<
https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/precursor/updates/whats-the-value-of-hackable-hardware-anyway>
"There is plenty of skepticism around the value of hackable products.
Significantly, hackability is different from openness: cars are
closed-source, yet support vibrant modding communities; gcc is one of
the “real OG”s of open source, but few users find it easy to extend or
enhance. Is it better to have a garden planted by the most knowledgeable
botanists and maintained by experienced gardeners, or an open plot of
land maintained by whoever has the interest and time?
In the case of hardware products, consumer behavior consistently affirms
a strong preference for well-curated gardens. Hardware is hard – not
only is it difficult to design and validate, supply chains benefit from
economies of scale and predictable user demand. The larger a captive
audience, the more up-front money one can invest into developing a
better hardware product. However, every decision to optimize comes with
inherent trade-offs. For example, anytime symmetry is broken, one must
optimize for either a right-handed or a left-handed version."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
