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Linux Software Hardware

Pluto: Linux-based Do-everything System 240

Posted by michael from the house-of-whacks dept.
tazzzzz writes "Ever wanted an easy-to-configure, whole-house, internet-accessible, Linux-based VOIP PBX with video, PVR, firewall/router, security system, MP3 player, file server, personal web server, home automation (lights, thermostat) controller? I just came across the Pluto which claims to do all of this (and more, of course!). It'll set you back $15,000 if you're living in a small bachelor pad, but you didn't need that car anyway, did you?"
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Pluto: Linux-based Do-everything System More

Pluto: Linux-based Do-everything System

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  • Security issues? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by sparrow_hawk ( 552508 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:32PM (#7868251)
    Hmm... as "nifty" as this might seem, I think I'd rather my firewall be separate from my mail/mp3/whatever server.

    • Re:Security issues? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by toasted_calamari ( 670180 ) <[moc.liamg] [ta] [diuqsgninrub]> on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:41PM (#7868302) Homepage Journal
      My thoughts exactly. When I read this article the phrase "Jack of all trades, master of none" sprung to mind. I have never seen a "does everything" device that actually worked well.

    • Re:Security issues? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by MikeXpop ( 614167 ) <mike@redcrow[ ].com ['bar' in gap]> on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:41PM (#7868303) Journal
      No kidding. Get r00ted and there goes your TiVo, your mp3 collection, your heat, your security system! There goes your whole freaking house! No thank you.

      • Re:Security issues? (Score:5, Funny)

        by Geek of Tech ( 678002 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @06:01PM (#7869354) Homepage Journal
        Me sees it now... box gets rooted while I'm away from home...

        Me: (arriving home from some LAN party) Pluto, open the Garage door.

        Pluto: I'm afraid I can't to that, Dave.

        Me: Dave? OPEN the GARAGE DOOR PLUTO.

        I'm afraid that this conversation can serve no purpose. Goodbye. (At that moment, Pluto connects to the computer in my car and drives me somewhere to somewhere near Texas...

    • Re:Security issues? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Alpha27 ( 211269 )
      I do have to agree with this, some things should be seperate.

      My concerns would be :
      * load on the machine if it's used for everything at once, or at least two or more CPU/Memory intensive apps at once.
      * the quality of the services, would they run slower because it's running multiple services at once,
      * single point of failure

      I hope the $15,000 can compensate for all that.

      • Re:Security issues? (Score:2, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        * load on the machine if it's used for everything at once, or at least two or more CPU/Memory intensive apps at once.

        Other than the VoIP w/video, nothing in that list seems to processor intensive to me.

      • Re:Security issues? (Score:3, Interesting)

        by blair1q ( 305137 )
        Right now, on a 2.2GHz/400MHzFSB/1GB266MHzDDR Wintel machine, I'm ripping CDs in CDex, playing MP3s with Winamp, and videos with WMP, while browsing the net (yes, all at once; doesn't happen often, but then neither does this thread).

        No glitches.

        Oh yeah. And UD is running in the background (the only app lower than Normal priority) curing cancer or finding anthrax vaccines or some background-worthy shit like that.

        Load? 100%, naturally. Cost? $1300 (18 months ago) plus sweat equity to install it all (push
        • I've seen myself ripping CDs (gRip) and playing MP3s (xmms) while playing Unreal Tournament (server and client), and it worked perfectly smoothly. That was an AMD system that cost about 1000 2 years ago. And it all ran smoothly.

          Other than the OS, I spent about 4 minutes installing and configuring (did it again recently on the same hardware since I replaced the disk with a larger one), and it all ran smoothly.

          If I'd bought a PC 2 years ago that couldn't do that all at once with no problems, I'd take it bac

    • Re:Security issues? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by 3Suns ( 250606 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:44PM (#7868655) Homepage
      Who says it's just one machine? I don't know the system details, but it's quite possible that the system includes multiple actual computers that would have a firewall in front of everything, and eliminate the single point of failure. $15000 buys a lot of hardware, even if the system includes several "orbiters" and a fancy cell phone and whatever else.

