Howard Wen considers whether the same open-source principles can be applied to hardware as software, and whether we'll be using such gadgets any time soon
Open-source software has had a major impact on the way we've used PCs over the past decade. The Apache HTTP Server is the world's most popular web server; Linux has more than held its own against Unix and other proprietary operating systems; and the Firefox browser has given Internet Explorer strong competition over the years. But could the same philosophy - the free and public dissemination of underlying code and specifications, with multiple developers from disparate sources contributing to the design - work for hardware as well? It's already possible to design a device, including its electrical and mechanical architecture, using computer-aided design (CAD) software, order nearly all its components online, then process the manufacturing of a prototype through a low-cost supplier. So the idea of organising an open-source project online to build a device isn't far-fetched, nor is it one that requires a great deal of startup funding. Mark Driver, a Gartner analyst, thinks that open-source gadgets have the best chance in markets where the technology has matured to the point that it is commonplace. "Open source is about commoditisation," Driver said. "These products take a market where there really isn't a lot of concrete differentiation between what's out there and provide an alternative, which is exactly what open source does right. Linux didn't get wildly popular because it did something new; it's because it did what Unix did, but did it in a much more open fashion." Defining open-source hardware While numerous open-source computer and electronics components are available today, only a handful of complete tech gadgets are being developed under an open-source philosophy. However, what defines a hardware project as being open-source remains... well, open. Generally, open-source hardware has at least some of its plans available to the public, thus allowing others to contribute to its development or, if permitted by its creator, to manufacture the device themselves or even modify the plans to create a new device. Always Innovating, for example, encourages outsiders to contribute to the development of its ARM-processor-based tablet/netbook hybrid, the Touch Book. Weighing 0.8 kilogrammes, the device features a touchscreen, a removable keyboard and a customised Linux operating system. It can run for 10 hours on a single battery charge. The schematics for the Touch Book are freely available at alwaysinnovating.com. "We also provide advanced support and consulting services for companies that want to build their own devices starting from our design," said chief operating officer Alexandre Tisserant. "We build reliable, innovative products. By opening them to other companies, you get the necessary feedback and contributions to improve them and design new ones faster and more easily." Gadgets for enthusiasts Unsurprisingly, such gadgets are geared towards and appeal most to technology hobbyists. Several thousand Touch Books have already been sold - mainly to this crowd, said Tisserant. Yet Always Innovating is now looking to sell to vertical markets. Because the Touch Book is highly customisable, it could easily be integrated into taxis or police cars, or connected to a hospital's network as an always-on portable device for medical staff. Meanwhile, a team of graduate students at Stanford University is working on another open-source gadget: the Frankencamera. This Linux-based digital camera can be programmed to control exposure, flash, focus settings and more. "We want to make this camera for graduate students doing research that could use a programmable camera, or undergraduates doing courses in programming," said Andrew Adams, one of the developers of the Frankencamera. "This project was inspired by our frustration with trying to program cameras." Not all such projects catch consumers' imagination, however. The Neo FreeRunner smartphone and its supporting Linux-based platform, Openmoko, is a good example. Openmoko made both the operating system and the design plans for the internal electronics and housing available for others to use and improve on. Openmoko ended support for the project in April 2009, according to product manager William Lai. "As time and technology progressed, the funds involved in competing with Apple, RIM, Android and so on were out of our scope. The technology outpaced our ability to deliver on a timely basis," he said. However, the Openmoko platform and FreeRunner phone are still being developed by a volunteer community. Distribution difficulties With software, anyone can download a copy of an open-source program and try it out straight away. It's equally easy to give feedback to its developers and contribute code to fix bugs or add features. The open-source model in software development thrives on this constant distribute-and-test process: the more copies of the code you can get into the hands of testers, and the quicker you do so, the faster the project's developers can get feedback in order to fix and improve the software. But applying the open-source model to hardware isn't as straightforward. Prototypes can be expensive to produce and distribute for evaluating and testing purposes, so development doesn't