I am new to Hubitat, so new in fact.. mine has not arrived yet!
I have used smartthings for three or four years. and I am no dev 
but I have been a forum user since the early 90s
I hope the out of box experience is plainer than the forum!
having spent a few days lurking here, I am really struggling to get to grips with the organisational structure of the forum!
maybe I am getting too old?
but, the ST forum seemed to make a lot more sense, at least it did 18 months ago when I last looked!
right now, even connecting the google home looks complicated and contradictory.
and my yeelight ceiling lights don't appear to be listed at all.
what I am trying to say, is as a newbee to the platform, the forum is, somewhat bewildering, and unwelcoming, not the users, but the forum itself.
I work in IT and, looking at this right now, I feel like the transition from ST to HE is going to be such a pain, it reminds me of the years I fought with LinuxMCE!
I hope the device is clearer than the forums!
Love and peace
Garry
Welcome. It's really not as bad as it seems.. A little exposure and it all just sorta starts to come together. The HE Staff is VERY responsive, and there are a lot of friendly helpful people in the forum. Don't get too worked up if your devices aren't SPECIFICALLY listed. there are tons of devices out there and only a small development team to test and code for them . In the meantime many devices that aren't listed will work with the generic device drivers, and if they don't there is a pretty good chance that someone has written some code to make it work.
As for the "intimidation" factor, that is the whole reason for the "novice" sub forum under support.
Thanks Icw731 for the welcome
I am fairly sure I will get most things working, there seems to be a lot of "crossover" between systems.
it is the organisation that cracks me up LOL
in the ST forum I know if I am looking for a community DH it will be in the DH section of the forum!
I am sure the basics will become clear once the hub arrives!
I don't do much complicated, but even things like nest integration (I have the doorbell and MK1 stat) got bogged down really quickly when I searched!
probably just me, ST was just beginning when I started, so there wasn't much to start with, and I grew as it did, I am having that "chucked in at the deep end" feeling right now!
again! thanks for your help!
you are ALL likely to hear more from me when it arrives!
really "looking forwards (NOT)" to dissmantling everything and starting again LOL
love and peace
Welcome to Hubitat!
The ONLY reason that is true at all is due to the hard work of JD Roberts to try to assign each new post with the correct "Categories". No one from Samsung/SmartThings is really making any attempt to organize the ST Forum, which uses the exact same Discourse Forum software. SmartThings used to have an amazing full-time resource (April Wong) years ago that managed the ST Community Forum. But like most things that were good ideas, Samsung saw things differently and dropped that position.
So, my advice is to take it slow at first, get familiar with the new Hub and how it works. In some ways it is very similar to SmartThings, although some names are different. In ST, you had SmartApps and Device Handlers. In Hubitat, you have Apps and Drivers. In ST you set things up via the mobile phone app. In Hubitat everything is done via a web browser connected directly to your hub. Once you become familiar with the look and feel of Hubitat, then plan out your migration and look to see if everything you need is supported natively by Hubitat or not. If not, it is often best to create a new forum topic specifically listing the devices in question. The community will usually jump in to point you to the various options available to resolve any device integration concerns you may have. Also, the forum search tool works very well. 
Again, welcome to Hubitat and this amazing community!
Hi there Ogiewon!
thanks for your help!
I didn't imagine Samsung would be behind the organisation!
they make good products, not so much decisions LOL
Well, I am hoping my hub may arrive tomorrow 
so I will see how it goes
Love and peace!
Garry
Welcome! This is a great place to start if you haven't already found it. Hubitat Elevation Documentation - Hubitat Documentation
There are docs for pretty much everything and also numerous "How To Guides". When it comes to the forums, I find "Search" to be invaluable.
