[hpsdr] parts kit vs mounted SMT

[Lyle Johnson]

>> *** 
>> 
>> I am sure there are for-profit companies that will be wanting to step in 
>> and offer assembled and tested board level products.  Being open source, 
>> no one can or should try and prevent them from doing so.  Being open 
>> source, there is plenty of opportunity for the marketplace to keep 
>> pricing efficient, especially if we are successful in getting an open 
>> source hardware license structure in place that assures derivative 
>> designs are just as open as the source designs.
>> 
> ***
> Of course! Let's turn over our (your) copyrights to TAPR. Let's find a way
> for them/us to license the IP you generate. Some of these productions like
> Mercury, or Gibralter will produce the best state of the art, products in
> the world. Why limit them to a 'kit of parts'. I think that TAPR could
> manage the income by giving the $ earned in licensing fees to electronics
> oriented scholarships or some other beneficial, non-profit donations! 
> *** 

I respectfully disagree.

I want to give (at least some of) my HPSDR IP to Amateur radio through 
an open source model.  The IP I contribute, by itself, is insufficient 
for the tasks at hand.  Working together with others, we can jointly and 
severally provide combined IP that potentially has a huge, positive 
impact on Amateur radio.  Providing it to TAPR for sublicensing could be 
perceived as a conflict of interest with my employer(s), or the 
employer(s) of other contributors.

By making it all open source, there are no license fees.  And anyone who 
makes derivative works has to contribute those back to the community. 
The contribution back to the community of derivative works is a 
leveraging obligation of potentially major significance, and makes the 
lack of licensing revenue a reasonable price.

I have no personal issue with TAPR making and selling assembled and 
tested boards for HPSDR.  I strongly suspect it could be a problem 
vis-a-vis their tax-exempt status.  That is for the TAPR BoD and their 
legal counsel to determine.

I agree that the marketplace will demand assembled and tested boards. 
And once we have enough boards working well, and doing interesting 
things, the entrepreneurs  will see to it that the marketplace is 
satisfied.  Meanwhile, TAPR will have fulfilled its charter to 
jump-start the technology and raise awareness within the Amateur radio 
community in a financially responsible and supportive3 way.

Everyone wins.

73,

Lyle KK7P


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