Difference between revisions of "About Open Hardware"

Revision as of 22:46, 22 July 2021

What is Do it Yourself, Open Hardware and Open Source Hardware?

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Do it Yourself refers to the handicraft production of products by private individuals or smaller groups, usually without a commercial background.

The term "open (source) hardware" is based on the term "open (source) software" and refers to technical developments and inventions that are not protected by companies through patents or other protective rights. The developers are often individuals, non-profit organizations, or small businesses who make their knowledge freely available to others.

Open hardware and open-source hardware are often used as synonyms, although open-source hardware usually uses stricter criteria. According to the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) definition, open-source hardware (OSH) is "hardware whose blueprints have been made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, redistribute, and make and sell it and hardware based on it".

The four essential requirements for open-source hardware are:

Use: Anyone can use it
Understand: All the important information to be able to understand it must be available.
Distribute: Anyone can distribute it
Improve: Anyone can improve it

In order to fulfill these requirements, complete technical documentation is necessary, because without it, points 2-4 cannot be fulfilled. The technical documentation usually consists of:

CAD files
Technical drawings, e.g. in PDF format
Parts lists
Optional: Documentation of electrical and electronic components
Optional: software

Open source hardware compared to open source software

In open-source software projects, the product and the documentation are identical: the program code is both the end product and the common international language for documentation and communication between developers. The documentation requires only a minor additional investment of time. This is why a large worldwide community has developed in a relatively short time and why open source software is also very successful from an economic point of view.

In open-source hardware projects, product and documentation are two different things: The realization of an open-source hardware project requires craftsmanship, material input, and a workshop. The documentation of an open-source hardware project requires a CAD workstation as well as knowledge and experience in CAD systems. However, only a small proportion of OSH developers have the knowledge and experience of the latter, even these often cannot afford the relatively high additional workload for clean documentation.

This is an important reason why open-source hardware, in contrast to open source software, does not (yet) play a really relevant role socially and economically.

Significance of open source software

Open-source software now dominates many market segments, such as:

Apache for web servers
Linux with its distributions as server operating systems
WordPress as CMS and for blogs
The CMS classics Typo3, Drupal, and Joomla
PHP as a programming language for web servers
etc. etc.

Significance of open source hardware

In contrast, open-source hardware has only a few "lighthouse projects", which have virtually no influence on society as a whole, for example

Arduino
3D printers such as RepRap
Laser Cutter Lasersaur
Tabby OSVehicle
Prosthetic Hands by OpenBionics'
Wikihouse

There are a few important reasons for this.

What are the problems of Open Source Hardware?

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There are several reasons for the lack of importance of open source hardware:

Problem 1: Documentation

Most open-source hardware or DIY projects are not documented at all or documented incompletely. A complete documentation of a technical solution includes e.g. CAD files, technical drawings, parts lists etc. The creation of these documents is time-consuming and sometimes also requires specialised knowledge, for example in CAD systems. Therefore, it is often neglected in non-commercial projects. However, a lack of documentation means that the projects can neither be used by others, nor copied, nor further developed. There are no synergy effects, the different developments cannot be networked or build on each other.

Problem 2: Licensing and copyright

The number of Do it Yourself projects exceeds the number of Open Hardware projects many fold. Many good projects are not published under free licenses that allow other people to use and develop the projects freely.

Problem 3: Publicity:

