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Open Source Hardware Defined

[ Thanks to An Anonymous
Reader
for this link. ]

“Members of the open source hardware community publicly
issued a list of standards that define a specific piece of hardware
as open source. Among the signatures on the document were MIT Media
Lab and Arduino lead software developer David Mellis, Adafruit
founder Limor Fried, Creative Commons VP of Science John Wilbanks,
and Wired editor and DIY Drones founder Chris Anderson.

“There are eleven tenets to the open source hardware definition.
From the definition:

“1. Documentation

“The hardware must be released with documentation including
design files, and must allow modification and distribution of the
design files. Where documentation is not furnished with the
physical product, there must be a well-publicized means of
obtaining this documentation for no more than a reasonable
reproduction cost preferably, downloading via the Internet without
charge. The documentation must include design files in the
preferred form for which a hardware developer would modify the
design. Deliberately obfuscated design files are not allowed.
Intermediate forms analogous to compiled computer code — such as
printer-ready copper artwork from a CAD program — are not allowed
as substitutes.”


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