      • Re:Security issues? (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Reece400 ( 584378 )
        From the sounds of it, your home security system is acessible on the internet... that in it's self would make me very wary :S

        Reece,
        • How to break into a house using Pluto for security:
          --------------------

          Step 1: Discover IP address of the unit(s)
          Step 2: Post bogus story to slashdot about MS releasing all code under GPL so everyone will look.
          Step 3: Make sure to have the link in the bogus story to point to Pluto.
          Step 4: Hope that the folk in charge put up the story without reading it. (50/50 chance :P)
          Step 5: Prepare black mask and bag and hope that slashdot knocks Pluto off the face of the earth.

      • Re:Security issues? (Score:5, Informative)

        by nvrrobx ( 71970 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @05:49PM (#7869247) Homepage
        I happen to be a developer on this project.

        It is not just one machine. The system setup is different based on each customers needs.

        Since I don't work in sales or marketing, I can't give you a full rundown, but the product does scale based on the customers specific needs.
    • Since the box is based on Linux, I don't think it'd be a lot of work to split the function up among two or more "Pluto Core" units of varying capacity, or to even create an air gap by sticking a box with a different OS in front. Go send Pluto some feedback.

  • A little too successful with my PVR :( (Score:4, Interesting)

    by the man with the pla ( 710711 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:33PM (#7868254)
    TiVo: You love it or you haven't met it.

    I got tivo four years ago and instantly fell deeply in love with it. That love continues to this day, but has changed form. About a year ago, I realized that my giddy passion had given way to serenity, by which I mean that I realized that I just didn't want to watch tv any more, even on tivo. It was tivo that got me to this state of mind. It started by seeing how intrusive commercials were, and how much better tv was without it. The next phase for me was the realization of how manipulative the networks were with their program timing and scheduling; how wonderful to be free of that too! And then last summer I found I had dined at the table of paradise enough. I had actually watched enough episodes of The Simpsons, Futurama, Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier, and tons of other shows. To borrow an analogy from another slashdot writer, it was like the weekly trip to the hardware store after you've bought a new house, where one day you get there and you realize that you just don't need anything else, and you turn around and leave.

    This has been a profound experience for me. And I don't think I could have gotten here without Tivo. Maybe I would have and it would have taken longer, but I like to think it was tivo.

    Now I keep tivo around for the kid (Sesame St, etc).
    • So what you are saying is: Thanks to Tivo, you haven't been introduced to new shows that you might like. And now that you're tired of watching repeats of shows you once liked, you are quitting TV completely.

      Not exactly the pursuasive argument you were going for, now is it?
      • So what you are saying is: Thanks to Tivo, you haven't been introduced to new shows that you might like. And now that you're tired of watching repeats of shows you once liked, you are quitting TV completely.

        I think the best argument for Tivo is you have the magic ability to actually catch interesting things at odd times, so you can be social at normal times and actually having something to talk about, what you watched on tv.

      • Re:A little too successful with my PVR :( (Score:4, Insightful)

        by dont_think_twice ( 731805 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @04:04PM (#7868756) Homepage
        Thanks to Tivo, you haven't been introduced to new shows that you might like

        Not exactly the pursuasive argument you were going for, now is it?

        Wow, he is really missing out. All that time he is spending doing constructive things, he could be watching TV.

        I think you are missing the point.
    • it was like the weekly trip to the hardware store after you've bought a new house, where one day you get there and you realize that you just don't need anything else, and you turn around and leave.

      Yes! I experienced precisely that same thing a few months ago! I'm actually loving it because it means I'm more able to save my money for important things like tuition :)

      When I first started working (I started my second job ever last spring, though my first job isn't relevant to the story), every week it was li

    • Re:A little too successful with my PVR :( (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ghjm ( 8918 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @06:13PM (#7869440) Homepage
      It isn't TiVo doing this to you.

