Question about Legacy Bridge

This is not a limiting problem but I wonder if anyone can comment. I have been using Blynk Legacy for years, and make extensive use of the Bridge Widget. Just wondering if anyone has an idea why the instantiation of the Bridge object requires a Pin number. Seems unnecessary since using xxx.virtualWrite requires a pin number anyway! My experience is that the instantiation Pin Number is not limiting and has no real effect when executing.

Perhaps this is for “non-push” operations which I never use?

Any ideas?

Pete.

Thanks Pete…guess it makes sense.

I don’t think it really makes much difference anyway, Legacy will be retired at some point and Bridge in it’s Legacy format has been replaced with either Automations or the HTTP(S) API.

Pete.

Well, we have discussed this in the past. I will stay on my private servers at any right. If the phone apps are not updated at some point I will go elsewhere or develop something simple for a Web view from my Raspberry Pi’s.

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Seems that someone has picked up the legacy code and is trying to move it forward. Can’t be bad news. https://github.com/BlynkMobile/Blynk-Android-App from my perspective the legacy sever is pretty bulletproof and all we need going forward is updated Android and iOS apps.

I thought that the app was copyright protected and that reverse engineering the code would be illegal.
Any thoughts on this @Pavel ?

Pete.

I wondered about that. There is so much open source here it could get complicated. In the long run since the private server has always been free of charge and the apps are free of charge it might get hard to point to depriving the copyright holder of due income by republishing for free. Most of these licenses say that you need to cite the copyright holder and continue to make derivative works available as open source.

I always thought that the app was proprietary, and the local server code was made public.
If people wanted to write their own app to access the local (or even cloud) servers then that’s different to taking the proprietary software and modifying it slightly.

Pete.

if that is the case…then you are correct. But I wonder where they got the source to the Android app. It now contains a standard Apache license, but that may have been added when the repository was created. Interested to see what the Blynk folks say.

This is not the latest blynk legacy version, it is a previous version,
the only difference is that the app does not show the message to migrate to blynk iot

2022-04-04_114749

we can find it on APKpure

2022-04-04_121912

If you read the single open issue then it says this:

Pete.

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Well, that is pretty much the definition of reverse engineering! Now, with Androids the apk is fine without posting on the play store. As I have written many, many times, all we are asking for is a legacy app that works with new Android and iOS releases…nothing more. No new features, nothing. Would be willing to pay for the download and a significant license fee would basically kill all of the developers who have illegally built commercial systems on the legacy code base.

Hello, Ford Motor Company customer services, how can I help you?

Err hello, I have a Ford Blynkmobile MK1 that’s now discontinued, and it no longer meets the new emission standards. I don’t like the new MK2 Blynkmobile, the cup holder is in the wrong place, and I’ve recently invested $30 in new cups that are the perfect size and shape for my MK1.

I’m sorry sir, but we’ve just spent $$$ hundred million dollars on R&D for the MK2, and $$$ hundred million dollars on tooling, production line changes, supply chain contracts, staff training, sales materials etc etc. The MK1 is now retired.

But I can’t reach the cup holder in the MK2, my arms are too short. Can’t you just keep making the MK1 for people like me? You just need to update it to meet modern emission standards, that can’t be that difficult, right? Oh, and obviously keep it updated if the government comes up with any other crazy standards in the next 10 years.

I’m sorry sir, we need to recoup our investment on the MK2, and we no longer have any MK1 production line facilities. I’ll pass-on your comments about the position of the cup holder to our design team.

But, but but….

Thank you for you call sir, have a nice day! :grinning:

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:joy::joy::joy::joy:

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Hi Pete, your assumption is correct. We have flagged this case for our legal team to investigate.

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