Which free software would be useful for me to download.
I will start with the software provide in the kit, then VB and maybe forth later.
I plan on learning the ins & outs of the X10 system.
You can create some very complex home automation setups with just the software included with the CM15A... no "real" programming required. I would suggest just playing with what comes with it for a while.
Should you then decide you need to write some custom software, may I would suggest downloading the free
ActiveHome Pro Software Development Kit.
It provides information about how to use the built-in "ActiveX" and "COM object" hooks within AHP to perform basic functions like sending and receiving X10 signals within your custom software.
You can use whatever "flavor" of programming language you are comfortable with to communicate with the SDK as long as it has support for "ActiveX" and / or "COM" objects. Heck, I wrote the first version of
BVC (then named BXVC) in JScript!
If you need to communicate with the CM15A on an even lower level, the very
helpful link provided by
Charles Sullivan above has about the best information
I have seen about such low level communication with the CM15A.