      The Simpsons, Futurama, Friends, Seinfeld and Frasier represent a generation of television that was compellingly watchable. Some of those shows are still soldiering on, some of them aren't. As they die off, they are being replaced by shows like Survivor, The Bachelor, American Idol and Fear Factor. Yes, there are a few decent shows still being produced, but they are being crowded out of the schedule. I haven't added up the numbers, but I would bet that in the 2000 - 2003 time period there were less than half as many great new shows as there were in 1996 - 1999.

      What it boils down to is, the advertising market has crashed, so budgets for TV series production have disappeared. Reality shows are cheap to produce, and they pull in the numbers. So that's where TV has gone. If you like reality shows, this is a Golden Age. If you don't, welcome to the post-TV consciousness.

      TiVo or no TiVo.

      -Graham
      • Early Edition is cool (show about a dude who gets tomorrow's paper), and it's on PAX right after reruns of AFV (from the early 90's) you probably haven't seen.

        Just thought I'd say that.
      • What it boils down to is, the advertising market has crashed, so budgets for TV series production have disappeared.

        Assisted, of course, by outrageous paycheques for the "stars."

        It's time for a market correction. The cast of Friends is in no way worth a million each per episode, because advertising on Friends is not worth a million dollars, because the crap that is advertised isn't worth purchasing. Coca-cola, Dodge Neon, and Levi jeans... common, everyday, overpriced crap that everyone already knows ab
    • I love the technology in the TiVo, but I still haven't brought myself to purchase one. Every time I think I should, I start thinking about which programs I'll have it record for me to watch later - and I think "Gee, there's hardly anything I need to see badly enough to be worth paying hundreds of dollars for the ability." Then I leave the store, one more day without a PVR.

      I'm really not "anti television" or anything. If you have a bunch of "must see" shows, good for you. Enjoy them! I just find that w
    • After I got married I weened my wife off TV. Now the only time the TV is switched on (other than to watch DVDs) is when there's a rugby game on (World Cup, Super 12, NPC - I bet you yanks have never heard of those :-)

  • -1: Slashvertisement (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Hey editors, we can smell when you have product placements as "news". Please, at least note that in the story.

    $15000? No thanks.

    • Oh god. I'm so tired of posts like the parent. Slashdot's advertising is those banners at the top.

      Not story placement.

      Everytime someone mentions some comercial entity on slashdot some AC or troll [anti-slash.org] thinks it's not an ad. ITS NOT AN AD. The editors posted this story because they thought we'd think it was interesting. And it is.

      Also, if you don't like slashdot, you can leave. We won't be crying :)

    • Re:-1: Slashvertisement (Score:5, Insightful)

      by tazzzzz ( 203300 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:11PM (#7868486) Homepage
      As the person who posted this, I can say that I have absolutely no affiliation with the company that makes this. It seemed an appropriate topic for slashdot to me, because here's a product that incorporates doubtless dozens of open source projects into a useful, usable package. (At least, that's the idea... I don't have this system to play with...)

      This is, I assure you, not a product placement (unless the /. editors convinced this company to fork over some dough between last night when I submitted this and now when it appeared on the site.)

      Kevin
    • "Hey editors, we can smell when you have product placements as "news". Please, at least note that in the story."

      If it's interesting, who cares if it's an ad?

      Ads aren't automatically bad.

  • Here we go again. (Score:5, Funny)

    by MikeXpop ( 614167 ) <mike@redcrow[ ].com ['bar' in gap]> on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:36PM (#7868268) Journal
    Ever wanted an easy-to-configure, whole-house, internet-accessible, Linux-based VOIP PBX with video, PVR, firewall/router, security system, MP3 player, file server, personal web server, home automation (lights, thermostat) controller?
    Hey, computer? Turn up the heat and tape Miami Vice for me.

    "I'm afraid I can't do that David"

    But my name's Mike. Hey, where'd Poole go?

  • DIY (Score:3, Funny)

    by Khazunga ( 176423 ) * on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:36PM (#7868269)
    $15000 bucks is a little less what I make per year. It'd be much more cost effective if I built one of these myself. Not that I need one, anyway. VoA (Voice over Air), gesture controlled light switches and junk-made file/mp3/web server work perfectly well at my home.