OSH and DIY projects are often published on small unknown websites in only one language. For those interested in searching in other languages, those projects are untraceable, also because sometimes inappropriate search terms are used. As a result, they are often only found by a small part of the potentially interested network.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Was ist Do it Yourself, Open Hardware und Open Source Hardware?  ==
+[[de:Ueber_Open_Hardware]]
-[[File:about diy-617763 640.jpg|thumb|<small>'''Mit Do it Yourself bezeichnet man die handwerkliche Herstellung von Produkten durch Privatleute oder kleinere Gruppen, meistens ohne kommerziellen Hintergrund.'''</small>]]
+[[es:Acerca_de_Open_Hardware]]
-[[File:about technology-3209268 640.jpg|thumb|<small>'''Der Begriff „Open (Source) Hardware“ lehnt sich an den Begriff „Open (Source) Software“ und bezieht sich auf technische Entwicklungen und Erfindungen, die nicht von Unternehmen durch Patente oder andere Schutzrecht geschützt sind.'''</small>]]
+== What is Do it Yourself, Open Hardware and Open Source Hardware?  ==
-Mit Do it Yourself bezeichnet man die handwerkliche Herstellung von Produkten durch Privatleute oder kleinere Gruppen, meistens ohne kommerziellen Hintergrund.
+[[File:solar3.png|thumb|<small>''''''</small>]]
+[[File:crane5.png|thumb|<small>''''''</small>]]
+Do it Yourself refers to the handicraft production of products by private individuals or smaller groups, usually without a commercial background.
-Der Begriff „Open (Source) Hardware“ lehnt sich an den Begriff „Open (Source) Software“ und bezieht sich auf technische Entwicklungen und Erfindungen, die nicht von Unternehmen durch Patente oder andere Schutzrecht geschützt sind. Die Entwickler sind häufig Einzelpersonen, gemeinnützige Organisationen oder kleine Unternehmen sind, die ihr Wissen anderen frei zur Verfügung stellen.
+The term "open (source) hardware" is based on the term "open (source) software" and refers to technical developments and inventions that are not protected by companies through patents or other protective rights. The developers are often individuals, non-profit organizations, or small businesses who make their knowledge freely available to others.
-Open Hardware und Open Source Hardware werden häufig als Synonyme verwendet, wobei Open Source Hardware in der Regel strengere Kriterien verwendet. Laut Definition der Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) ist Open Source Hardware (OSH) “Hardware, deren Baupläne öffentlich zugänglich gemacht wurden, sodass alle sie studieren, verändern, weiterverbreiten und sie sowie darauf basierende Hardware herstellen und verkaufen können”.
+Open hardware and open-source hardware are often used as synonyms, although open-source hardware usually uses stricter criteria. According to the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) definition, open-source hardware (OSH) is "hardware whose blueprints have been made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, redistribute, and make and sell it and hardware based on it".
-Die vier wesentlichen Anforderungen an Open Source Hardware sind:
+The four essential requirements for open-source hardware are:
-* Verwenden: Jeder darf sie verwenden
+* Use: Anyone can use it
-* Verstehen: Alle wichtigen Informationen um Sie verstehen zu können müssen vorhanden sein
+* Understand: All the important information to be able to understand it must be available.
-* Verbreiten: Jeder darf sie verbreiten
+* Distribute: Anyone can distribute it
-* Verbessern: Jeder darf sie verbessern
+* Improve: Anyone can improve it
-Um diese Anforderungen zu erfüllen ist eine vollständige technische Dokumentation notwendig, weil ohne diese die Punkte 2-4 nicht zu erfüllen sind. Die technische Dokumentation besteht in der Regel aus:
+In order to fulfill these requirements, complete technical documentation is necessary, because without it, points 2-4 cannot be fulfilled. The technical documentation usually consists of:
-* CAD-Dateien
+* CAD files
-* technischen Zeichnungen z.B. im PDF-Format
+* Technical drawings, e.g. in PDF format
-* Stücklisten
+* Parts lists
-* optional: Dokumentation der elektrischen und elektronischen Komponenten
+* Optional: Documentation of electrical and electronic components
-* optional: Software
+* Optional: software
+== Open source hardware compared to open source software ==
-== Open Source Hardware im Vergleich zu Open Source Software ==
+In open-source software projects, the product and the documentation are identical: the program code is both the end product and the common international language for documentation and communication between developers. The documentation requires only a minor additional investment of time. This is why a large worldwide community has developed in a relatively short time and why open source software is also very successful from an economic point of view.
-Bei Open Source Software Projekten sind das Produkt und die Dokumentation identisch: Der Programmcode ist gleichzeitig das Endprodukt und die gemeinsame internationale Sprache für Dokumentation und Kommunikation zwischen den Entwicklern. Die Dokumentation erfordert nur einen geringen zusätzlichen Zeitaufwand. Deshalb hat sich in relativ kurzer Zeit eine große weltweite Community entwickelt und deshalb ist Open Source Software auch aus wirtschaftlicher Sicht sehr erfolgreich.
+In open-source hardware projects, product and documentation are two different things: The realization of an open-source hardware project requires craftsmanship, material input, and a workshop. The documentation of an open-source hardware project requires a CAD workstation as well as knowledge and experience in CAD systems. However, only a small proportion of OSH developers have the knowledge and experience of the latter, even these often cannot afford the relatively high additional workload for clean documentation.
