[wsfii-discuss] OpenHardware Meeting - Paris Dec.13th 2007

Wed Nov 14 05:01:30 UTC 2007

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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