Well as a newbie myself (have a HE for two weeks now) I agree with this. There are three things missing in my opinion:
A. A place where compatible devices are listed (not the forum thread where everybody just dumps there list and you have to go thru all posts to figure out which device best suits your needs). I mean a list of devices with a link to there manufacturers website and grouped by type;
B. A place where common knowledge is kept (like how to setup a reliable mesh without interference of wifi; how to create a z-wave secure link to your locks; in what ways you can setup presence; in what ways you can setup motion; in what ways you can setup lights depending on lumminescence; etc);
C. One place with all possible apps (community and HE) and drivers.
I know it's all on the forum. But for most things you search you end up somewhere halfway to a thread with about 300 posts and that does not make it easier to get through. So if I'm not the only one with this experience I want to propose to change this. I want to help set it up and maintain it even. Though I can't and shouldn't do it alone. So please let me know what you opinions are about this.
https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=List_of_Compatible_Devices
https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=Join_and_Reset_Instructions
https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=Hub_Placement_Tips
https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=How_to_Build_a_Solid_Zigbee_Mesh
https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=How_to_Build_a_Solid_Z-Wave_Mesh
I recommend you follow the link to the documentation I posted above. Pretty much everything you say is missing is there.
Edit: Yeah @ogiewon was much nicer and posted the individual links.
Ok, I did not ever see that! Very nice! And very complete too! Though why are there so many people explaining this in words on this forum instead of linking to those pages? Because I've read, in three weeks, already about 4 people explaining to other people how a zigbee mesh works and how you set it up reliably in there own words. Which leeds to more questions all answered in the link @ogiewon just gave.
Probably because the community is fantastic and wanted to answer your and everyone else's questions. Also, I assume that people have gone through the documentation first before asking questions. There is a link to it at the very top of the main community page right between the logo and support link.
I agree that the community is great and very helpful!
I must say I didn't see the links because there might be something wrong with my eye's. 
Sorry about that I will look for professional help for that 
Hi again! and thanks to everyone for the great responses!
it appears to me, I am not the only one though!
Samsung has a huge marketing budget it is easy for them to convince people it is easy, and that's great!
I fell into Hubitat from a linked youtube video (yes it happened with LinuxMCE too) I was so impressed I rushed off and bought it (without due dilligence) if I had come to the forum first, I would not have bought it!
those simple links prominently posted would have made a night or day difference!
honestly! I am not having a go. it is just with HA first impression is "everything" imagine sending your partner here to decide if you bought in.
just my 2p again! thanks for everyones help! I am off to do some reading LOL
Love and peace
Garry
Welcome !
Once you get your toes wet, just remember that patience is a virtue.
Learn a little bit about the system every day and do not try to learn it all at once.
No need to apologize. I literally ran into a tree once. 
I can't speak about ST because I never used or looked into it. But even after my 2 weeks of ownership the HE is everything BUT disapointing! I can do just about everything I planned on doing and with more ease then I was expecting to be honest. Before HE I've tried Home Assistant and OpenHab (both to much programming for me) and Homey Pro (lack of support and freedom).
My sister tried that to once on a bike. Her explanation was that the tree was suddenly crossing the street. We still don't know if these kinds of things run in the family 
Garry,
Coming from someone who is not a programmer, who came from ST and 2 others prior to that... my advice is to utilize the built in apps such as Simple Lighting and Notifications before attempting Rule Machine (RM), then start slowly with RM and let your automation grow with you as you learn.
I've been on the platform for over a year now, barely got the hang of RM 3 and now RM 4 is kicking my butt. I have 2 rules I can't get to work no matter what I try or what has been suggested. I believe they are possible, just haven't landed on the right combinations yet.
The docs are written for developers (IMHO), however don't be afraid to dive in.
The HE team is amazing, quick to respond either here or via email and your fellow users are equally eager to help
Welcome and good luck
Rick
Hi again!
well thank you everyone for your kind words!
as to the tree.. well I do that regularly as I am legally blind LOL!
I think it will all become a lot clearer once it arrives
as to HA.. well I started with homeseer (horrible, but so was X10)
LinuxMCE scary and unpredictable, but for media, it was fab! and if they had had backing it could have been ace!
all sorts of random "half HA hybrids" Smartthings and now hear!
and thank you Fritz! for making me feel better about not buying the Homey Pro (nearly, ever so nearly.. if it had been a bit cheaper.... LOL)
Love and peace, and again, thanks!
