But just to give another example. Let's assume I am developing a bench power supply.
Including chassis, buttons, display, the whole thing.
So this project includes:
- Software (for interface, gui display, measurements)
- Electronics
- Mechanics (thermal mechanics, airflow, heatsink, fan, design chassis etc)
These 3 are already covered with the F, S, P, and M symbols. I don't see your point here.
- Esthetics (the way the GUI looks like, logos, menu structure, design of the case etc).
Aesthetics have never been covered with any license. The only way to protect the look and feel of your product is to get a Trademark and/or patents.
This is an entirely different thing to
Nobody worries about protecting aesthetics in OSHW. It's not even in the current definition nor any open hardware related licences. Well, ok, you're the first to worry about it.
First software, can be closed source or open source, and being made with open source tools or not, can have closed source plugins.
Second, electronics. Parts of the board can be shared, or completely. Can be drawn and in made in closed source or open source. BOM may be shared or not.
Third, mechanics. Maybe these files are made in Solid Works, thermal analyses is done in Mathlab or everything is done in CoCreate. BOM can be shared or not. Maybe CNC files are needed etc.
These are already covered, I really don't see your argument here.
Last, esthetics. Design can be made in open source software or something like illustrator. Design files are maybe not shared or only shared for printing/showing or what's needed for CNC.
This is essentially covered under mechanical.
Conclusion, with the letters we are having now, there is absolutely no way I can use it at all!
Yes there is, easily.
So therefore it's extremely limited and in my opinion just not usable.
Sorry, I see zero merit in your argument here
I am sorry, but for me it's just way to vague to put it all into 'CAD/Mechanical files'. A lot of things are interconnected.
And like I said before, you could go into a hundred levels and permutations if you really want to, you have to stop at some point, it's diminishing returns.
Everyone seems to understand this which is why no one else has mentioned the categories are nearly enough to cover thing, or at least make a
huge improvement over the current system.