It’s finally here, a document that will help us to define what Open Hardware is, and to spread the idea. Open Software have been around for a long time, Open Hardware is still beginning, but already have a really big community out there, including me. I will add the logo to my next projects for sure!

Now, to move forward, please HELP:

• Endorse the definition, post your feedback on version 1.0 on the forum and the mailing list as we work towards a 1.1 update in the next few weeks / months.
• Take a look at the logos we are considering for “open source hardware”, give feedback or submit your own logo on the forum, in the thread LOGO.
• Show your support of the OSHW Definition by applying the definition to your work/project/website

This is a very important step in propelling our movement forward. PLEASE FORWARD FAR AND WIDE.

And now, the definition:

Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Statement of Principles 1.0
Open source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make and sell the design or hardware based on that design. The hardware’s source, the design from which it is made, is available in the preferred format for making modifications to it. Ideally, open source hardware uses readily-available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure, unrestricted content, and open-source design tools to maximize the ability of individuals to make and use hardware. Open source hardware gives people the freedom to control their technology while sharing knowledge and encouraging commerce through the open exchange of designs.

Open Source Hardware (OSHW) Definition 1.0
OSHW Draft Definition 1.0 is based on the Open Source Definition for Open Source Software and draft OSHW definition 0.5. The definition is derived from the Open Source Definition, which was created by Bruce Perens and the Debian developers as the Debian Free Software Guidelines. Videos and Documentation of the Opening Hardware workshop which kicked off the below definition are available here. Please join the conversation about the definition here

Introduction
Open Source Hardware (OSHW) is a term for tangible artifacts — machines, devices, or other physical things — whose design has been released to the public in such a way that anyone can make, modify, distribute, and use those things. This definition is intended to help provide guidelines for the development and evaluation of licenses for Open Source Hardware.
It is important to note that hardware is different from software in that physical resources must always be committed for the creation of physical goods. Accordingly, persons or companies producing items (“products”) under an OSHW license have an obligation not to imply that such products are manufactured, sold, warrantied, or otherwise sanctioned by the original designer and also not to make use of any trademarks owned by the original designer.

The distribution terms of Open Source Hardware must comply with the following criteria:

1. Documentation
The hardware must be released with documentation including design files, and must allow modification and distribution of the design files. Where documentation is not furnished with the physical product, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining this documentation for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost, preferably downloading via the Internet without charge. The documentation must include design files in the preferred format for making changes, for example the native file format of a CAD program. Deliberately obfuscated design files are not allowed. Intermediate forms analogous to compiled computer code — such as printer-ready copper artwork from a CAD program — are not allowed as substitutes. The license may require that the design files are provided in fully-documented, open format(s).

2. Scope
The documentation for the hardware must clearly specify what portion of the design, if not all, is being released under the license.

3. Necessary Software
If the licensed design requires software, embedded or otherwise, to operate properly and fulfill its essential functions, then the license may require that one of the following conditions are met:
a) The interfaces are sufficiently documented such that it could reasonably be considered straightforward to write open source software that allows the device to operate properly and fulfill its essential functions. For example, this may include the use of detailed signal timing diagrams or pseudocode to clearly illustrate the interface in operation.
b) The necessary software is released under an OSI-approved open source license.

4. Derived Works
The license shall allow modifications and derived works, and shall allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original work. The license shall allow for the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of products created from the design files, the design files themselves, and derivatives therof.

5. Free redistribution
The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the project documentation. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale. The license shall not require any royalty or fee related to the sale of derived works.

6. Attribution
The license may require derived documents, and copyright notices associated with devices, to provide attribution to the licensors when distributing design files, manufactured products, and/or derivatives thereof. The license may require that this information be accessible to the end-user using the device normally, but shall not specify a specific format of display. The license may require derived works to carry a different name or version number from the original design.

7. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.

8. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the work (including manufactured hardware) in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it must not restrict the hardware from being used in a business, or from being used in nuclear research.

9. Distribution of License
The rights granted by the license must apply to all to whom the work is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.

10. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
The rights granted by the license must not depend on the licensed work being part of a particular product. If a portion is extracted from a work and used or distributed within the terms of the license, all parties to whom that work is redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted for the original work.

11. License Must Not Restrict Other Hardware or Software
The license must not place restrictions on other items that are aggregated with the licensed work but not derivative of it. For example, the license must not insist that all other hardware sold with the licensed item be open source, nor that only open source software be used external to the device.

12. License Must Be Technology-Neutral
No provision of the license may be predicated on any individual technology, specific part or component, material, or style of interface or use thereof.

Afterword
The signatories of this Open Source Hardware definition recognize that the open source movement represents only one way of sharing information. We encourage and support all forms of openness and collaboration, whether or not they fit this definition.

Licenses and Hardware
In promoting Open Hardware, it is important not to unintentionally deceive designers regarding the extent to which their licenses actually can control their designs. Under U.S. law, and law in many other places, copyright does not apply to electronic designs. Patents do. The result is that an Open Hardware license can in general be used to restrict the plans but probably not the manufactured devices or even restatements of the same design that are not textual copies of the original. The applicable section of copyright law is 17.102(b), which says:

In no case does copyright protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work.

