[hpsdr] HPSDR "Project Outline" and TAPR

[Philip Covington]

On Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 6:36 PM, Dave Larsen <kv0s.dave at gmail.com> wrote:

> Lastly, I do feel, that all HPSDR projects should be open sources otherwise
> what is the point of participating?
> Our website banner says we are open source and if we do not make the
> documents available people that want to build and experiment, we might as
> well work by ourselves to protect our work.  Only those people will to
> produce open source material need participate.
> I produced the project outline page to clarify the steps of a project.  Like
> all work of the HPSDR project it is subject to comments by members.
>  Dave, KV0S
>

Dave,

The problem is that you have unilaterally proclaimed that HPSDR
projects should use the Open Hardware License on the HPSDR website.
Certainly, people can make comments on the list about the HPSDR
project, but other people do not have a monopoly (like you do) on what
is or is not placed on the HPSDR website.

You proclaim that "the HPSDR project uses the Open Hardware License",
presumably because this is what you supposedly observed over the last
three years or maybe this is how you personally "feel" it should be,
yet even the most precursory examination of the history of the TAPR
supported projects will reveal that they have been released under the
Non Commercial License (NCL) at best. Individuals can still reproduce
these projects under the NCL, but it prohibits commercial
manufacturers from doing so.  TAPR is granted an exception to this by
the designer(s) so they can produce more than 10 boards a year as well
as recoup their investment in those projects.  In that way, those
designs were not truly open either.

I know that there are a number of would be contributors watching
closely who might be interested in contributing to HPSDR, but will not
do so without the possibility of releasing their designs under NCL.
Before trying to unilaterally make HPSDR policy, it would be best if
you first discussed things like this on the list before they become
part of the website.

Phil N8VB

 1240189042.0