Call to action - volunteers for openHAB "marketing"

Organisation
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I dont think openHAB should cut of file based users… That would be a huge mistake, (I would be gone for sure :slight_smile: ). But Billj do have a point is, that the docs seems to be written for the file based users only.

The other day I was trying to create a Group item from UI… After a few try I simply had to give up and turned to the doc, only to discover its not there (or I couldnt find it). But how to create items (and Group) is there, for text files, just as if openHAB was still on 2.xx.

I know you´ll say, there has to be someone doing this. And I agree, it is a problem, if there is noone willing to make it. It simple aint gona happen… Thats the disadvantage of open source.

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I’ve been trying to recruit volunteers to help with that since OH 3 was released.

I’ve done what I can thus far and will continue to do so but I can only do so much by myself.

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Well, the point is, although it may look ugly, text configuration is very precise and can be copied easily. A picture may say more than a thousand words, but it’s often not as precise and it definitely needs much more space.

There are some articles which refer to different languages (for rules) and the user can chose between with a button. I think this could also be a option for UI vs. text configuration, but it would be a huge amount of work to create all these screenshots, a real nightmare…

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Would like to add, that text config for items can be imported into MainUI.

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@rlkoshak @ypyly I am not saying remove config files at all. Just saying this thread was about attracting new users and since OH3 you can do everything in the web UI. ( well at least I do and is understated ) That for me made me stay as I am not a coder. Initially config files were the only way to configure OH and I relied on your posts Rich to get me going and I really appreciate all your efforts and rest of the community that is also a strength of OH. What is surprising me is that since OH3 and the upgraded UI you were kinda guided to use the UI rather than config files. If you used files then they didn’t show in the UI and vice versa and I didn’t want the pain of two configuration environments so I moved everything to the UI and I have never looked back.

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This isn’t strictly true. There are still some things that require text files to config even on OH 4.1.

I agree that the UI makes it so the reference docs do not need to be as comprehensive because the forms in the UI are somewhat self documenting.

It’s also worth noting that the Getting Started Tutorial is UI only.

But the reference docs must keep the reference guides for file based configs. I’d like to add more of the UI ways of doing things to them but need volunteers to help with that effort. So far only the Concepts: Rules page is complete. Rules | openHAB. Things, Items, and so on also need a similar overhaul. And a lot still needs to be done with rules too (Issue posted above).

What I object to though is if we remove the text file based stuff from the reference docs, those who choose to use text files for their config are left with nothing. It’s tantamount to eliminating text file configs entirely.

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Removing text file based stuff from documentation is simply not an option at all IMHO.

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168

Instead of removing documentation about file based config, we should simply change our docs so that new users are guided to GUI-based config and there could be an advanced section further below where we explain advanced techiques. I also remember @rlkoshak refering to a post where he was requesting help on the docs (but can‘t remember what).
I will PM Rich once I will have finished the New Users Guide next couple of days and start filling the gaps and do some polishing of the docs (restructuring of the docs, small gif-„videos“ instead of static screenshots, etc.)

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All of the reference docs need to be updated to include the UI way of doing things.

I’ve an Issue open for reworking the rules docs in particular which is about half way done (all the new content has been written, we just need to edit and reorganize what’s already written). Rework Rules Documentation · Issue #1855 · openhab/openhab-docs · GitHub. This issue shows what’s been done and what’s left to do.

A similar rework is needed for Things, Items, and Persistence.

Just keep in mind that this can increase the maintenance load to keep the docs up to date. Be judicious in the use of screen shots or animated gifs.

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I used to use config files and DSL when I started using OH2.5.
I upgraded to OH3 and converted DSL to javaScript.
Now I am on OH4 and I have removed most of the files (99.9%) and moved the persistence to the UI as well.
I did like the files as I could use grep to find stuff but now I just use the UI and any new user would probably want to use that as well?
My set up is not too complicated and I don’t use a sitemap either (which can be created in the UI)
New users would like to click to create in my opinion.

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Yes I believe so
I do not think the file configuration portion of the documents should be eliminated but I do believe most new user are going to use the UI and there is a benefit in encouraging them to do so. That benefit is the reduced support needed because file based config is more error prone.

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Did you see this? Google home has a script editor and it's using AI to generate the script

This will solve two of the P’s: Product and Price.

Anyway this can be applied to OH?

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Doubtful. The script generated is going to be specific to Google Home, not openHAB. The AI has to understand the APIs it is interacting with and there is no reason to expect that Google has trained this AI on anything but their own APIs.

So far my experience with third party LLMs is that they almost never produce openHAB rules that even make sense, let alone work. But what it does produce is often close enough to looking right that you have to be nearly an expert in the rules to figure out what it got wrong and fix it.

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Hello everyone

I missed this thread.

I’ll read it all slowly again and write another reply.

But in the meantime, please know that I’ll support this as much as I can.

Cheers,
Stuart

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I’m not sure if this is “on topic”, but it’s something to think about alongside the whole “Marketing= get more people using our product” subject.

“How do non tech people get what they want without having the skills?”

For example, I’m happy to sell Velbus hardware and find installers, train the installers and get it all working.
But that’s where my skills have to end.

When the customer/ buyer wants a funky interface or linking with other products, I can offer them a ready assembled computer with openHAB installed and I can pull in their Velbus assets, but bright and shiny graphics or rules are just not my skill. (Or at least, not good enough to feel comfortable charging for)

(I’ve just had this conversation with an installer in Dubai)

“Where do we go to openly pay for someone’s time to do the magic?” (Other than handing the whole project over to a Control4 installer to import the Velbus assets and give a glossy tablet to the customer)

Would this make sense to put things like this on a bounty site?

Or should we setup our own version of Guru.com / Freelancer etc etc

There’s money to be made from this, which compensates people for their efforts, which in turn might ease the balance between paid work and volunteer work?

https://www.upwork.com/en-gb/ab/profiles/search/?q=homeassistant

https://www.upwork.com/en-gb/ab/profiles/search/?q=openHAB

https://www.fiverr.com/hired4ucom/create-your-lovelace-interface-for-home-assistant

https://www.fiverr.com/search/gigs?query=Openhab&source=top-bar&ref_ctx_id=82aa9963c9baffd5762d9faf17ed5297&search_in=everywhere&search-autocomplete-original-term=openhab

And so on?

As the old saying goes, “Power is nothing without control”

Purely as an example
(Seems his “top offer” is ~US$250)

IMG-20231015-WA0008
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OH already uses bountysource.com

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Would this / is this appropriate for front end or rules requests?

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I don’t know. It’s pretty open and the person creating the bounty gets to define the success criteria.

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To come back to the title of this thread:
“Call to action - volunteers for openHAB “marketing””

Over the last weeks I have published a small series of YouTube videos. Most of them on openHAB topics and -sorry- all in German.

The idea is to show in 2 - 3 minute clips use cases for smart home/ garden/ life and provide project ideas for openHAB.

Target audience are people who already know the basics and just need some inspiration and quick “how to” tips.

At the moment the channel has 7 subscribers and less than 500 views in total - kind of a “best kept secret” :slight_smile:

If anyone has ideas for future videos, just let me know.

The channel is named “automation. information. inspiration.”

https://www.youtube.com/@SmartAutomationInspiration

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If you could provide a text transcription and authorize me to dub the video (or publish subtitled versions) I would be happy to publish here in Portugal

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