[Discuss] discuss Digest, Vol 10, Issue 11

Tom Igoe tom.igoe at gmail.com
Sat Mar 2 22:19:38 UTC 2013


I agree with you in that I don't consider a project open until I see the files. But I can imagine why someone would want to advertise that a product *will be * open once released, yet not release the files while raising money through crowdfunding. 

Since the definition is just that, there's no need for oshwa to take in a case like this. We could say it's not best practice, that's about it.

Out of curiosity, anyone tracked the number of oshw projects on kickstarter and indiegogo? Catarina?

Matt Maier <blueback09 at gmail.com> wrote:

>I honestly don't understand why it's a question. No amount of intention
>ever makes a project open source. Only releasing the files so that
>everyone
>else can participate makes a project open source. The difference
>between
>"open" and "not open" is public files. That's literally the only
>difference. So prior to releasing the files to the public, the project
>is
>not open. After releasing them, the project is open.
>
>If a project owner intends to release the project files at some point
>in
>the future then they can say they intend for the project to be open,
>but
>they can't say that it is open; at least not yet.
>
>Maybe OSHWA could have an "open pending" mark kind of like "patent
>pending." Maybe it could be good for a year. That way project owners
>could
>put "open source" next to their project, even when the files haven't
>actually been released yet, and they'd have a reasonable amount of time
>to
>finish the process later.
>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 3
>> Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2013 10:52:21 -0500
>> From: Tom Igoe <tom.igoe at gmail.com>
>> To: The Open Source Hardware Association Discussion List
>>         <discuss at lists.oshwa.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Discuss] discuss Digest, Vol 10, Issue 6
>> Message-ID: <30F586C7-32FA-4039-BE62-267B02D9D3B8 at gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>>
>> I'd agree with that, though it's an interesting question for things
>like
>> Kickstarter campaigns.  Do you release the files when you start your
>> kickstarter campaign, or when you ship?
>>
>> r.
>>
>> On Mar 2, 2013, at 10:49 AM, David A. Mellis wrote:
>>
>> > Personally, I think it's okay to use "open-source hardware" and the
>logo
>> as long as the design files are released with the product. Before
>release,
>> the distinction between "is" and "will be" seems like a subtle one --
>for
>> everything about the product, not just whether or not it's
>open-source.
>> >
>>
>> -------------- next part --------------
>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>> URL: <
>>
>http://lists.oshwa.org/pipermail/discuss/attachments/20130302/ae8d1188/attachment.html
>> >
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> discuss mailing list
>> discuss at lists.oshwa.org
>> http://lists.oshwa.org/listinfo/discuss
>>
>>
>> End of discuss Digest, Vol 10, Issue 11
>> ***************************************
>>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>_______________________________________________
>discuss mailing list
>discuss at lists.oshwa.org
>http://lists.oshwa.org/listinfo/discuss

-- 
Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oshwa.org/pipermail/discuss/attachments/20130302/51664c40/attachment-0001.html>


More information about the discuss mailing list