We’re Official!

We’re official! After getting denied (a couple times) in NY State, we successfully incorporated in Delaware. Yay! Step 1 accomplished 🙂  (Step 2 will be to tackle the paperwork for IRS non-profit status.)

We also created a mailing list for the Open Source Hardware Association. Sign up here please: www.oshwa.org/mailing-lists/  We will use this list to update folks on our progress, discuss directions for our goals and purposes, and use the list as our communication method to best serve you all. We’ll also be cross posting our news and updates to the Updates list (also found in the mailing lists link) as well. 

Open Hardware in DC this Friday!

Michael Weinberg is putting together an Open Hardware event in DC to introduce open source hardware to our congresspeople. The one-day event will be held on April 20th, 2012 at the Rayburn House Office Building Room 2322 in Washington DC. There will be two panels followed by demos. The event is free, though I’m sure Michael wouldn’t mind a donation or two to help out. Bring your project and yourself!

Check out more about the event on Public Knowledge’s Website.

Hello World!

The Open Source Hardware Association is Coming Soon! It will be a non-profit organization (status pending) working to spread the love of open source hardware. We’re working out details, and as soon as we know, you’ll know! Check back at oshwa.org for upcoming news.

In an effort to better understand the Open Source Hardware community, Catarina Mota lead our first project and created a survey along with David Mellis and John De Cristofaro. Please participate in this survey so that we can serve you to the best of our abilities. The aggregate and anonymous results will be made publicly available in May.

Please take the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OSHW

Some proposed purposes this organization aims to do are as follows:
(1) Educate individuals and the general public about Open Source Hardware.
(2) Organize the Open Source Hardware movement around shared values and principles.
(3) Provide information and advice on best practices and standards for Open Source Hardware.
(4) Encourage collaborative learning, knowledge exchange, and social cohesion through conferences and other events focused on Open Source Hardware.
(5) Promote the use and development of Open Source Hardware, including to encourage educational and economic development.
(6) Collect, compile and publish data on the Open Source Hardware movement.
(7) Conduct any and all lawful activities which may be useful in accomplishing the foregoing purposes.