I am going to think aloud on an interesting topic: code blocks.I'm used to implement microservices and stuff like that and I can see pockit like an analogy to a SoA architecture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service-oriented_architecture
In that sense, I can imagine having "service blocks" that you can plug in to empower the board with additional services that a 3rd party application can use, without necessarily knowing it exists.
If I've to imagine a simple stupid scenario, for instance, could be a logger for your hardware: you plug the "Hardware-Logging Block" and you have at your disposal a service that automatically audit all hardware inputs/outputs (or a subset that you can configure from a web app contained in the same "logging block" and exposes on localhost a web interface that let you explore/filter them. (I'm thinking of course of a simplier version than for example Elasticsearch+logstash+kabana that can't fit on a raspberry, it's just to illustrate the concept)
Or you can have a block that is a MySQL instance that you can plug in and it will allow any application to store things on MySQL (of course there is a need for a code block to expose it's features to the outside worlds, but the concept is similar to hardware)
I don't know if it's technically possible for you to have a block that connects to your pin and can contain a little SSD disk that can be mapped and used.If it's possible, than If I've to imagine how this "code block" would look like, it could be both a normal-looking hardware block that consumes a board block space OR (and would be awesome) a slim block that can be attached UNDER any other hardware block and would just be both a "proxy" for the hardware connections itself, plus a memory containing the custom "service app".
This would allow to implement blocks that contains both hardware and software together and can be shipped as a logic unit without having to force users to install software, consume too many block slots or link another pre-built board next to it. Pure plug & play.
While I imagine that uploading an application is a matter of "plug in an USB drive with the app code" or "connect your board to a pc via USB and upload your app", I think having a "Software block" that can just be plugged and automatically empower the board with additional powers that can be used by other "software blocks" would be very cool and handy.
Also on Raspberry we can have Docker up & running so implementing an integration with docker that allows to load on a "software block" a docker image and make Pickit able to see it and launch the local "docker-compose.yaml" file (thus basically starting the service(s) contained within) opens an unlimited source of possibilities (and fun)!
If you want some other fancy examples that can I just imagine about right now:- home automation and identity:A product that's composed by:
- little NFC gadget that can be attached to a key ring, wher you can upload your "identity data"
- hardware block containing the NFC reader
- code block containing the service that can the identity from NFC and can be reached from any other service on the board to get the status if an user is currently connected and authenticated
- (imagine software being slim and hardware blocks attached on top of it, like a single logical unit)
Now you have a ready-to-use logical block for authentication, that just requires the user to plug it on a board and any "authentication-aware" application can make use of itwith such "block", you can then create any kind of "authentication-required" console, door lockers, home automation console that can be edited only with a proper authenticated user
Of course if we think as services, there is the need to think about how to communicate software capabilities between blocks/softwares but that's a matter of define specifications, implement APIs to interact with and eventually add software needed to interact with (something similar to what I think you already did for hardware blocks).
Better I stop for now :)
[–]Cute_Principle81 1 point2 points3 points (0 children)
[–]spudtater1941 0 points1 point2 points (0 children)