Some time ago I was looking for some free wiki script or free hosted wiki. The script provided by WikiMedia (the same as wikipedia) is very good, but it’s very hard to install, configure and maintain, what makes WetPaint great, easy to set up and no need to worry about server. Another good feature of WetPaint is that you can build public or private wikis, on public ones, everyone can contribute, but on private, only some users can edit and view the information, this is good to use on your company, or in some dev project, where developers can write pages and contribute writing texts about the project and it’s development.

Some facts that makes WETPAINT a great free wiki hosting service:

• It’s free
• All website is based on AJAX, which make things much more efficient and fast.
• When creating your own website, you can choose from 24 different templates, of afterwards, make your own.
• You can use tags on your posts, making it easy to find afterwards.
• It’s very easy to add/edit a post, and the editor looks like MS-Word, which people are used to, and makes the learning time shorter.
• There is an auto-generated site map, making it easier for people and search engines to find and index content, bringing more users.
• You can use Google Analytics or SiteMeter to see how many access you have on your website, so you can watch your website growing, how popular your website is, and to think what can you do to attract more users. (Google Analytics is just too good to be true on e free wiki hosting service!)

Conclusion

Wetpaint is the place for you if you want to build your own free hosted Wiki website, I believe that this project have great future, as it’s just some months old, there’s still a lot to grow. I like to see new “web 2.0″ projects, specially when they have great use and use new technologies to build it.

Well done Wetpaint!

Open-Source FlickrEdit came to help us all with this hard duty, to download all pictures from your Flickr Accound with some few clicks. It have been written in JAVA and makes the process of downloading all your pictures a easy work.

Just after opening the program, it will ask you to enter your login and password, so it will be able to get the needed information about your account. After that you will be able to see all your photo sets, like the picture below:

With this program, you can select to download all pictures from a Set, all pictures, your favorites and much more…

When you’ve selected “Backup Selected“, it will ask you where you want to save, you can still save your pictures to CD or DVD (haven’t tried this option, if you do, let us know).

While backing up, it will check how big will be the download, and then it will start downloading to the folder or media you’ve selected.

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After the backing up process is done, just go to your selected folder and your pictures will be there!

Thanks to Diogo Azevedo

Eletrocity – This is a SimCity game but in smaller scale and with a good lesson to learn, sustainability. The game teaches the many different ways you can save energy, in a simple and nice looking game. You need to evolve, earn money, the population grown, till you get a big metropole without any pollution. Make as mush as you can in 120 turns. Each turn, you can build whatever you want, and the next turns, the constructions evolve.

It isn’t hard, nor easy, but this game can make you spend some more hours in front of the screen…

• 315 DPI
• PhotoCase
• FreeFoto
• FreeImaqes
• OpenPhoto.Net
• Morguefile
• Pixel Perfect Digital
• Picstyle
• FreeMediaGoo
• fotofree.org
• R3 Stock
• stock.kriegsnet
• Animal Pictures Archive
• Farmphoto
• Aarin Freephoto
• AMG Media Free Stock Photos
• Images of the World
• Big Foto
• FreeStockPhotos
• http://www.zemostock.com
• http://animalphotos.info/a/

The site was designed with all the Web 2.0 style and colors, good looking and usability. And as a beta tester, you can do everything a Premium Member would be able to.

With this tool you are able to:

• Change topic color and add symbols/icons to your map
• Cut, copy and paste map elements
• Undo and redo
• Freely move map ideas everywhere
• Use the insert key to add new branches and the delete key to remove them, just like on many desktop mind mapping software programs
• View recent revisions to your map, and perform “roll backs” on them – especially useful when collaborating with others!
• Export your maps to a Rich Text File (RTF) outline or a GIF image file.
• Invite others to collaborate simultaneously in a brainstorming mode on or simply view your map
• Using integrated Skype calls, different people can edit the mind map simultaneously.

Editing the MindMap:

I’ve played with it a little bit and enjoyed a lot, I’m think it will me a very useful tool to organize my ideas and things to do.
You can take a look at my first MindMap idea clicking in the image here:

When CodeMate finally releases MindMeister, they’ll charge users $4.16/�3.21 per month for Premium Membership, but there will always be an free version which you will be able to create up to 5 MindMaps and share/colaborate with friends.

For a beta tool, MindMeister looks beautifully and is working smoothly. I’m looking forward to see how this project will be in some months, it’s definitively the best MindMappers I know.

After your website is accepted, you can take a look how much your website is worth, with a maximum of U$250, where half of that money goes to ReviewMe and the other part to you. When it’s all done, advertisers can choose you to review their products, making you earn some cash. I just hope this website gets enough advertisers to make everyone happy, ReviewMe gets money, and you a extra income.

The only think I’m not willing to do is to write about spammy things not related to the main content of this blog. Another good point of it is that they can make payment with PayPal, so people like me ( from Brazil ), can be easily paid. I’m planning to use this service to pay things like my Flickr Pro account.

ReviewMe is giving away U$25,000 (not just to one person) to make a review of their service, so that the website get spread on the web, and keep it growing. So if you have a blog, you should make an account and check it out.

More at: flagrantdisregard.com