Blog Post on OSE's Development Method
Exlainer Video Script
Intro screen. Open Source Ecology -- (ting) -- Home of Distributive Enterprise.
Open software and content has a development process figured out -- (pop in) -- Github, Wikipedia
but open hardware is much harder.
It requires materials, tools, facilities, logistics...
Nobody has it figured out yet.
But imagine if we could design new things really fast.
After all, just about any new 'invention' is just a small step on top of all existing human knowledge.
But because just about everything today is proprietary - everyone reinvents the wheel.
Imagine compressing development times of hardware- say from 5 years - to 2 weeks - by radically efficient global collaboration. Like Wikipedia. That is our goal.
5 years is 10,000 hours with one person. Or 2 weeks with 100 people - or 2 weeks with 40 people around the clock.
Say you are doing a startup, out of your mom's living room. With unleashed collaboration, you can ship faster. And retire earlier. Hopefully to doing world-changing work.
Open source hardware means distributing production. The market for honest work - about $100Trillion - is the entire global economy.
Bumping out invading colonials is good work (walmart -> Polydome with Gandhi).
Be a part of the change.
Open Source Ecology is starting its group on the Open Source Hardware Development Method. Our method to Develop the Method is:
1. Gather leading OSH practitioner (OSHWA logo + Peeps) 2. Identify all the steps in open hardware development 3. Identify all the Assets that proper documentation should have 4. Create standards, best practices, icons, and taxonomies 5. Then agree on a formal set of standards, adopt, and implement them
Now the list of steps and assets will be long.
Especially if it includes open hardware across all sectors - from electronics - to planes trains and automobiles - and permaculture systems and industrial ecologies.
But the good news is - once everything is put on the table - then different projects can pick and choose what they need.
Say you need a basic documentation strategy. Here are the main steps, best practices, best tools ....
Say you need all your legal framework in place. Here's all the main steps, best practices, and best tools ....
Say you need to build your community. Here's all the main steps, best practices, you get the picture.
http://opensourceecology.org/open-source-hardware-development-method