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Interesting. <br>
Thanks for sharing, Matt.<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 15/01/2014 11:51 a.m., Matt Maier
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CA+S82Dr=L+FWhhqjS+LF37pvG_rO26P0G4twQ8J+ZC8zu_V=Tg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=69&doc_id=1320638">http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=69&doc_id=1320638</a></div>
<div>"<strong>CK:</strong> Open-source hardware seems to be in its
infancy in terms of what business model people will implement.
Are there any bright and shining stars you think are doing it
well?
<p><strong>BH:</strong> This is a tricky question, because it
carries so many assumptions with it. The open hardware
community itself still hasn't come to terms with what it even
means to be open-source -- there are layers of openness in
hardware. For example, because I don't disclose to you the
smelting process or mining location for the copper used in my
circuit boards, does that mean the PCB is closed-source?
Because a design uses a chip, but the mask patterns aren't
open, is the design closed-source? To "build something from
source" has a very different meaning in hardware than in
software. <br>
<br>
It also assumes that the One True Model of IP is the American
model. That's a big assumption; China has a different model
for IP. It's not quite the bleak picture of rampant thievery
that pundits so blithely tout. But one thing is for sure: The
ecosystem is much more "open" than the American model. I can
get the schematics design source for lots of products in
China, but with unclear or unknown licensing conditions. I
call this the "Gongkai" model of open-source. So to some
extent, the brightest shining stars in the open hardware world
are the Chinese Shanzhai; they've turned this Gongkai IP model
into billion-dollar hardware industries.</p>
<p><strong>CK:</strong> There has been some frustration with a
single closed-source component in your laptop. Do you think
that will get resolved so that it can be entirely open-source?
Do you feel that is necessary to achieve your goal?</p>
<p><strong>BH:</strong> Again, layers of openness. Actually, <i>all</i>
the <i>components</i> are closed. I don't have the formula
for the dielectric of the capacitors; nor do I have the design
for the magnetics inside the Ethernet jack, or mask works for
any of the chips. I have only pushed one layer down of
openness, namely, into the circuit card assembly design. It's
the one and only piece that I personally have full control
over and have the full freedom to choose to make open. It's
progress in the right direction, and I'm happy to move the
ball in the right direction, even if it's still not totally in
the end-zone. <br>
<br>
I believe the "closed-source component" you are referring to
is the GPU embedded within the ARM SoC. The GPU is annoyingly
closed; but I use the laptop every day just fine without it.
There's not a lot that I do that requires a GPU, and I don't
particularly care for fancy window manager effects and what
not (in fact, I go out of my way to turn them off when they
are introduced into other OSes). However, scrolling would be a
little bit smoother if we could use the GPU, and there are
some projects to reverse-engineer the GPU that I'm excited
about. <br>
<br>
I'm perfectly happy to work with reverse-engineered components
and consider them "open" for my personal purposes -- if I can
hack it, I own it; even if hacking it means a little elbow
grease to extract the details. I'm not stymied by dogma; as
long as the net result is constant progress toward more
openness, I believe we're better off today than we were
yesterday."</p>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
PabloK</pre>
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