  • This is ridiculous! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by linux_user_31337 ( 737587 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:37PM (#7868278)
    Why should I shell out $15,000 for something that's an order of magnitude more expensive than the sytem I've built myself?

    I built a MythTV [mythtv.org] system (using a hacked XBox as a frontend!) with a USB webcam for videoconferencing on my TV for less than $2000. It can do everything the Pluto adverises except home automation, but some X10 devices would take care of that.

    This is a perfect toy for the busy executive who loves using the latest technology but doesn't understand it -- not for us able Linux lovers on slashdot!

    • Why should I shell out $15,000 for something that's an order of magnitude more expensive than the sytem I've built myself?

      I'm going to pick on you here. Not personally, but just because the mood strikes and your post is perfect.

      Slashdotters should take the queue from the "pros" and develop an alternative to sell to your boss.

      You see, we complain about the big salaries our bosses command, and complain that they don't know the tech they use, and leave it at that.

      Instead, perhaps we should be building o

    • Re:This is ridiculous! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:52PM (#7868381)
      This is a perfect toy for the busy executive who loves using the latest technology but doesn't understand it -- not for us able Linux lovers on slashdot!
      Exactly, so how is that ridiculous? I take as a good example of somebody who's probably a lot like me, except they had the guts to make a business out of their convergence box hobby. Good for them! As for whether there's really a market, well I guess they'll find out. But I heard an interview with the owner of a local electronics chain, and he told about people who call up asking for a high-fidelity sound system throughout their new custom home. "$30K? OK. When can you have it done?"

    • Re:This is ridiculous! (Score:5, Informative)

      by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @05:56PM (#7869311) Homepage
      It can do everything the Pluto adverises except home automation, but some X10 devices would take care of that.

      not.

      sorry, but home automation is much more complex than you think it is.

      how about the fact you need to interface tons of input sensors and occupancy sensors (not motion detectors) plus be able to RELIABLY control the important things like heat? a RS485 thermostat is $300.00 for the el-cheapo one. the X10 thermostat from RCS is an absolute piece of junk.

      plus you can easily overwhelm your X10 system in the house if you have lots of modules and command consoles.. oh and you had a $200.00 bridge and repeater installed right? X10 doesn't work work a crap without that.

      Let's add in the weather station so the house can wake you 30 minutes early because of the snowstorm last night or alert you that the cover on the hot-tub has blown off because of high winds.

      a few X10 modules and misterhouse is NOT a home automation system.

      I strongly suggest you go and have a demonstration of a real home automation system, thne you will know what it really is.

  • Yes, but... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Comatose51 ( 687974 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:38PM (#7868282) Homepage
    Yes, but does it run Linu...

    Oh, wait.
  • I can custum build it for almost free(just takes me 20 hours of so, but 20 hours against $15/h == 20*15=$300 and only need an old PC, and linux). I've already a MP3 server, soldering a com-port relais board for the lights etc is also possible . The video stuff could be a VCR controlled by you relais :-) or a tv-caputere card with hardware mpeg decoding ($150 or someting, not worth 15000) Why pay $15000 for something you can make yourself and o'course it's much more fun DIY

  • Now only if it were a female robot. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Alpha27 ( 211269 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:42PM (#7868309)
    cooked, cleaned, played music and gave you updates on all your favorite shows, while having I/O communication (read into the I/O and you will get the joke). Why you can then replace your own girlfriend, and patch her everytime a new kernel came out.
  • A decent webserver it would seem. /.ed even on a Saturday. Ouch.

  • If only . . . (Score:3, Funny)

    by dgrgich ( 179442 ) * <drew&grgich,org> on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:43PM (#7868320)
    . . . this thing made a good cup of coffee. Then we might be able to talk . . .

  • Pluto, eh? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:44PM (#7868333)
    I guess Uranus was in use! :-)

    Eagerly awaiting the mod to "-1, Troll".

  • Hmm (Score:5, Funny)

    by Dark Lord Seth ( 584963 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:46PM (#7868346) Journal
    you didn't need that car anyway, did you?

