Why Open Source Software/Open Hardware?

Lenandlar Singh

Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, University of Guyana

Hardware Freedom Day 2013, Guyana

OUTLINE

Openness FOSS/OSHW Opportunities and Challenges OSHW Projects Future

Openness

FOSS – Free and Open Source Software

OERs – Open Educational Resources MOOCs – Massive Open Online

Courses Open Data, Open Government Open Hardware Open Everything…

Why?

FOSS/OSHW

Open hardware is like open software

users :are allowed to use, to improve

and to redistribute existing projects freely.

designers :publish documents, software,.. essential to design the device.

but is it really…

Open Source Hardware (OSHW)

Graham Seaman suggests that truly open hardware would

have to satisfy the following requirements:

The interface to the hardware must be explicitly made public, so the hardware can be used freely.

The design of the hardware must be made public, so that others can implement it and learn from it.

The tools used to create the design should be free, so that others can develop and improve the design.

http://conviviality.ouvaton.org/article.php3?id_article=44

FOSS/OSHW – Things to think about

Sharing – share as many copies of the FOSS (end product), can’t do with hardware (1 copy is 1 copy) – real products, not code

Design – OSHW design available, product can be built from it, FOSS product available but have to figure out design?

COST – entry to FOSS is probably cheaper /easier than OSHW

FOSS – Copyright Law/ OSHW – Patent Law --- See TAPR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAPR_Open_Hardware_License

Not all OSH might be of interest to the Computing Industry

FOSS/OSHW – Things to think about

LicensesLicenses Share-Alike style

CERN Open Hardware License – CERN developed OSHW license inspired by the GPL

TAPR Open Hardware License – TAPR developed OSHW license inspired by the GPL

Attribution Only styleMach 30 Open Design Pledge – Mach 30 developed

licensing bundle for OSHWSolderpad Hardware License - Modified 

Apache Software License for use with hardware projects

http://mach30.org/open-source-hardware/

A Criticism of the TAPR the license has "lots of problems" and that it

"strips the word 'distribution' of its normal meaning, assuring lots of contention over edge cases.“ – Eric Raymond

 ”also concerns that the Open Hardware License may merely place the design and/or idea into the Public Domain by effectively publishing it before securing the benefits of patent protection” --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAPR_Open_Hardware_License

Advantages for Developing Countries

Knowledge Transfer

Cost Reduction of Design Process

Explore and encourage innovators

Wide Range of users – end users, marketer, developers etc

Potential Problems Lack of Technical Expertise

Low levels of industrial R&D

Supply/Demand?

Waste

Cooperation between Industry and University?

Part 2…

Some of the following slides are from…

http://perso.enslyon.fr/serguei.tchoumakov/english/presentation/Open%20Hardware.pptx

--- credit to the author

Close hardware and waste

Close hardware is a waste of money and a source of pollution.

Repairing computers costs money. E-waste, Ghana.

Statistics and Growth

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110

100

200

300

400Total projects

Source: OSHW annual –Torrone and Make magazine.

Conclusion

Open hardware is about…

… open design,

…telling people how devices are made,

…improving devices,

…reducing costs

So What Next?

What can we do?Projects to play around with?

Should we care?

What is in it for us?

THANK YOU!!!