It’s been a while! My workload hasn’t slowed down any, and this blog has had to take a backseat until I get caught up. So this post will be very brief and about a single idea, one that works for many types of problems: start small.
This idea keeps popping up because I finally have a protégé! Never mind it’s been 3 years since I’ve worked alongside another programmer, I have to make sure I don’t impart any bad habits I’ve picked up. Working on a team is so beneficial because you get to share ideas about how you would solve a problem. Often times, just talking it through is enough to open your mind to a different approach.
My immediate goal is to get him hands on with a new project and that means something small and simple. I kept thinking a keypad would be the ideal starting point, but we can’t seem to get hardware delivered anytime soon. So I’ve had to consider what else might be a manageable starter project.
And then it hit me: Zoom Rooms! It doesn’t get easier than that.
I can only speak to the Crestron environment but I’m sure the same holds true for others: most of the work is handled by the native Zoom Room Controller app that runs on the touchpanel. I used to groan having to implement all the functions of a video conference codec. But now that it’s all handled by a native app, it’s not that bad. And I think coupling it with some minimal room automation really enhances the experience. And for a new programmer, it’s a way to start small yet see immediate results.
I plan to write a few posts about programming Zoom Rooms since I think that will help me get my thoughts in order before I try relaying that knowledge to someone else. My goals are:
- Start small
- Build incrementally
- Run tests
- Archive properly
I’m going to tag these posts with #beginner so they’re easy to lump together later on. Thanks for reading!
Kiel the Coder 