    Not if Pluto comes with four wheels and a V8 engine.

  • Targeted for non-technical consumers (Score:4, Insightful)

    by samdaone ( 736750 ) <samdaone@hotmail.com> on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:47PM (#7868352) Journal
    This device is probably targeted for someone who wants a plug and play solution, or does not have the technical knowledge to build their own from a variety of parts offered at the consumer level (server, software, tv tuner, big hard drives, mic...) Someone with some level of putting together a computer can probably come up with a more economic version of this item.

    However, if you do not want to build your own and have money to burn this is a perfect oppurtunity to buy one!
    • Its a creston/AMX contender in the high end home automation market. To give you an idea of how what the market is like, a 15" creston touchscreen can cost $15,000 (thats a client, not the whole system). Home automation installations on average cost 80-200k (some projects go on forever and cost millions).
  • ...is this actually cheaper and more convenient than just purchasing and/or making the individual systems yourself with your own Linux setup?

    And another thing: is it just me, or is this only news because it's Linux-based?

  • I have all that and more, for a lot less (Score:3, Interesting)

    by core plexus ( 599119 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:48PM (#7868356) Homepage
    Sometime back, I experimented with controlling the lights and other household stuff from an extra computer. Made it into a PVR/media player, etc as well. It was ok, but I went back to just turning the lights on and off by hand, and didn't find enough interesting programs to watch anyway. I don't worry about anyone breaking in while I'm gone, because my security system consists of 2 Akita/mix and armed neighbors. I don't even use my cellphone anymore-it was like a tether.

    I wonder what the market for something like this is? I mean $15,000? First Adopters, I thank you for taking the brunt of R&D and other costs. Maybe they are pricing the first ones high to recoup costs, but all their profits are going to pay for the extra bandwidth on their Flash-sucky site. At first I was thinking "Awesome way to advertise your product or service", and then I thought "Oh, wait, maybe not".

    -cp-

    Alaska Bugs Sweat Gold Nuggets [alaska-freegold.com]

  • I would think many if not most slashdot readers would rather create their own system from scratch, both for the fun of it and for the reduced cost.

  • Pluto (Score:3, Funny)

    by aynrandfan ( 687181 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:50PM (#7868365)
    Sounds like a Mikey Mouse operation here.

  • Sorry, no sale. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Security is our top priority. All communication is encrypted using an unbreakable 2048-bit system. The whole Pluto network, including your existing pc's, sits safely behind the protection of the Pluto Core, which includes a commercial-grade Linux server that is not susceptible to the viruses and security breaches you find in Windows pc's.

    These guys are just ASKING for someone to hack their system. As computing power increases, 2048 will take very little time to brute-force (though this probably won't h
    • You don't have to make it impossible to hack, just harder than your neighbour.
      It's like the parable about the two men in the Savannah confronted by a tiger - one starts to tighten his boot laces - the other one says
      "You don't expect to outrun a tiger, do you?"
      The first man replies
      "No need, as long as I can outrun you!"
    • Could someone please mod the parent as overrated or troll, rather than insightful! 2048 bit RSA, El Gamal, or Public Key Algorithm of choice is not in any way vulnerable to being brute forced any time in the near future. The most vulnerable is probably RSA which some research is showing MIGHT be THEORETICALLY be breakable (by some more cunning factoring algorithms and a lot of custom silicon) at 1024 if you're willing to spend a small fortune. But even that's not BRUTE FORCING.

      Jedidiah

  • All in one, or many single purpose tools (Score:3, Interesting)

    by voisine ( 153062 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:56PM (#7868395)
    It's a classic argument. Is it better to have a single device that does everthing where all features work together under a single uniform interface, or many devices that are all designed to perform a single task and do it well. The problem with the all in one approach is that it's nearly impossible to everything well. What happens when you want the new features of a competing PVR product? Maybe dual sattelite recivers, or HD capability. On the other hand, what if you want to automatically have your tv volume mute and your stereo turn into a quadriphonic speaker phone when you recieve a call. That's harder to do with seperate devices that don't know about each other. What we really need is a standardized control/communication interface so all the seperate devices can communicate and work together, yet any one piece can be replaced or upgraded with a competitors product at any time.
    • Well, it's impossible to tell anything from the crappy website, but it sounds like this system is a collection of hardware - not one box. It could very well be that they have taken lots of parts that do one thing well and integrated them with a unified interface. But probably not...

