More info on Microsoft’s HomeOS and HomeStore

Last month I wrote about Microsoft HomeOS and HomeStore which is a Microsoft Research project aimed at linking incompatible systems in the home. The latest news on the project comes from Mary Jo Foley where she has details from a new whitepaper on HomeOS. The paper explains that HomeOS is a  “centralized home-automation operating system that can handle everything from TVs, to smartphones, to lights”  and is built on Microsoft’s .net framework.

The whole presentation can be downloaded from Microsoft plus there is a PDF entitled “The Home Needs an Operating System (and an App Store)”

It’s an interesting goal (this is taken from the PDF)

The goals of HomeOS are to simplify the management of
home networks and the development of applications. It accomplishes
these goals as follows. First, it provides one
place to configure and secure the home network as one connected
ensemble. Users do not have to deal with multiple
different interfaces and semantics.
Second, it provides high-level abstractions to applications.
Developers do not have to worry about low-level details of
devices and about device inter-connectivity. HomeOS is responsible
for enforcing user preferences for device access
and coordination, which does not have to be supported by
individual applications. For example, if a user dislikes noise
at night, she can disable night-time access to all speakers;
HomeOS will then automatically deny access to all applications
that try to use the speakers.
With HomeOS, users enable new tasks by installing new
home applications. Because homes are heterogeneous, this
process must be streamlined such that users do not inadvertently
install applications that will not work in their homes.
For instance, if an application for keyless entry requires a
fingerprint scanner, users without such devices should be
warned against purchasing such an application.
Inspired by the iPhone model, we propose that HomeOS be
coupled with a HomeStore to simplify the distribution of applications
and devices. The HomeStore verifies compatibility
between homes and applications. Based on users’ desired
tasks, it recommends applications that work in their homes.
If a home does not have devices required for those tasks, it
recommends appropriate devices as well. For instance, if a
user wants integrated temperature and window control, the
HomeStore can recommend window controllers if there exists
an application that combines those window controllers
with the user’s existing thermostat.
In addition, the HomeStore can perform basic quality checks
and support rating and reviewing to help identify poorly engineered
applications and devices. We do not intend for the
HomeStore to become the sole gatekeeper for home applications.
Towards this end, we allow for multiple HomeStores,
and users can visit the one they trust most.

These are interesting goals but research projects rarely make it to actual products but they have implemented DLNA drivers as well as ZWave support so we will see

This is what we probably have now:

and this is what they are proposing: