Source for flicd?

[soumya92]

Providing source code for flicd would be great!

• Allow users to write single purpose programs without needing to keep a server running.
• Could build flicd for arm7 or aarch64.
• Could build with an up-to-date libcurl (Currently fails to run on arch with libcurl.so.4: version CURL_OPENSSL_3' not found`)
• Audit the source code, suggest security and performance improvements
• Use GitHub for its intended purpose ;)

[findkiko]

I'm also unable to run flicd (libcurl4) on arch linux RasPi.

Could we maybe get a statically compiled flicd binary in the interim?

[Emill]

What's the error message you get?

[findkiko]

➜ [mopi] armv6l git:(master) ✗ sudo ./flicd
./flicd: /usr/lib/libcurl.so.4: version `CURL_OPENSSL_3' not found (required by ./flicd)
➜ [mopi] armv6l git:(master) ✗ ls /usr/lib/libcur*
/usr/lib/libcurl.so /usr/lib/libcurl.so.4.4.0 /usr/lib/libcursesw.so
/usr/lib/libcurl.so.4 /usr/lib/libcurses.so
➜ [mopi] armv6l git:(master) ✗ uname -a
Linux mopi 4.1.17-4-ARCH #1 SMP Mon Feb 15 18:36:03 MST 2016 armv7l GNU/Linux

[Emill]

Could you try the latest release? It doesn't need libcurl anymore.

[findkiko]

Sorry for the belated response, but yes the latest release runs cleanly on armv7l (raspi2) archlinux.

[wschlich]

flicd should REALLY be FOSS'ed! it's a shame that this is is only available as a precompiled binary blob.

[wschlich]

Shortcut Labs: Still no intentions to open-source flicd? :( Issues like #58 and #59 could easily be fixed with flicd being FOSS... sigh

what's so secret about flicd anyway?

[dennisdegreef]

I'd also like the source code being available, so I can implement it on exotic chips that are not predistributed. Chips like the ESP32 have bluetooth support.

[eric-johnson]

This is a big let-down. I was about to buy a few of these because of Linux & Mac support, but I didn't realize it wasn't open source. This, combined with #58/#59 has me reconsidering. My other WiFi IoT devices, though expecting to have an internet connection, work fine without them over a LAN with no internet access.

[aa4re]

Source Code please

[wschlich]

Seems Shortcut Labs is more committed to making money selling their flic hubs than to serve existing flic customers who wish to run a custom solution similar to their new product.

[fabianbergmark]

We are a small team, and any time we spend not working on the hub will further push our delivery date. The source code contains our (for now) proprietary protocol so that's why we are hesitating to release it. We'll have a talk today and see where we stand!

[wschlich]

@fabianbergmark I see. Looking forward! (I'm both a flic + flicd user and a flic hub backer, but I wish to continue using flicd on the RPi for the solutions I built with it in the office for lots of reasons).

[fabianbergmark]

@wschlich unfortunately we decided against it as it would reveal too much to potential competitors. However, we will continue to maintain flicd and after the hub release we can look into implementing requested features.

[wschlich]

@fabianbergmark that's sad ;'-( can you imagine moving that proprietary secret protocol stuff into an external binary blob libary that could be loaded by an open-source flicd that could thus be easily recompiled if needed?

[soumya92]

It's clear to me that being "open" about their buttons is not a priority. If anyone else is using their buttons exclusively with a linux single-board computer (e.g. Raspberry Pi), it might be far easier to use bluetooth media controller buttons and hook into the media keys that they generate. That has several advantages:

• No network required
• No closed source binary
• The BT card is not exclusively captured
• and depending on which button you buy, you get many more options (e.g. some buttons have 5 controls: play/pause, next, previous, volume up, volume down), which is much easier than press, double press, triple press, and hold.

[rkeene]

@soumya92 Any suggestions on a specific replacement for the flic buttons ?

[soumya92]

No specific details, but if you just search for "Bluetooth media controls" you should easily find many options. The ones I use are circular with play/pause in the centre and volume/track controls on the outside.

[soumya92]

And to be fair, the Flic 2 Kickstarter suggested that this won't be an issue with the new version, so I'm eagerly waiting for the new buttons. So if you like the feel and size of the flics, then maybe you want to try out the new ones.

[ristomatti]

@soumya92 Also to be fair at least this repo still exists and I've been using it both on a Raspberry Pi 3 and an Odroid C2 running ARMv8 (to which I was kindly provided a binary for #62) with very little issues for two years now.

The problem with flicd hogging the Bluetooth adapter can be solved by buying a BT dongle. In fact if some of the recommended ones is bought, it can support many more buttons.

For me the battery life on the buttons themselves has turned out to be the biggest grief. It's too common in this household to push a button that's supposed to ring your lost phone when you're in a hurry, only to find the battery has died.

I don't know if this has been improved with the newer design but this still being closed source with development on halt, I can't see myself buying any new ones. I've also found a more lo-fi approach of using 433MHz wall light switches works better for me. The communication is not secure, the buttons aren't tiny but the range is great and batteries last forever.