      As far as the standardized interface, check out lonworks enabled products.
  • 15 grand, and lets see if it can take a slashdotting!

    house next door catches fire and frantic screams are heard

    so that's what happens when a house gets slashdotted

  • yes.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by relrelrel ( 737051 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @02:59PM (#7868417)
    "Ever wanted an easy-to-configure, whole-house, internet-accessible, Linux-based VOIP PBX with video, PVR, firewall/router, security system, MP3 player, file server, personal web server, home automation (lights, thermostat) controller?"

    Yes, it's called Windows XP :)

  • It's quite surprising that people have so much money to spend these days.
    When I was young an offer to buy something besides houses or companies for 15000 $ would be considered to be a tasteless joke. Even for extremely rich people this would be too much. I still remember that there was much talk in the New York high society when Rockefeller bought his wife a collier for 20000 $.
    It seems that capitalism had really achived what the communists always wanted: the make common man really rich.
    Funnily in the 19

  • Hmm (Score:4, Funny)

    by sparklingfruit ( 736978 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:00PM (#7868422)
    Ever wanted an easy-to-configure, whole-house, internet-accessible, Linux-based VOIP PBX with video, PVR, firewall/router, security system, MP3 player, file server, personal web server, home automation (lights, thermostat) controller?

    No.


    Not for $15,000 anyway.
    • Good point. For that I can hire someone to entertain me, operate the VCR and turn my lights on and off. Hell, in this economy I can probably find someone who will throw in web design and hosting, too.
  • The short answer would be "No".

    The longer answer would be "No, but I'll have some of whatever you're smoking/drinking/injecting/snorting".

    The sympathetic answer would be "No, and I can recommend a very good psychiatrist if you continue to use the terms 'MP3 Player' and $15,000 in the same sentence."

    But I think the most accurate answer would be "BWAAAA HAAA HAAA HAAA HAAA HAAA oh jeez *wipes eyes* HAHHHAAAA *snif*".

  • So the question is... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Valar ( 167606 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:10PM (#7868472)
    when the site gets /.ed, do their lights turn off? Maybe it calls their upstream provider and asks for more bandwidth, automatically?

  • Wrong target audience... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by igrp ( 732252 )

    Seriously.
    I realize Slashdot readers as a group are probably pretty diverse with regard to age, race, jobs, background, etcetera. But what unites us is curiosity: we want to know how stuff works, how to solve a specific problem or how others have chosen to tackle those problems. That's what /. is all about, IMHO: discovering how to look at stuff from a different perspective, one you hadn't considered before (that, and killing time at work, of course ;)).

    I'm sure most of us would build an pluto-like device

  • Can be done WAY cheaper (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jgaynor ( 205453 ) <jon@gaAUDENynor.org minus poet> on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:20PM (#7868531) Homepage
    How about combining IPchains [netfilter.org], MythTV [mythtv.org] and/or Freevo [sourceforge.net] with MisterHouse [misterhouse.net] and some X10 equipment on a commodity $300 1.5-2 Ghz machine?

    • Re:Can be done WAY cheaper (Score:5, Insightful)

      by tempest303 ( 259600 ) <jensknutson AT yahoo DOT com> on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:56PM (#7868716) Homepage
      You missed the point. It's all integrated, and "easy to use". What you just listed are completely un-integrated, discrete projects. So, to quote jwz [jwz.org], "Linux is only free if your time is worth nothing". Sure, I could spend a ton of time learning to do each of those things for myself, or I could just buy a box that already does it for me.

