> What I think will be next frontier in home computing is truly understanding and owning the systems that run a smart home and that comes with understanding the environment (sensor data, presence detection, etc.)

That's gonna be a while coming - we're now entering a stage where we won't even understand the code that gets written.

Now, sure, some holdouts will understand the code, but that's not going to be the norm soon.

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_fzslm 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

I totally see what you mean - with minified js bundles and mobile walled gardens we've probably already been in that stage for a good ten years - and AI-driven development that we don't even monitor is likely going to make that worse in the short term...

But I do wonder if LLM-driven code analysis might actually increase code comprehension and agency for laymen?

I've been quite impressed with AI's ability to decipher and visualise code and system relationships in e.g. mermaid diagrams.

Perhaps the representation of code will become more elastic (i.e. you have literal code, or AI-produced translations you can directly manipulate)

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rollcat 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

There's a balance to be struck here.

Coming from HomeKit, I've tried (_really_ tried) to move to Home Assistant. The gap in usability was too enormous for me to cross, and I'd brand myself a hacker.

I won't trust any kind of a "smart" device to operate the front door lock - ever - but smart lightbulbs are still stupid lightbulbs. I can just flick the switch.

Privacy concerns are valid - I can be profiled based on usage. But it's not like Apple doesn't know my precise location already.

With all that in mind, I'd say usability comes first.

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beala 5 days ago | parent [-]

I'm not sure what aspect of smart locks you don't trust. If it's reliability, most also accept a physical key as a backup. As far as security, I'm under no impression that the firmware is free of vulnerabilities, but any hack is likey to be at least as hard as lockpicking the average lock, which most people can master with a 10 minute YouTube tutorial. If you're a lock nerd and have upgraded all your locks to some Fort Knox style Medeco model, then sure a smart lock will probably be a downgrade, but for the average person I don't think it's substantially worse than what they already have.

	▲	rollcat 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		Gold coins were replaced by paper money. Paper money was replaced by credit cards. Now credit cards are being replaced by smartphone wallets. My phone or watch can still pay for stuff while they're offline. For the past 5 years, I didn't carry a physical wallet. I'm doing more with less, and failing safe. If the lock freaks out - and yeah, I'm having problems with my HomeKit stuff every now and then - I need the physical key on me. That already defeats the purpose. Otherwise I need to grab the spare key from wherever I keep it. This is not a mere inconvenience, this is an emergency procedure.