/MHDBupdate.shtml or
cgi-bin or something ...)

Looking at these 2 thoughts it seems possible that either may work with
the same code base ......

• Make the Browser or filmstrip chanel come up on startup (definitely working on this one ! )

• Make a MrAudrey setup page that is a one-stop place to do all the configuration from
• Fix the darn (?) page(s) so the text can actually be read (DONE ! mostly)