Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Maybe OT, reprap build started

On Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 10:28 AM, Phil@Yahoo <yahoo@...> wrote:
> I can't fault the developers at
> RepRap and Makerbot for making the electronics and software proprietary.
> Nothing wrong with protecting one's intellectual property. I can fault them
> for claiming that it is "open source." That is simply a lie. It's the same
> tactic used by a lot of open source software projects.

NOTHING IS PROPRIETARY! NOTHING IS CLOSED SOURCE! The fact that YOU
can't figure it out does not make it so. There are at least a dozen
commonly used electronics platforms, including at least one common set
that is designed for etching at home. Most of these were forked from
an earlier open source design. ALL of these have source code files
(usually Eagle files) available if you want to have your own boards
manufactured or if you want to modify the board.

There are also at least a dozen different firmwares available, ranging
from something someone hacked together in a weekend to at least 4
robust, well supported and widely used modern firmwares. ALL are open
source. You are free to download any of them, modify them, rename them
and start distributing your own firmware (so long as it is also open
source).

Oh, and BTW.. "RepRap" Doesn't sell a damn thing. "RepRap" is a
worldwide group of hobbyists designing and building printers, the vast
majority of whom make no money at all off their hobby. I am one of
those hobbyists with no monetary stake in the hobby, and I have been
involved in designing three separate sets of electronics. I could only
have contributed to these if they were open source.

Makerbot does sell stuff, but in spite of my many complaints about
them as a company, the one thing that NO ONE has grounds to fault them
for is their honoring of Open Source. They ALWAYS release the source
files of their products as soon as they ship.

Of course the real irony here is you seem to have looked at one set of
electronics (Gen3Remix) designed by one for profit company (Techzone)
and concluded that because you couldn't understand the sources of it,
all must be equally bad and by extension, two groups who had no direct
connection to the electronics you were looking at were suddenly liars
and acting dishonestly.

One thing is made clear by this... You were correct in your initial
belief that the RepRap is beyond your abilities... It is quite clear
from this that you would never succeed in getting one working. You
seem to ironically want both something that you can pull out of a box
and just have work with no research being required on your part (at
least I hope that is what you want since you seem to be incapable of
doing any research) yet you most definitely don't want anything closed
source (which I would understand, except for the fact that you don't
seem to even know what to do when you are given the source files).
Trust me, stay far, FAR away from the RepRap. It is most definitely
not a suitable tool for you.