Forking INCREASES the value of the platform to its users(customers) because it makes it more reliable. Users, who after all, ultimately provide all of the funding that keeps the business going (investors are suppose to get all if their money back plus a profit), are assured that the critical source code is available should the business cease to function for whatever reason.
Forking only "devalues" in the sense of reducing investor POTENTIAL profit.
Succeeding in business is finding the sustainable balance between customer satisfaction and investor satisfaction.
The future in tech changes quickly, the products in our home much slower. As I look at Hubitat, some point in the not too distant future, the interface will be friendly to those at an entry+ level of HA with large scale Hubitiat device apps. Then the magic to sustainability might be to have that potential future acquirer want to keep the product open to all. Even if you had to swallow the idea of an integration with a Google, Amazon, etc. hybrid hub, it's better than some of the alternatives. I leave Apple out due to their closed ecosystem. Could be a similar situation to Stringify but allowing the functionality available at a price. I'm a believer of the successful having a payday. Hopefully, this situation will have a migration plan for the existing user base.
Been pondering on this also. I set a friend up on ST about a year ago. Am considering moving him to HE as ST has given him some problems. But I don't want to if in a year I have to find him something else again . Not too bad for me to change, but could be a little more problematic for him .
I just left ST. Gratefully, as not only did the instability and developer-antagonism get to me, but their app logging me out and then requiring I change default browsers just frustrated me, yet again this week.
For Hubitat to survive, it will need to both ride the HA wave as it crests and regularly (every 18 months is probably ideal) add a new hardware feature that results in us, current owners, repurchasing (hopefully at a discount that is still profitable for them but not demoralizing for us.) And some offshoots in-between.
For example,
May 2020: Hubitat releases the new touch-experience Zigbee LCD input device, with HE drivers allowing dynamic selection of the text and graphics on the color LCD. Well-supported by HE out-of-the-box, the HE-TE also can be run, with user-drivers, on other Zigbeen devices.
December 2020: The HE Dec-2020 Edition might add bluetooth speaker connectivity and an audio out jack.
August 2021: Responding to user-enthusiasm with the non-cloud hub, Hubitat releases a combination Zigbee/WiFi security camera with no cloud requirements. With an integrated sidecar Zigbee hub, the Hubitat SC can constantly cache a stream of images, forwarding them as configured directly in response to door or motion sensors, reducing network traffic while improving backtrace and security.
December 2022: The new HE adds support for GCP message events and integrates with Android Auto, to enable automation to pre-warm your car, change stations on a schedule...
Pie in the sky obviously, but the idea is you can't stand still. If they can create a constant revenue stream from innovative product releases, while making upgrading painless (clone the devices over), many of us would probably happily buy a new hub regularly, at a slight discount.
Just remember folks, everything has a lifespan.
Also remember, Hubitat does not rely on a Cloud to function. Unlike IRIS, WINK and alike, if Hubitat went belly up, you still have a functioning system. It might not have platform upgrades if that would happen, but you still have local programing and local control.
My Zen thermostat is on the way. I'm in a similar situation to you. Tech savvy, but my coding days are long past and I'm too old to want to learn Groovy (or for that matter, anything else). But, I'm happy with HE and want my house to keep working.
A year and a half ago (I might be telescoping time), I migrated everything off Wink to Home Assistant - then something happened between version 0.76 and 0.78 - and all my YAML automations quit working. So I put everything back on Wink and used Stringify. My migration to Hubitat was triggered by a private email from Kris Lindquist at Stringify indicating the service was going away (before the official announcement). I'm happy where I'm at, and cloud independence helps.
I'm really hoping the Hubitat team comes up with a way (like Vera) to backup z-wave devices, and I'll keep a couple boxed HEs in my closet as backup
As far as I have been able to determine, there is only one "Smart" doorbell that doesn't require wiring. I am apparently one of the rare few who owns a home that was not wired for a doorbell. Maybe it had knockers, I don't know. The one "mainstream" "Smart" doorbell that I have found that does not require wiring is the Ring. The Ring is tightly "Integrated" into the Amazon environment. I am not. I would like to see a "Smart" doorbell that could signal my home automation system (e.g., a Zigbee button), work with my non-cloud local iSpy server (e.g., RTSP), and have flexible options for power (e.g., rechargeable battery pack, AC adapter, or doorbell transformer). Being able to integrate with the cloud based environments of Google and Amazon would be a bonus but not a requirement.
BTW - if this exists and I have missed it, please send me a message. I can do most of this with a Zigbee or Z-Wave button but there aren't many of them that are really suited for outdoor mounting such as a doorbell.
I think the backup and restore for the entire system, including all paired Zigbee and Z-Wave devices is a critical enhancement. I think that may be a necessary enabler for future hub upgrades. I know I suffered a while on ST because I didn't want to deal with the migration. It's needed for migration as well as backup. As you come to rely on the system more and more this becomes important.
Yes, I have seen some DIY projects. I saw that one but that would not fit at all well with the red brick and mahogany at my front door.
I hacked up a Gen 1 ST door/window sensor and got a nice bronze doorbell button. But then I needed a place to hide the circuit board and battery. I starter hacking a piece of mahogany to match the door frame but my skills with electronics are far better than my skills with wood and the result was not something I wanted to put on the front of my house. I guess I am trying to get away from DIY stuff, if at all possible.
