Why We Need Free Digital Hardware Designs

jrepin writes Free software is a matter of freedom, not price; broadly speaking, it means that users are free to use the software and to copy and redistribute the software, with or without changes. Applying the same concept directly to hardware, free hardware means hardware that you are free to use and to copy and redistribute with or without changes. But, since there are no copiers for hardware, is the concept of free hardware even possible? The concept we really need is that of a free hardware design. That's simple: it means a design that permits users to use the design (i.e., fabricate hardware from it) and to copy and redistribute it, with or without changes. The design must provide the same four freedoms that define free software. Then "free hardware" means hardware with an available free design.

Comments

opencores.org

[pem]

There are a lot of free designs and sites supporting them out there. Open source hardware is a thing. Even "free" (according to RMS) hardware is a thing.

Is there some new point to this?

Re:opencores.org

[ShanghaiBill]

There are a lot of free designs and sites supporting them out there.

My favorite is opencores.org. They have a lot of free hardware IP, many using the standard Wishbone bus. The cores can be used in an FPGA, or incorporated into an ASIC. It is a fantastic resource.