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Qi Hardware

Qi Hardware was an organization which produced copyleft hardware and software, in an attempt to apply the Free Software Foundation's GNU GPL concept of copylefting software to the hardware layer by using the CC BY-SA license for schematics, bill of materials and PCB layout data. The project was both a community of popular open hardware websites and a company, founded by Steve Mosher, Jon Phillips, Wolfgang Spraul and Yi Zhang, that made hardware products.[1][2][3] Formed from the now defunct Openmoko project,[2] key members went on to form Qi Hardware Inc. and Sharism At Work Ltd. Thus far, the project has released the Ben Nanonote,[4][5][6][7] the Milkymist One,[8] and the Ben WPAN wireless project[9][10] to create a copyleft wireless platform. The examples of Qi hardware projects are the Ben NanoNote pocket computer, Elphel 353 video camera and Milkymist One video synthesizer.

Qi Hardware was primarily active between 2009 and 2011 before going dormant. It was revived in 2019 and later renamed Qiware. In 2024, its assets were acquired by Phi, a similar organization.[11]

External links

References

  1. Eric Brown. Hackable Linux clamshell goes on sale for $99 Linux Devices, Mar 16, 2010, retrieved Feb 17, 2022^
  2. Pam Derringer. Openomoko Layoffs Lead to New Open Hardware Venture linux.com, 2009-07-01, retrieved 2022-02-17^
  3. Milkymist One video synthesizer shown at 6th Libre Graphics Meeting in Montreal Qi Hardware, May 13, 2011, retrieved May 19, 2023^
  4. Gareth Halfacree. Qi Hardware launches NanoNote Bit-tech, 2010-03-16, retrieved 2011-07-18^
  5. Donald Melanson. Qi Hardware's tiny, hackable Ben NanoNote now shipping Bit-tech, 2010-03-15, retrieved 2011-07-18^
  6. David Murphy. Qi Hardware Launches Open-Source Computer PCMag, 2010-06-05, retrieved 2011-07-18^
  7. rg. Qi Hardware Ben NanoNote linux.com, 2010-03-17, retrieved 2011-07-18^
  8. Bill Ray. Open-source hardware group puts out vid system-on-a-chip The Register, retrieved 23 June 2017^
  9. Terrence O'Brien. Qi-Hardware debuts free, open source wireless solution, not a threat to WiFi Engadget, 2011-06-17, retrieved 2011-07-18^
  10. Jake. Phillips: Qi Hardware Releases Free Wireless Hardware LWN.net, 2011-06-16, retrieved 2011-07-18^
  11. Jon Phillips. Qi Hardware and Qiware Granted to Phi Fabricatorz Foundation, June 18, 2024^