Issues regarding the The documentation of Open Design section

[openp2pdesign]

This is the placeholder text removed from the The documentation of Open Design section. It is still good for discussion with issues:

Here we should discuss the issue of all the knowledge and related data for Open Design projects. For example: supply chain, material processes, how to repair / reproduce / manufacture a project, the carbon footprint of the manufacturing and distribution processes and so on

[almostserena]

Wikifactory, Thingiverse and Careables are only few of many companies and initiatives that provide web platforms for sharing 3D and 2D digital designs over the web. Those platforms feature functionalities that support:

• the co-creation and publication of texts and images;
• the collaborative development on 3D and 2D files;
• in some cases, the versioning of open source 3D designs.

The architecture of these platforms have enabled the democratization of open design documentation processes by helping people to release data, files and contextual contents of open designs in an easier and more structured way.

If we could update the Open Design Definition, in particular, the section on the documentation of open designs, we cannot avoid including a reflection on the impact of these platforms on the actualization of open design documentation processes. We should acknowledge their role as enablers of open processes because of their user-friendly interfaces for sharing files, choosing an open license, contributing to the development of derivatives projects.

Beyond the issues regarding the business side, the interaction design of those web platforms is affecting more and more the way people will share, document and develop together open designs. For this reason, the definition should take into account questions such as:

Is it an open design open if the documentation is not released on community web platforms? Is it open if the documentation is released in a web repository that does not allow to track the design’s derivative development or improvements? Is a design open if its documentation is stored where there is no feature for stimulating the reuse or the participation through the active contribution to the project development?