progress as quickly. "When you get your first piece of home-made hardware, you can do some modifications. But you'll have to order a new piece with your new design. This takes time as well as money," said Tisserant. In order to seriously challenge the traditional proprietary model of developing hardware, a manufacturing timeframe of less than a week would be ideal. "The easier and faster you can test, the easier and faster you can learn," he said. Turnaround time could be reduced with the use of affordable rapid prototyping or fabrication machines. For example, the body of the Frankencamera is laser-cut acrylic; anyone with access to a laser cutter can take the plans and make their own. Intellectual property issues But does the question of who owns what in an open device pose problems, particularly if several people contribute designs? Michael Arrington, founder and co-editor of the TechCrunch blog, might think so. His open-source CrunchPad got off to a promising start in July 2008 as TechCrunch partnered with Singapore-based Fusion Garage to develop and manufacture the web tablet. In late 2009, however, the agreement fell apart when Fusion Garage announced its intention to sell the CrunchPad without TechCrunch's involvement. Fusion Garage CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan claimed that his firm had sole intellectual property rights to the device, while Arrington said the companies shared the rights. Fusion Garage plans to sell the device as the JooJoo tablet. TechCrunch has responded by filing a lawsuit. At the time of writing, Fusion Garage was taking pre-orders for the JooJoo, which is expected to go on sale by the summer. We wondered what legal steps Stanford's Frankencamera developers had taken to protect their hard work. Adams said: "In this regard, life is easier when there's no money to be made. "Because everything we do is as students of Stanford University, we have pretty good legal avenues available to us if someone should try anything nefarious. But so far, the vast majority of what we've heard from the general public is interest, encouragement and offers of help." Making money (or not) Tisserant acknowledged that hardware companies pursuing the open-source route might have lower profit margins, but he said they can benefit from lower research-and-development costs and shorter development cycles. "The goal is not to keep your secrets and live on endless royalties, but to share the knowledge and grow with fast innovation," he said. Although Openmoko no longer supports the FreeRunner phone or the Openmoko smartphone platform, Lai said the firm hasn't given up on open-source hardware. "For the past year, Openmoko as a company has been focused on bringing open source in front of an audience of mass appeal," he said. "We want to continue to design products using open-source elements." One example Lai gave was the WikiReader, a pocket reader preloaded with Wikipedia content. The developers of the Frankencamera said they have no business plan because their project's ultimate goal isn't to sell a product. Their goal is to get the schematics of Frankencameras into the hands of students at other academic institutions, so they can build their own version at minimal cost and use it in their coursework and research. They hope their project will convince manufacturers that letting users program their cameras adds value and makes people want their product more, because there's a community of enthusiasts constantly adding new features to it. "How successful would the iPhone have been without the App Store?" Adams said. "Now why can't you write and download apps to your camera? Our personal goals are to do interesting research, and give other people the tools to do interesting research, not to make money." Extending the reach Jeff Orr, a technology analyst with ABI Research, said that for an open-source hardware project to succeed in the marketplace against proprietary, commercial products, it still needs "some ownership - some individual, some entity - that is providing the workforce to assemble and distribute these products. Once I've bought it, what's the support like? Is there a warranty if something goes wrong?" Still, he is cautiously optimistic about the potential of open source at gadgets' research and development stage. "Could the open-source model challenge the commercial research and development process? I think so, because you create a larger pool of knowledge that any individual or organisation could learn from," said Orr. But will an open-source gadget ever take off in the same way that Firefox and Ubuntu have, becoming a household name among mainstream gadget users? Open-source gadgets will become more common, predicted Driver, but he is unsure whether we will see one that appeals to a wide user base and can challenge an equivalent proprietary hardware product. As for whether open-source gadget design will revolutionise their development in the way the process has for software, it's probably much less likely - at least for the foreseeable future, said Driver. Technical telepathy: 09969636745 Saints are not always saints; sinners are not always sinners. Voice your thoughts in the blog to discuss the Rights of persons with disability bill at: http://www.accessindia.org.in/harish/blog.htm To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
