[wsfii-discuss] [!! SPAM] Re: OpenHardware Meeting - Paris Dec.13th 2007

Sat Dec 22 20:14:43 UTC 2007

Juergen, Vickram,

I agree with Vickram with regards to considering setting up a wiki.

Has a report about the event been posted anywhere or are they any plans 
to do so now that the event is over?

Merry Christmas

Jeff
> I do have some (very small) suggestions - is this text on a wiki 
> somewhere? I don't think the list should be used for editing. I can 
> send my revised text to anyone who is interested in helping streamline 
> it, but think that there will be lots of helpful opinions and 
> suggestions once we get the show on the air.
>  
> Vickram
> http://communicall.wordpress.com
> http://vvcrishna.wordpress.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Juergen Neumann <j.neumann at ergomedia.de>
> To: Discuss list on the World Summit on Free Information 
> Infrastructure <wsfii-discuss at lists.okfn.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, 7 November, 2007 4:00:08 PM
> Subject: [wsfii-discuss] OpenHardware Meeting - Paris Dec.13th 2007
>
>
> Hi all!
>
> We (Vic Hayes, Xavier Carcelle, Marek Linder, Florian Fainelli and 
> Juergen Neumann=me) are currently organizing an OpenHardware 
> get-together in Paris - http://www.openpattern.org . Our first goal is 
> to achieve cheap FOSS compatible open embedded wireless hardware. As 
> we all know the world needs cheep FOSS compliant wireless devices 
> (simple nodes), which come off the factory with e.g. OpenWRT or 
> similar OS. Second we need a modular more comprehensive wireless 
> router (super node) for backhaul infrastructure 
> (http://wiki.freifunk.net/OpenHardware and more IEEE conform: 
> http://openpattern.org/drupal/IEEE_HN1_Conf_OpenPatternProject_Article_071007.pdf)
>
> The meeting in Paris, which is a co-conference to IEEE home networking 
> 2007 http://home-networking2007.org/, shall be a first official 
> get-together of FOSS developers, OEM industry, wireless activists, 
> business people and FSF to have talks and workshops on various issues 
> on the road towards OpenHardware. It shall target the following issues:
>
> 1. What is open hardware in the sense of a licence?
>
> We have a very first draft on this topic: The term OpenHardware refers 
> to hardware, which is fully documented, with both specifications and 
> documentation freely available, including the drivers and firmware 
> required to make the hardware operational for its principle task. The 
> source code of the drivers and the firmware as well as all items of 
> the MIB should be directly available to the software developers. The 
> product with the drivers and firmware are type approved globally and 
> the purchasers are indemnified from any Intellectual Property claims. 
> It must be possible to write free and open source drivers for this 
> hardware without any restrictions or limitations. Furthermore, the 
> hardware design shall be available so that anyone can access, modify 
> and/or reproduce any of the hardware components. A licence is needed 
> to protect "OpenHardware"
>
>
> 2. Why is there a global need for cheap open source hardware 
> (especially wireless routers)
>
> Here we want to point industry to the potential markets in Afrika, 
> Asia and even in USA an Europe. Over the last 5 years I have been 
> working with wireless people from all over the world. There are 
> wireless communities in almost every country and places on this 
> planet. They all seek for well designed cheap open embedded hardware. 
> FOSS compliant hardware would prevent us from all the time and 
> resources consuming reengeneering process a.s.o. There are millions of 
> potential customers for cheap wireless mesh devices like accesspoints 
> or wifi-phones, etc ...
>
>
> 3. What are the benefits of OpenHardware?
>
> Today’s hardware development is split into separate hardware divisions 
> across the industrial landscape resulting in individual development 
> branches and only little innovation. OpenHardware will bring about 
> dialogs between all parties involved -  the producers, the customers 
> and the consumers. By directly communicating with customers / 
> communities / free developers, producers can access innovative input 
> from outside the company itself on advices to improve their products 
> thereby working closer on the consumers needs and ultimately widen 
> their market. The customer could express needs for adaptation of old 
> products or even lead the way to the creation of a totally new product 
> altogether. These synergy effects drastically reduce the research & 
> development costs, increase the number of potential customers and most 
> importantly form the fundamental basis for a level of customer 
> satisfaction demanded in the 21st century.
>
>
> 4. Why is this interesting for OEM producers?
>
> Traditional OEM producers depend on external purchasers which 
> commission a product to sell it by themselves via their established 
> distribution channels. After finishing the production the result is 
> handed over and the OEM has to find a new purchaser. OpenHardware 
> designs would fill the gap between the producer and the actual market, 
> by providing the necessary designs which can be produced and shipped 
> without an external purchaser. The combination of modern marketing 
> through Open Source Communities and customer networks reached over the 
> Internet are the key to selling these products around the globe.
> The OpenHardware concept would allow for one product being adapted for 
> several thousand completely different needs, as it could be shipped in 
> parts and later be assembled at its final location, after being 
> thoroughly customized to the situation at hand. OEMs could use the 
> feedback and the contributed efforts to further improve their products 
> and claim a strong share of the market. Furthermore, the community 
> formed around an OpenHardware product could serve as a pool for the 
> recruitment of capable and willing developers/testers or distributors 
> who already know the product, thereby saving a lot of time in the 
> initial and crucial phase of employment. Also would the customer 
> bonding to the company increase dramatically, as the product is no 
> longer developed for the consumer but with and most importantly BY the 
> consumer.
>
>
> 5. New channels and ways of distribution
>
> When you buy a Linksys WRT54GL in India or Afrika it is about twice as 
> expensive as if you buy it in the US or Europe. Though produced in 
> Asia for less than 10 Dollars, it is shipped and brandend into the 
> western world, before it can be redistributed to Asia or Afrika. In 
> the west it's at about 50 EUR and back in Asia it's about 100 EUR. 
> That is stupid nonsense, but has it's roots in the trading tradtions 
> formed over the last centuries. New e-business plattforms (webshops) 
> and global logistics offer much more inexpensive and direct 
> distribution channels to almost every place in the world. Community 
> needs on a product are not so much about well designed boxing and 
> accessoires, but much more about bulk boards packed in charges of 20, 
> 50, 100 or even larger. Following these ideas it should be possible to 
> sell wireless equipment for about 10 to 15 Dollars all over the world, 
> but especialy in the developing countries. That's what we want to achieve.
>
>
> Of course I know that we cannot reach all these goals in just one 
> meeting, but I am very sure that Paris has the potential to be a first 
> important step in this direction. Also there will not be OpenHardware 
> until we have open chips. So we need to see it as a phased model. Step 
> one is cheap FOSS compliant wireless hardware off the factory.
>
> All help and support is welcome! Please spread the word and give me/us 
> your feedback to this first drafted outline.
>
> Kindly,
>
> Juergen   
>
>
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