[Arm-netbook] Standards Organization as a Potentially Universal Free/Libre Software Developement Sustenance Model

[John Luke Gibson]

Neverminding the ridiculous length of that subject line..

I just thought an interesting thought.

First, a little context, (I know how rms feels about blockchains) I
was investigating slock.it and thinking to myself "why don't they just
make a hardware standard like eoma instead of closing their
development and calling it open?" (Like, Pi-Top is [n]ever gonna
release those stl files)
(I realize that's a loaded 'just' cause it sounds easy, but is one of
the most difficult possible)

Then, it dawned on me: Lulzbot doesn't do that.. Wait, Lulzbot
exclusively uses open software in their development.. Then *bam* like
a boulder (nothing to do with Lulzbot): GPL-violations, improper GUI
training, failing to extend using APIs/Addons, failing to
bugsmash/'track-issues', failing to participate in mailing-lists and
irc, failing to simply fork when development goals conflict, planned
esoteric-ism and/or planned obsolescence, failure to secure clientèle
data by using fully free systems (when relevant), failure to
participate-in and be-aware-of public conversations about the
underlining security of said systems (when relevant), failure to
disclose supplychain information/identities (when relevant), failure
at general transparency.

All of these things traditionally go wrong with not only companies
that use open source, but companies in-general.

Then, it truly truly dawned on me, free software needs standards
organizations as well.