Show HN: Fostrom, an IoT Cloud Platform built for developers

Fostrom showed up on Show HN promising a developer-friendly cloud for internet-connected gadgets—think air sensors, trackers, and smart widgets—complete with simple code, “sequential mailboxes,” and free for three months. But the crowd’s mood? Curious, skeptical, and very “explain it like I’m five.” The top chorus: tell us the problem you actually solve. One commenter begged for a clear, punchy pitch over buzzwords, plus a before/after example to prove it’s faster than DIY. Another brought battle scars: integrating real-world hardware is a mess, with clunky apps, weird toolkits, and proprietary headaches. If Fostrom smooths that chaos, devs are listening.

Drama flared around pricing and promises: is “technical preview” the new “free trial,” or will teams get hooked and then sticker-shocked? Meanwhile, the term “sequential mailboxes” sparked jokes: a “post office for toasters” meme made the rounds, and someone dubbed Actions “IFTTT with steel-toed boots.” Still, the community gave props for focusing on device fleets and programmable reactions (like auto-alerts for bad air), asking for concrete demos, real scale numbers, and proof it survives messy partner ecosystems. Bottom line: interest is high, patience is low—the crowd wants fewer slogans, more receipts.