[Discuss] [Open Manufacturing] Re: Open Source Hardware Documentation Jam, New York City, April 26-28

[Cameron Adamez]

On Mar 7, 2013, at 7:20 PM, Nathan Cravens <knuggy at gmail.com> wrote:

> I'd like to suggest a ranking order, where the most open producers are rewarded with the highest
> praise (with an award ceremony?) and website promotion, encouraging
> the product network to open up, and the like, while providing a model
> for others that are becoming increasingly open or interested.

Leah Buchely made a great point at OHS which was that hardware shouldn't be open sources for its own sake. I was confused by this at first but after mulling this over, I think the last thing that open source hardware would need is to be insular and self-congratulatory. A committee to bestow things seems wrong. I would rather help develop tools to verify and catalogue open source hardware and design such that it benefits the general public.

That said, in another thread, Malcolm Stanley had a good direction in using iconography to explain/document the openness of a thing, which as far as I could tell, was the issue that you wanted to address. 

If a need for gamifying contribution arises, there are plenty of programmers out there who would happily write badging widgets and leaderboards in their spare time. 

> OSHWA, with many other efforts, will help make physical and
> intellectual production a free resource in the long run.

There is no such thing as a "free" resource. All things created have a cost and impact.

> Lobbying or reformation of governments for the purpose of IP

I would rather be on the defense than on the offense. 

Cameron