Open Source - How Big is the Tent?
by Mike Gunderloy - Aug. 05, 2008Comments (4)- Related Blog Posts
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We've seen plenty of open source software projects, and more than a few open source hardware projects. There are open source beers and machine tools and vehicles, as we've discussed before. But where do the limits of open source lie? The interesting firm Open Architectural Workshop got me thinking about this today.
According to an interview over at Harvest, the founder of Open Architectural Workshop "had the goal of bringing the ethos of open source to the practice of architecture." According to the company's web site, this seems to mean mainly a general attitude of openness, coupled with words like collaborative, inclusionary, and creative (the site itself is also Creative Commons licensed).
But is that enough that we should recognize them as being open source, or at least friends of open source? On the one hand, we've had more than enough arguments about precisely what "open source" means. On the other, if we're inclusionary and welcoming to an extreme, we risk diluting the meaning of the term.
My own preference would be to limit the term "open source" to those offerings that actually include products with some sort of copyleft license. But at the same time, it's worth recognizing - and even celebrating - the times that we inspire more open attittudes in the community at large.
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