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To add to that, Michael, open source software is easier to share but not as easy to change or build the source, which requires knowledge that perhaps 1% of the world possesses. That could be classified as much of a barrier to freedom as not readily having materials for hardware.
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Although now that 3D printing is revolutionizing how easily people can create hardware, then the barrier of lacking print materials is balanced by our ability to actually hold the hardware in our hands. Where open source software disappears when we unplug the power source.
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So it doesn't make sense to compare how difficult it is to exercise the freedom of two things that put so much effort into propelling that freedom. They each have barriers, merely different ones.
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Marino Hernandez
<br />(just a founder of
<a href="http://www.marketply.org">Marketply</a>)
<br />203-429-4205
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<br />> On November 24, 2013 at 4:16 PM Michael Shiloh <michaelshiloh1010@gmail.com> wrote:
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<br />> On 11/24/2013 01:07 PM, Matt Maier wrote:
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.....
<br />> > I finally found this thing where Richard Stallman talked about "free
<br />> > hardware" specifically. As you can see, his impression of "free as in
<br />> > speech" hardware is that the freedom isn't relevant since it's so hard to
<br />> > exercise the freedom.
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<br />> > http://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/1999062200505NWLF
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<br />> > "*Because copying hardware is so hard, the question of whether we're
<br />> > allowed to do it is not vitally important. I see no social imperative for
<br />> > free hardware designs like the imperative for free software.*"
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<br />> But he wrote that in 1999. The reason that OSHW is an issue now is that
<br />> the cost and difficulty of copying hardware has plummeted, and will
<br />> continue to do so.
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<br />> I wonder if Richard Stallman feels his statement above needs to be revised.
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