-Bei Open Source Hardware Projekten sind Produkt und Dokumentation zwei unterschiedliche Dinge: Die Realisierung eines Open Source Hardware Projektes erfordert handwerkliche Fähigkeiten, Materialeinsatz und eine Werkstatt. Die Dokumentation eines Open Source Hardware Projektes erfordert eine CAD-Arbeitsstation sowie Kenntnisse und Erfahrung in CAD-Systemen. Über letzteres verfügt jedoch nur ein geringer Teil der OSH-Entwickler. Und selbst diese können den relativ hohen zusätzlichen Arbeitsaufwand für eine saubere Dokumentation häufig nicht leisten.
+This is an important reason why open-source hardware, in contrast to open source software, does not (yet) play a really relevant role socially and economically.
-Dies ist ein wichtiger Grund, dass Open Source Hardware im Gegensatz zu Open Source Software gesellschaftlich und ökonomisch (noch) keine wirklich relevante Rolle spielt.
+=== Significance of open source software ===
+Open-source software now dominates many market segments, such as:
-=== Bedeutung von Open Source Software ===
+* Apache for web servers
-Open Source Software dominiert mittlerweile viele Marktsegmente, wie zum Beispiel:
+* Linux with its distributions as server operating systems
-* Apache für Web-Server
+* WordPress as CMS and for blogs
-* Linux mit seinen Distributionen als Server-Betriebssysteme
+* The CMS classics Typo3, Drupal, and Joomla
-* Wordpress als CMS und für Blogs
+* PHP as a programming language for web servers
-* die CMS-Klassiker Typo3, Drupal, und Joomla
+* etc. etc.
-* PHP als Programmiersprache für Webserver
+=== Significance of open source hardware ===
-* usw. usw.
+In contrast, open-source hardware has only a few "lighthouse projects", which have virtually no influence on society as a whole, for example
-=== Bedeutung von Open Source Hardware ===
-Demgegenüber kann Open Source Hardware nur wenige „Leuchtturmprojekte“ vorweisen, welche gesamtgesellschaftlich jedoch so gut wie keinen Einfluss haben, wie zum Beispiel
 * Arduino
-* 3D printers such as RepRa
+* 3D printers such as RepRap
 * Laser Cutter Lasersaur
 * Tabby OSVehicle
-* Prosthetic Hands von OpenBionics’
+* Prosthetic Hands by OpenBionics'
 * Wikihouse
-Hierfür gibt es einige wichtige Gründe.
+There are a few important reasons for this.
-== Was sind die Probleme von Open Source Hardware? ==
+== What are the problems of Open Source Hardware? ==
-[[File:Fotolia 21078827 S.jpg|thumb|<small>'''Die meisten Open Source Hardware oder DIY-Projekte sind gar nicht oder nur unvollständig dokumentiert.'''</small>]]
+[[File:crowd3.png|thumb|<small>''''''</small>]]
-Für die fehlende Bedeutung von Open Source Hardware  gibt es mehrere Gründe:
+There are several reasons for the lack of importance of open source hardware:
-=== Problem 1: Dokumentation ===
+=== Problem 1: Documentation ===
-Die meisten Open Source Hardware oder DIY-Projekte sind gar nicht oder nur unvollständig dokumentiert. Eine vollständige Dokumentation einer technischen Lösung umfasst z.B. CAD-Dateien, technische Zeichnungen, Stücklisten etc. Die Erstellung dieser Unterlagen ist zeitaufwändig und erfordert teilweise auch Spezialkenntnisse, zum Beispiel in CAD-Systemen. Deshalb wird sie in nicht kommerziellen Projekten häufig vernachlässigt. Eine fehlende Dokumentation bewirkt jedoch, dass die Projekte von anderen Menschen weder genutzt, noch nachgebaut, noch weiterentwickelt werden können. Es entstehen keine Synergie-Effekte, die unterschiedlichen Entwicklungen können nicht einander vernetzt werden oder aufeinander aufbauen.
+Most open-source hardware or DIY projects are not documented at all or documented incompletely. A complete documentation of a technical solution includes e.g. CAD files, technical drawings, parts lists etc. The creation of these documents is time-consuming and sometimes also requires specialised knowledge, for example in CAD systems. Therefore, it is often neglected in non-commercial projects. However, a lack of documentation means that the projects can neither be used by others, nor copied, nor further developed. There are no synergy effects, the different developments cannot be networked or build on each other.
-=== Problem 2: Lizenzierung und Urheberrecht ===
+=== Problem 2: Licensing and copyright ===
-Die Anzahl an Do it Yourself Projekten übersteigt die Anzahl an Open Hardware Projekten um ein Vielfaches.
+The number of Do it Yourself projects exceeds the number of Open Hardware projects many fold.
-Viele gute Projekte sind nicht unter freien Lizenzen veröffentlicht, die es anderen Menschen ermöglichen die Projekte frei zu nutzen und weiter zu entwickeln.
+Many good projects are not published under free licenses that allow other people to use and develop the projects freely.
-=== Problem 3: Bekanntmachung: ===
+=== Problem 3: Publicity: ===
-OSH- und DIY-Projekte werden häufig auf kleinen unbekannten Websites in nur einer Sprache veröffentlicht. Für Interessenten, die in anderen Sprachen suchen, sind sie unauffindbar, auch weil bisweilen wenig treffende Suchbegriffe verwendet werden. Dadurch werden sie häufig nur von einem kleinen Teil der potentiellen Interessnet gefunden.
+OSH and DIY projects are often published on small unknown websites in only one language. For those interested in searching in other languages, those projects are untraceable, also because sometimes inappropriate search terms are used. As a result, they are often only found by a small part of the potentially interested network.