      That said, the price is way too high, and I'm betting it's not quite as easy to use or configure as they think it is. However, if they made it truly easy to configure and use, and brought the price to more like $5000 (you're paying for software and customization here), then they might have something - I could certainly see the Sharper Image types digging this. Plus, it would probably have the effect of spurring guys from projects like the ones you listed to make their stuff easier to configure and use, and would also likely result in a FreePluto project... bwahahahaha...
    • Yes, but it's still not a PBX (perhaps would be with Asterisk [asterisk.org]. It would take some pretty intense programming to put a gui on that that'll allow you to drag and drop to transfer calls though.

      Not that Pluto is the answer to everything, but it looks like they aim to have *everything* integrated to a pretty high degree. I wouldn't necessarily use drag and drop call control, but I can see a lot of people being wowed by it.

      -Pete

  • one unneeded feature (Score:3, Funny)

    by way2trivial ( 601132 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:21PM (#7868532) Homepage Journal
    internet accesible?
    Problem I see is, the demographically ideal purchaser?

    never, ever leaves the house

  • Well (Score:2, Redundant)

    by IWantMoreSpamPlease ( 571972 )
    "Ever wanted an easy-to-configure, whole-house, internet-accessible, Linux-based VOIP PBX with video, PVR, firewall/router, security system, MP3 player, file server, personal web server, home automation (lights, thermostat) controller?"

    Well...no.

  • Why this costs $15000 (Score:5, Informative)

    by tazzzzz ( 203300 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:33PM (#7868589) Homepage
    I should have given some more info knowing that the site would be slashdotted...

    For that price, you get the Pluto Core, which is the Linux-based server. You get some number (unclear to me how many) of media distributors (PCs with DVD drives and network interfaces) that hook up to your TV and the Core to show video and play music. You also get "Orbiters", which are hand-held devices to which you can stream video from your security cameras and control the Pluto system.

    So, we're not talking one Linux PC. It's a whole system of stuff. I've requested more pricing info, because I'm curious how much you have to pay for the various parts. $15K is a lot of money, but this can give technically unsophisticated folks a usable "home of the future" sort of setup.

    Kevin

  • Been there, done that (Score:5, Interesting)

    by krray ( 605395 ) * on Saturday January 03, 2004 @03:35PM (#7868601)
    Um, my lowly RedHat 2.1 Linux box was doing all this (except video) back in the early 90's.

    Web, File & Print? Trivial. [redhat.com]
    Lights / HVAC? X10 [smarthome.com]
    MP3 music: SliMP3 [slimp3.com]
    (and no, you don't need to buy to use their software -- I just happen to own a couple of them :)

    Answering machine I hacked up waaay back when myself (still use it via ISDN inbound :). Today MP4's are flying across the network to a Powerbook for watching movies on any TV wirelessly.

    For $15K I'd spend it on a Dual G5 with Dual monitors (why not? :) and every toy out there. Probably have a few $K left over... And no, I did not read the article.

    Now -- I did look around the (html version) of the site. Nice little product, though IMHO over priced. I hacked it all up for under $3K (including X10 re-wired outlets as needed). A couple of [radio] all-in-one remotes from The Shack [radioshack.com] and I can control the lights, TV, and stereo as needed throughout the house. I have a remote for each floor actually, though Radio Shack has since discontinued the model I like -- the new one doesn't work with X10 unit codes 11+ anymore for some reason.

  • I'd spend at least 15k on a home system (Score:3, Funny)

    by bfree ( 113420 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @04:26PM (#7868844)
    If I was building my own version of something like this ...
    • Alarm System: 2k
    • Phone System: 1k
    • Home Automation: 2k
    • Entertainment: 5k
    • Personal Computer: 10k
    • Everything Running Linux: Priceless
    Forgive me!

  • Very Cool But.... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by mlg9000 ( 515199 )
    1. Open source software that does everything this thing does is available for free.

    2. To do something like this on your own you really CAN'T use old PC parts you've got laying around the house. Assuming you plan to do the PVR functions you'll need a decent processor (otherwise you could get by with 500mhz), lots of memory, a very large RAID array (can't have all your work lost to one bad drive, plus video/mp3's are going to need some room), a good UPS, heavy duty power supply system, cooling that won't di
  • Can you get James Bond? (Pierce Brosnon, not George Lazenby)
  • SPOF. Single Point Of Failure. Its a neat idea, but i dont see enough technological safegaurds in place (read: redundancy) to prevent you from suddenly losing your security, home monitor, and worst of all your PVR all in one shot...

