Well, I think there's definitely a lot of interest and desire to have such a forum. While I wholeheartedly understand why many here feel that we should just forget about using Systembuilder and invest our time in learning Simpl, the reality is that it's just not practical for many of the dealers who Crestron has purposefully marketed the Prodigy product line to. If Crestron would have opened up Simpl training to every dealer who they're more than willing to accept $$ from, then I don't believe this debate would even exist. All of us Prodigy dealers [distribution or direct] who have had exposure to Simpl recognize the greater opportunities and flexibility it offers.

I went through Simpl "Essentials" training years ago, and unfortunately, never really had to use it since my job responsibilities at my former employer typically involved project design and management. SystemBuilder is freshest in my mind now, based on the last 3 projects I've done. And it seems appropriate for the level of project that I'm marketing the Prodigy line for. It works, it's cost-effective, and most importantly, my clients are buying them. I've designed/managed the 7-figure projects and I've designed/managed the 5-figure projects. As a new biz owner, the smaller projects is where I want to be right now. So far, they've all been profitable, all quick, and I've been able to deliver client expectations on every one. Prodigy is a tool - amongst many I use - in order to maintain steady cashflow.

At this level of project, I want a program language that's easy to train ALL my techs in. Training all junior-level techs in Simpl is not a practical business model and a systematic approach to programming would not be guaranteed. However, the many constraints of SystemBuilder is actually one of the reasons why I believe that it would offer a repeatable process in training my techs. Figuratively speaking, there aren't a hundred ways to get from Point A to Point B in SystemBuilder - as in Simpl. Perhaps only a handful. That type of focused methodology is much easier to copy from one tech to another.

Sure, SystemBuilder is not the perfect platform for both small and large automation projects. Sure, it's cluttered with many unnecessaries. But, it's making me $ at the level of project I'm focusing on right now. And although the learning curve has been great, I haven't lost $ yet in using it. I've witnessed in the past projects where Simpl programming was underbid, where SystemBuilder programming was underbid, and where URC programming was underbid. That danger to a biz owner exists, regardless of the limitations - or great flexibility - of the programming language. As long as an owner has the presence of mind to know how to properly price out his/her programming scope, one can make money - even with this red-headed stepchild we call SystemBuilder.

I would welcome the creation of a new thread for SystemBuilder. I'm sure there will be those individuals who will not feel like contributing to the forum for their own particular reasons, and I'm sure there will be those who will have no problem sharing their experiences and knowledge. But I feel the majority would recognize that the benefits of shared knowledge would outweigh any misgivings they may have.

NorCal AV