The Need for Open Hardware

bwt asks: "With all the talk of DRM lately, it occurs to me that the entire concept depends on limiting the choice for computer hardware. OK, so the proper reaction to the copyright industry's attempts at PC market control is to be able to build a PC that they can't control. I know there have been some discussions on open hardware, but most if it was prior to the emergence of DRM as a real threat. In fact, Richard Stallman wrote an editorial in 1999 and said 'Because copying hardware is so hard, the question of whether we're allowed to do it is not vitally important.' DRM has perhaps changed that. Isn't the need for open hardware becoming critical? What is the status of the open hardware efforts?"

Comments

Re:Open hardware?

[Com2Kid]

Words are tricky. When a Westerner says that China is a place where one can't make a profit; he really means _he_ can't make a profit, because someone there will come along and make his product better and cheaper.


Or how about that at any point in time over in china if you ARE making a profit the chinese government can come over, burn down your factory, shoot you in the head, and nothing bad will happen to them?

See, that is the difference between China and the US. We have these things called laws here and one way or another we can at least complain about the ones that we do not like, and if enough people complain about them the laws can actualy be *gasp* repealed!

Thus the whole entire reason that the US kinda has this nifty habit of avoiding mass slaughter of civilians by government troops 'just out havin a good time'.