Perceptive Automation, makers of the Mac home automation program Indigo, have released a public beta of the forthcoming Indigo 2.0.
There are a lot of interesting changes, but two have really caught my eye. The first is the Client-Server architecture, which introduces a number of interesting benefits, not the least of which is you can now run the application as a GUI-less process and control it from another computer. Just the thing for the Mac Mini you've got next to your TV and stereo.
The next eye-catching feature is the built-in Web server and email support. It's long been possible to control your Mac-based home automation in this fashion, but Indigo 2.0 appears to raise the bar quite a bit. The live demos that are featured on the page I linked to above are quite tasty.
There's a lot more, including RSS feeds and new triggers and actions, so drop by the website and download the beta. Don't forget to sign up for a 60 day trial license (normally 30 days, but extended during the public beta) and get busy. I'd love to hear what you think.