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I started open sourcing hardware and then in the middle I realized, that I am digging my own grave. While any optimization in software can be done in a weekend,

by lnsru 4y ago

I started open sourcing hardware and then in the middle I realized, that I am digging my own grave. While any optimization in software can be done in a weekend, this takes weeks in hardware (5-7 days printed circuit manufacturing and couple days assembly). Plus my final hardware will be optimized to pass EC/FCC testing which also costs money. So investing time and money for open source hardware design… I don’t know, there is no advantage left for me if I choose commercial path later. Building hardware for fun isn’t really my thing, I do this already for living. Edit: I have seen enough parts of open source projects incorporated in commercial projects without any credits and ignoring all licenses. Chance of being caught and punished is in most cases zero. Edit2: I work for a big corp right now and that’s first workplace who cares about using open source code from Internet. All the smaller owner led companies were happy copying code and accelerating development despite restrictive licenses. I asked the bosses about this and it was just laughing all the time.

bitL 4y ago
You can delay the release of your newer designs by 1-2 years so that you can squeeze the juice at the beginning while being nice to your regular users.
sinenomine 4y ago
Maybe the right way of approaching this is setting up a crypto fundraiser to opensource the hardware once some threshold is reached. This could implement a kickstarter-like mechanics of fund returns for underperforming fundraisers at the smart contract level. This way authors could be decently compensated.
- jacquesm 4y ago
  This is how Blender ended up being open sourced. Modulo the crypto bit, I really don't see the point of that, you really don't need it.
- lnsru 4y ago
  That’s rather b2b product. I don’t think, that kickstarter format is good for b2b things.
1letterunixname 4y ago
Or, you're helping customers repair electronics. Reverse engineers overseas don't need schematics, but hobbyist users do. IBM used to include complete schematics and BIOS assembly code in their manuals. Apple has a history of making it very difficult to repair their devices due to locking up schematics and parts.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  This. Although this is orthogonal to the open source question. You can (and, I argue, should) release all of that data while still operating under a proprietary license.

by lnsru 4y ago

bitL 4y ago

You can delay the release of your newer designs by 1-2 years so that you can squeeze the juice at the beginning while being nice to your regular users.

sinenomine 4y ago

Maybe the right way of approaching this is setting up a crypto fundraiser to opensource the hardware once some threshold is reached. This could implement a kickstarter-like mechanics of fund returns for underperforming fundraisers at the smart contract level. This way authors could be decently compensated.

jacquesm 4y ago
This is how Blender ended up being open sourced. Modulo the crypto bit, I really don't see the point of that, you really don't need it.
lnsru 4y ago
That’s rather b2b product. I don’t think, that kickstarter format is good for b2b things.

1letterunixname 4y ago

Or, you're helping customers repair electronics. Reverse engineers overseas don't need schematics, but hobbyist users do. IBM used to include complete schematics and BIOS assembly code in their manuals. Apple has a history of making it very difficult to repair their devices due to locking up schematics and parts.

JohnFen 4y ago
This. Although this is orthogonal to the open source question. You can (and, I argue, should) release all of that data while still operating under a proprietary license.