On Tuesday 09 January 2007 11:38, Hamie wrote: > > The way I see Open Hardware is > > * The freedom to use the hardware, for any purpose (freedom 0). > * The freedom to study how the hardware works, and adapt it to your > needs (freedom 1). Access to the register level documentation and > interface timing information is a precondition for this.
How would you adapt the hardware having only register level documentation? You would need more than only the outside interface; you'd need board schematics for example to be able to replace broken parts. > * The freedom to redistribute copies of documentation so you can help > your neighbor (freedom 2). Help your neighbour doing what? Use his own hardware maybe, but that's covered under freedom 0 already. > * The freedom to improve the hardware, and release your improvements > to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). > Access to the register level documentation and interface timing > information is a precondition for this. And again, you need more than that. > Looks fairly similiar to what was in the previous messages about free > software really. But it's the Interface (Register and timings) that > are important. Not the arrangement of transistors in the package. > (This may be an important point for some people... I think it enables > proprietary hardware that simply has a Free & Open interface.. But these (documented and use-for-any-purpose, and Free design) are two separate things, and you are conflating them. Lourens
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