  • Bachelor pad (Score:4, Funny)

    by isorox ( 205688 ) on Saturday January 03, 2004 @05:02PM (#7869015) Homepage Journal
    "Ever wanted an easy-to-configure, whole-house, internet-accessible, Linux-based VOIP PBX with video, PVR, firewall/router, security system, MP3 player, file server, personal web server, home automation (lights, thermostat) controller? I just came across the Pluto which claims to do all of this (and more, of course!). It'll set you back $15,000 if you're living in a small bachelor pad, but you didn't need that car anyway, did you?"

    I assume you get the small bachelor pad thrown in for free? Might be worth it then,.

  • Crestron and AMX (Score:2, Informative)

    by euggie ( 642977 )
    (This post is really for the folks who haven't seen what exactly is home automation. Before I started doing this stuff I was completely unaware how mature that home automation industry is. The Pluto is a very-low-end system that doesn't do a whole lot, and the price really reflects that.)

    While it is probably true that no other product integrates even 2 out of 5 of the home electronics systems, in the world of home automation and home integration, folks tends to pick the best-of-breed hardware and integra
    • We have projects between $200k to $2mil+, and there's no shortage of people who has that kind of money and are willing to spend it in their house.

      And those should be the first ones up against the wall when the revolution comes.
  • But do you really need an appliance that brings no return other then automate your house so you can be lazier?

    Yes it comes wiht an mp3 player and internet server but I can not justify the costs here. I like to look at my own finainces as a business. A nice car at least provides value in getting you to work and less repair jobs which saves you money and downtime.

    Maybe I am just bitter because I work minimal wage jobs and go to school but use to program and do system administration for a living.

    Humility te
    • Yes, maybe you are just poor.
      That's not a bad thing. I'm not exactly "made of money" either. But one thing I continue to discover is just how relative a dollar amount is, from person to person.

      Doing on-site PC service, I charge people $75 per hour of time plus a trip charge. I've seen the whole range, from people who think that's impossibly overpriced and hang up on us as soon as we tell them the rates, to people who keep me at their place for hour after hour, and pay the bill like it's nothing at all.

  • RTFA (Score:2)

    by Tom ( 822 )
    It's actually quite a nifty product. And I am quite sure none of the "I built this myself for less" posters come even close to the functionality it provides.

    I'd love to have one of these. I've been dreaming of integrating more and having less odd electronics that do one thing and don't talk with anything else around.

    • Yeah, I'm just waiting for someone to pop o DVD in there and either get hit by unskippable intros, or not be able to play due to region issues. :-)

      Then not be able to fix it, THEN realize they paid $15000 for that.
      • or not be able to play due to region issues. :-)

        If the DVD component is not multizone or regionless I'd be very surprised. Every DVD player on the market (in this country - USA might be different) is multizone or regionless - no-one would buy them here otherwise (we're zone 4).
  • ...when they require a version of flash not readily supported on the OS they favour.
  • Anyone else bothered by the lack of product photos - just lots of (very well done) CG cartoons?

    "Record Indefinately"
    "...Lighting interfces, etc."
    "You can also do email from any Obirter or Media Console and over the internet."

    Apparently $15K doesn't buy you a freaking spell checker.

    "lets him broadcast his voice through the TV's and stereo's so his voice can roar through the home while he watches the burglar run away,"

    Ah, the "Home Alone 4" Security system.
  • While it is possible to have many of the features installed in your home for a fraction of the price, most people, probably including yourself wouldn't know where to begin. Pluto is a simple to use/install system that takes care of all the hard stuff for the end user. Yes your can have Freevo/Myth but will it intergrate with your phone system, yes, but you must install a voice modem, pray for drivers, recompile kernel, write software, do some voodoo and have a half ass system.
    No, Pluto isn't for these die h

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