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Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

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Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#471

Post by pjmlp »

loudmax wrote: post #450
sokoloff wrote: post #439

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. That risk is much lower than developing for the Alexa, Nest, Twitter, etc platforms. At some point, you’re forced to build on someone else’s platform(s), even if that platform is “Intel” or “AWS” as no one is doing the entire end-to-end value chain.

Or build on an open an open source stack. Don't like Intel? Switch to AMD. Don't like AWS? Switch to another cloud. Proprietary platforms lure developers to their stack by making development easy. Learning an open source is typically more difficult, but the reward is greater freedom. Believing you're forced to build on proprietary technology is a fallacy.

Open source only works as a business, when one can get money with some kind of subscription service, or selling hardware.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#472

Post by BadJo0Jo0 »

While I'm frustrated at this, I'm wondering if what I'm feeling is a knee-jerk reaction.

I wonder how the Actions on Google Smart Homes integration works.

Will I still be able to control my Nest thermostats from Google Smart Home Actions? This seems to be mentioned, but it's unclear what I'm able to do and how.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#473

Post by MentallyRetired »

mc32 wrote: post #66

I used to be a fan of Google. They were the good ones, the open ones. Ha! I’ve feel like they played the long sucker game. How times have changed. Even Android feels like a ruse. And Chrome. And maps. The last thing will be search. At some point it’ll be curated for my own good. To be fair, Everyone has to make a living, but be honest don’t take people for suckers of make them into suckers.

And now Microsoft is becoming a crowd favorite.

This must be the dystopian future we were warned about.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#474

Post by xeromal »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #356
PrimeDirective wrote: post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried finding information on this, but couldn't. Could you provide links?

sorry, I thought I was clear in suggesting it as a law - although realistically in a lot of EU countries you could make the case and get it returned. For example I'm in Denmark and we have a consumer ombudsmand were you can make complaints about violations of your rights as a consumer https://www.consumerombudsman.dk/about-us/ (it talks about marketing but I the Nest was marketed to have functionality it no longer ha…

You should probably throw the word "Proposal" in your original post somewhere. It's not clear.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#475

Post by bunderbunder »

walterbell wrote: post #181
bunderbunder wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No company is, and expecting any company to continue spending money on maintaining a service even if they've decided it isn't profitable is pollyannaish. To that end, I'm not sure I see the value in framing this specifically as a Google thing. Google is maybe the most visible because of how many products it has, and how popular many of them are. But really, this sort of thing is a problem that's inherent to any IoT d…

There's a difference between an IoT manufacturer going out of business, which causes related software services to terminate, and an IoT manufacturer failing to deliver on device claims made before the sale took place.

There's also a difference between how we want things to work, and how they actually do.

These services typically include some language in the EULA to the effect of, "We can disable parts of this device from our end, for any reason, at any time." And agreeing to those is almost certainly precondition for using the device.

Which absolutely sucks. But it's the legal and consumer protection environment we live in right now. Pretending it isn't is -- hang the downvotes, I'm gonna double down on this -- pollyannaish. Until things change, your only real recourse as a consumer is to refuse to buy products that are sold under those sorts of terms. Which, unfortunately, does mean steering clear of IoT devices that rely on proprietary cloud services.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#476

Post by krosaen »

> One developer platform. We want to unify our efforts around third-party connected home devices under a single developer platform – a one-stop shop for both our developers and our customers to build a more helpful home. To accomplish this, we’ll be winding down Works with Nest on August 31, 2019, and delivering a single unified experience through the Works with Google Assistant program.

> One set of privacy commitments. As Nest redefines technology in the home, there’s an opportunity to explain clearly and simply how our connected home devices and services work, and how we will respect your privacy. Learn more about Google’s commitment to privacy in the home.

and at least a preliminary perusal of the google home apps seems to indicate control of nest works:

https://assistant.google.com/explore/c/19/?jsmode=du&hl=en_U...

so while grumpiness about this consolidation and need to migrate / have a google account (instead of nest account) seems warranted, this doesn't feel like the same thing as "pulling a twitter" or a conspiracy to bait and switch developers.

if it turns out you won't be able to actually control the nest in the same way, I'll go get my pitchfork and join y'all, but I'm cautiously waiting to see how this turns out.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#477

Post by nathairtras »

palebluedot wrote: post #33

This seems to include all of us using them in open-source "hobbyist" environments, like Home Assistant and Node-Red. I'm quite frustrated by this; I'll never buy another Nest product again, and I now regret my purchase of the Nest Thermostat. All the rest of my IoT stuff is either open-source hardware/software, or at the least local-only with known protocol interfaces. This was the one exception I made for IoT "cloud…

Not everything I'm running is open-source, but I made the same concession with Google in this case. Not using any other Google offering. Avoiding them by choice.

Nest products were the one exception. Previously owned several Nest Protect units and a thermostat. Moved, and installed a Nest thermostat and some temperature sensors. Just a couple of weeks ago, finished writing a data collection script to look at the temperatures in various rooms of the house. Mostly to have some real-world personal data to play with. Was hoping to write an Alfred workflow to change the temperature from my laptop.

Now I've lost those options, and in addition, I will have to have a Google account. (That is how the notice reads, right? You don't have to convert immediately, but you will have to convert eventually?)

Almost consider it my fault. I trusted Google in this one case after losing trust in Google in many other cases. “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.”

Will probably start looking for alternatives. Hopefully the corporate machine is paying attention to this, and will realize that attempting to force users into your ecosystem will drive many of them to different ecosystems. But it will take time and effort to regain user trust.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#478

Post by tmefq »

tehbeard wrote: post #461
markvdb wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gmail is still imap readable.

With the caveat of having to jump through a series of hoops every few months because Google kindly decided to switch off "unsafe access"

That's never, ever happened to me.

Re: Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API

#479

Post by bryanrasmussen »

xeromal wrote: post #474
bryanrasmussen wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

sorry, I thought I was clear in suggesting it as a law - although realistically in a lot of EU countries you could make the case and get it returned. For example I'm in Denmark and we have a consumer ombudsmand were you can make complaints about violations of your rights as a consumer https://www.consumerombudsman.dk/about-us/ (it talks about marketing but I the Nest was marketed to have functionality it no longer ha…

You should probably throw the word "Proposal" in your original post somewhere. It's not clear.

looks like edit window is gone
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