On Tuesday 22 September 2009, prabir wrote: > 2009/9/22 jtd <[email protected]>: > > On Tuesday 22 September 2009, prabir wrote: > >> >> 7. free drivers for all marketed hardware, and work towards > >> >> free/open hardware > >> > >> Does this mean that any hardware sold in India should have free > >> drivers or we will help promote such hardware or...Also do not > >> understand free/open hardware. Open hardware yes, free hardware? > > > > Free as in freedom. > > Well free as in freedom still leaves open what it means. Does it mean > no IPR on designs, no patents, etc.? That would perhaps take it > another set of issues.
The exact same meaning as freedom in Free software. No restrictions on copying, modifications and distribution except the restriction on placing additional restrictions. Nothing prevents you from holding design / product/ process patents, as long as you conform to the above. Again in the case of hardware there are a large number of layers - materials, packaging, processes etc etc. Thus one may have a product of distinctive styling, branding, processes, materials etc. The owner may open several but not all of these. Depending on what is not opened someone in the chain will be locked out. In the current context (egovernance, UID, forensic evidence collection), we require (mostly) everything open and atleast the internal logical circuits of each and every device used in such systems to be free. Many biometric devices have the sensor and interface hardwired and do not capture info with true fidelity - sort of mp3 vs analog. The alcohol breath detectors used in USA are a case in point where the most basic hardware and software design practices were bypassed, resulting in readings varying with local climatic and temperature readings, besides plain dumb coding factors. -- Rgds JTD _______________________________________________ network mailing list [email protected] http://lists.fosscom.in/listinfo.cgi/network-fosscom.in
