Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
scientific measurements and the meaning of a red traffic light. And just like standards in
general, hardware standards are a way for people, companies, and devices to work togeth-
er. Think about the USB flash drive you may use to transfer files between computers and
other devices. When companies realize they would benefit by not isolating themselves and
their products from other companies, competition is put aside and standards like USB are
born and given a chance to grow.
When open source hardware needs to communicate with other hardware products,
whether open or proprietary, mainstream standards including USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi
are obvious choices. But there are other forms of communication and collaboration that
open source hardware makers are concerned with beyond interfacing with products, in-
cluding making their hardware easier to modify or reproduce. These are the areas where
new standards specific to open source hardware will emerge out of necessity.
Firming up the Soft Parts: Making Software Firmer
Software, by definition, is modifiable and reproducible. This is so inherent to the concept
of software that the word “soft” in its name refers to this almost clay-like property. Like
clay, software can take almost any form, being molded into one thing one moment and into
something completely different the next. Because software is stored like any other file on
computers and devices, reproducing it is as simple as copying a file. Of course, depending
on the programming language, software “code” is often compiled into a machine-readable
(but not human-readable) form called binary code. Because binary code is not human read-
able, it is very difficult to modify it, similar to clay that has been baked in a kiln. One of
the requirements of open source, however, is that code is available in the original and most
human-readable form, which aims to ensure that all open source software is modifiable.
In fact, it is software's almost clay-like property that often makes it so difficult to modify.
Open source developers say, “The source is open—go modify it,” forgetting that there are
so many ways to do so that the modifications may be difficult, or that once the software is
modified it will never be practical that those changes get pulled back into the original open
source project. Some of these considerations need to be explored before expecting others
to modify or extend your work, and software's clay-like property needs to be “firmed up”
to clarify how best to do so.
The process of firming up software is not to be confused with the term “firmware.”
Firmware
consists of software that runs on hardware other than general-purpose comput-
ing platforms such as personal computers, tablets, or phones. This is a double entendre re-
ferring to the mixture of software running on hardware (i.e., soft + hard = firm). Updating
the software running on these single-purpose computing platforms is often reserved for
manufacturers, so the actual practice of updating this software once a product is shipped is
