Open hardware and software repository and versioning
This page needs more refinement...
Existing tools
Open Hardware Observatory is a search engine based on entries into its database of Open Hardware designs.
Open platforms such as DocuBricks and Wevolver (now Welder.app)
Background
Francois and Tibi had a discussion about the open innovation economic game. In the context of the traditional capitalist economy this is a speed game, where time to market is very important. Open innovation is not just about sharing with others, but also importing, integrating, (re)mixing as much open innovation as possible, gain new participants and talent, establish relations with early adapters, etc.. OVNs that operate on the edge of technological development, like [Sensorica] need to avoid reinventing the wheel as much as possible. OVNs need tools to rapidly identify open technology and to figure out how to remix it. This open technology might come from within the network or from other sources. Github is a great starting example, but we need to go beyond that. Projects don't need to live on a specific platform. The idea is to create p2p tools. Bob called that recipe repository. This was an innovation-centric view on this topic.
Later, Tibi discovered the Internet of Production Alliance with a more systematic approach to make open hardware more available and useful, from a production-centric point of view. From one of their documents:
- The Internet of Production Alliance is working to establish five families of open data standards that form the open digital infrastructures needed for the foundations of an Open Hardware ecosystem. Together, these five families of standards cover the essential ingredients needed to make anything: 1. Designs & Documentation; 2. Machines & Tools; 3. People & Skills; 4. Materials & Components; 5. Contracts & Business Models. They will significantly improve the ease of use of Open Hardware.
Associated with these ingredients, IoPA has implemented standards initiatives such as: Open Know-How, Open Know-Where, Electronic components, People & Skills, and Contracting.
See also the Discovery tool
See alchematter [can they contribute to the infrastructure?]