<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>The Linux Foundation tried to figure out the value of a GNU/Linux distro quite a few years back:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/announcements/2008/10/linux-foundation-publishes-study-estimating-value-linux">http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/announcements/2008/10/linux-foundation-publishes-study-estimating-value-linux</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>It’s interesting in that it covers the methodology used (essentially, development cost). I’d also guess that the value has, conservatively, doubled since then (based on the additional dev work which has been done).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Best<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Andrew<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:teal'>Andrew Katz</span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <br></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:teal'>Moorcrofts LLP</span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:6.0pt'><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Corporate Law | Technology Law | Commercial Law | Employment Law </span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><br></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Employee Incentivisation & Share Schemes | Intellectual Property Law </span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><br></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Commercial Property Law</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>| </span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Secured Lending</span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:6.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>James House, Mere Park, Dedmere Road, Marlow, Bucks SL7 1FJ<br></span></b><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>+44 (0) 1628 470003</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> </span><b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>(phone) | </span></b><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>+44 (0) 7970 835001 (mobile)</span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <br></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><a href="mailto:andrew.katz@moorcrofts.com" title="mailto:kate.bray@moorcrofts.com"><span style='color:#398494'>mailto:andrew.katz@moorcrofts.com</span></a></span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <br></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.moorcrofts.com/">www.moorcrofts.com</a></span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-top:6.0pt'><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Partners - Adrian Phillips, Andrew Katz, Teri Hunter, Craig Havard</span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Registered in England & Wales OC 311818</span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <br></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Regulated and authorized by the Solicitors Regulation A</span></b><b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>uthority</span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <br></span><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>"Partner" means a member of Moorcrofts LLP</span></b><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>THIS EMAIL IS CONFIDENTIAL. IF YOU ARE NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, PLEASE LET US KNOW.</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <br><b>We store email addresses and the names of addressees to assist with future correspondence.</b></span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 4.0pt'><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> discuss-bounces@lists.oshwa.org [mailto:discuss-bounces@lists.oshwa.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Emilio Velis<br><b>Sent:</b> 02 September 2014 15:54<br><b>To:</b> The Open Source Hardware Association Discussion List<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Discuss] Economic value of OSH work<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>There are different ways of valuing open source work, and probably many aren't even in the realm of conventional economics. The best to measure the value of OSH work would be by comparing all the costs that R&D companies use and compare them to how much would it cost to build an open source equivalent. Costs are easy:<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal>Total cost of design = total time spent by collaborators x hourly wage + paper and materials (prints, scans, other staples)<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Cost of manufacturing = machine time + materials + shipping for materials + additives + cost of machine deprecation<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal>You also need to evaluate in terms of:<br>- logistics (what you would spend in terms of price+shipping compare to making it yourself),<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>- average cost of maintenance (training, spare parts)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>- deprecation (the expected time the machine will work. If a proprietary machine is expected to last 50 years with maintenance, compared to open source options that are 10 times cheaper but you have to build a new one every 5 years...)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>- cost of intellectual property: having the source code of a machine also gives your company value since you have a base for R&D. However, this would have to be calculated differently because it's not a monopoly.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Maybe these ideas will give you a starting ground. Let me know if you need any help! This would be a very good subject for a research paper.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On 2 September 2014 07:13, Joshua Pearce <<a href="mailto:professor.pearce@gmail.com" target="_blank">professor.pearce@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><div><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>Hi All,<br><br>I know that many of you has been thinking about how to determine the value of OSH work. Are you aware of any methods to calculate absolute value in real economic terms?<br><br>For example if you spend an hour of your time making an OpenSCAD file for a parametric test tube rack and put it in the public domain - and then for the rest of time anyone can download the file, customize the rack for their needs and print it for the cost of materials and a tiny amount of electricity. How much is that gift worth? <br><br>Clearly it is more than your opportunity cost or wage for one hour...but how much more is the value to humanity?<br><br>Is it:<br>(cost to purchase - cost to print) x (number of people downloading it)?<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>or <o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>(hourly wage of person needing a test tube rack) x (number of people using it)?<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>or<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>total value of the test tube market - (cost to print)x (number of racks in the market) ....summed for N years?<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>or <o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>As the cost of test tube racks has now decreased it is the total value of the current market + a bonus for expanding future use because of lower costs + some kind of educational bonus because more schools can afford them + some fraction of future discoveries made possible because now part of the expense of doing science was decreased.....<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>or<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:14.4pt'>Is there a better way to do this - and get to quantification?<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>Thanks!<o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt'>Joshua<o:p></o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Joshua M. Pearce, Ph.D.<br>Associate Professor<br><a href="http://www.appropedia.org/Category:MOST" target="_blank">The Michigan Tech Open Sustainability Technology Lab</a><br>Department of Materials Science & Engineering<br>Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering<br>Michigan Technological University<br>601 M&M Building<br>1400 Townsend Drive<br>Houghton, MI 49931-1295<br>906-487-1466<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://store.elsevier.com/coArticle.jsp?pageid=18200010" target="_blank">Open Source Lab</a><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br>_______________________________________________<br>discuss mailing list<br><a href="mailto:discuss@lists.oshwa.org">discuss@lists.oshwa.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.oshwa.org/listinfo/discuss" target="_blank">http://lists.oshwa.org/listinfo/discuss</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></body></html>