[Dev] [libreplanet-discuss] Misleading information in EOMA68 news

[Tiberiu-Cezar Tehnoetic]

On 26.08.2016 19:05, Josh Branning wrote:
> Tiberiu-Cezar Tehnoetic
> 
> Maybe they /do/ intend to release the CAD files when they say they will.
> In which case, has it occurred to you that the kind of things you are
> saying:
> 
> A) May look a bit silly once (and if) they're released.

They haven't provided a deadline for the release or such a guarantee for
their backers for when they start shipping the hardware. It's not silly
to put pressure on people to offer deadlines and guarantees when they
make such statements about hardware freedom. It's activism. Even if some
people might see your actions as silly.

> B) Are in-fact not constructive. People may not want to create this kind
> of hardware in future and will read this conversation and think "I need
> to be extremely careful about the things I can and can't say when
> dealing with those libre peeps", and it will put them off.

If they want to make free-design hardware, then it means:

1) they make it out of conviction (believing in hardware freedom), or
2) they make it for the money (having discovered a niche)
3) they make it for both reasons above

Regardless of their reasons, they won't stop because hardware freedom
activists (or "libre peeps" as some of them might think we are) have
criticized in the past other projects with false claims. If anything,
they will learn it's not good tactics to make false claims.

> That said, I am glad the news article has been amended, because at the
> moment, you are right: The CAD files haven't been released, and the
> project does, perhaps wrongly, hint that it's libre hardware from right
> from the start.

Of course.

> But really, it wouldn't bother me a bit, if they did in-fact release the
> CAD files afterwards.

That would be a sad thing for the society and detrimental thing for
their project.

> As it is, I didn't back their crowd funding, because I'd rather wait
> till they are actually released before even thinking of buying anything.

Me too.

> I know of other similar projects (won't mention them here) 

Why not.

> that have
> already released their CAD files, and seem to be doing very well despite
> this fact.

That's good, we can use success stories.

> In time, of course, we will be able to see if EOMA68 was telling the
> truth, or just librewashing. But at the moment, I wouldn't want to put
> money on it either way.

I wish they would agree to announce a deadline for the release and send
their backers a guarantee that they will ship all the hardware sources
along with the hardware.