gEDA-dev: Google Summer of Code Mentor Summit

[al davis]

On Friday 12 October 2007, John Griessen wrote:
> DJ Delorie wrote:
> >> There's a need for Libre/open-source hardware too.
> >
> > What hardware?  PCs?  Eval boards?  Televisions?
>
> Al has delineated this here before; I think it was
> mostly along the lines of university lab bench gear
> as a cottage industry.  Some can be as kits, since professors
> always have graduate student slavery to employ on tasks...
> if they sound slightly relevant to research.
>
> I'm thinking of doing some of it.

There are lots of other "markets" too.  That one could be done 
by a group attached to a university.

Another one is equipment for low power broadcasters.  In 
particular ...  monitoring equipment (frequency monitor, 
modulation monitor, EBS monitor), program automation, remote 
equipment, ...  The business opportunity  is for one station to 
make it available to others, and use it as a fund raiser.

For this idea to work (in any market segment) the segment should 
be small enough that traditional business cannot supply the 
needs at a reasonable price.  The "cottage industry" aspect is 
important.