Vera without plugins is a remote control with a webinterface but has nothing to do with home automation.
Respectfully, I disagree.
I would say it is more accurate to say that Vera without plugins provides
basic home automation. You can automate tasks based on events triggered by:
1) Schedule
2) "Mode" (Home / Away / Night / Vacation)
3) Events that devices make available
4) Geofencing (recently made available by Vera)
Once an event is triggered, there is one additional conditional supported to control execution of a scene..."what mode(s) is this scene valid for?"
I don't think it's fair to just dismiss these out of hand. They do in fact serve to support basic automation needs.
For certain, once you get past "basic" automation, you need what I'll call "automation enhancement" plug-ins. Specifically, being able to handle more complex triggers and conditionals (taking into account the states of multiple devices, variables, and complex conditionals). This is where items like the variable containter, PLEG, virtual switches, etc
all are invaluable. And yes, it would be
great to see that type of functionality in some form rolled into Vera as standard functionality, and I hope Vera moves in that direction. But that doesn't mean the current implementation serves no home automation needs.
Let me ramble from my own personal experience. I first bought my Vera solely as the "remote control" of the new z-wave locks I bought. I was already "remotely controlling" my Garage doors, and my wife wanted similar control on our locks as well. Wasn't even really thinking about "automation" per se. Then I found that I could indeed automate some of that control with vera. (I could automatically enable the lock pin codes only for ceratain days and times for the house cleaning crew, send me alerts if someone enters a wrong code, let me know when my kids get home and unlock the door, etc.) I think my "intro" to the world of automation is fairly typical.
Then I found the app store and device enabling plug-ins. I was able to add my non z-wave garage door opener (MyQ) and Sonos. I can make them all react to one another. Cool.
So then I got the itch to tie in other devices...I was starting to "get" home
automation beyond "remote control" and that first and foremost requires that vera be able to interact with my devices. But the device plug-ins that I needed (Honeywell WiFi and Legrand Lighting) were not there....so I made a few and I help to enhance another for the devices I own.
And as of right now...my Vera Lite as it is with only using the "device enabling" plug-ins mostly meets my needs from a home automation standpoint. If you talk to friends and family, they'll tell you I'm a "home-automation zen-master guru geek-nerd" based on what my house "can do." I of course know the reality though...I am barely scratching the surface of what true home automation is all about. But the point is, for "the masses", Vera does in fact provide a basic, core level of automation control.
In the end both "device enabling" plug-ins, and "automation enhancement" plugins are both invaluable assets to the platform. We all agree that it is in Vera's best interest to support developers of these plug-ins. I just think it's important to keep in perspective who the majority of consumers are, and what they value in a product may or may not be exactly what "power users" value.
The rub of course, is that if power users / developers don't value the product...the loss of plug-ins and active development in turn lessens the value to the mass market consumer. So this puts Vera in a position to have to support both user bases. They may now be formulating a good plan to do this...they may not. They may be able to execute on that plan...they may not.
Based on the recent developments here and my personal interaction with Vera, I am going to stick around and keep supporting my plug-ins for the foreseeable future, while I keep voicing my opinion on enhancements and needs that I feel would be a benefit to the platform.