Open-source plans for a low-cost CNC mill | Hacker News Reader

Open-source plans for a low-cost CNC mill

kickstarter.com

30 pointsmotters5 comments

I am beginning to feel like kickstarter.com is one of the most important websites of the decade. I love how it basically solves the organisation problem for open source projects requiring capital up front. It gives me great pleasure to throw $10 or $20 into the pot of some of these projects; not only because I feel it's generally the right thing to do but also because of the giddy possibility that one of them could turn out to be, well, the internet of the physical world, the democratising tool that changed everything.

I don't have the time or, frankly, the space to build my own CNC machine right now but damn I'd like to have one one day. Projects like this (there are many more of course) make it possible so I have nothing but thanks. And thanks to kickstarter too, for fulfilling this huge need.

I also like looking at the profiles of the other backers of a project and seeing what else they supported. There are a decent number of people there who are really pouring money into open source hardware projects; it's exciting and has a real Homebrew Computer Club feel to it. Wonder who's going to be Apple.

* I have no connection with this project, have not even donated yet, just love to see this emerging trend/capability/paradigm shift ..

Yes. In my mind kickstarter.com is also the solution to the intelectual property problem. How can, knowledge workers, for instance musicians, earn money in the 21. century? Simple, charge upfront before publishing.

Imagine a popular band like U2 would ask for the money, they expect from their next album, upfront. I think, their fans, including me, would do what ever it takes to raise that money together. Et voila, you can still become rich as musician without mega concerts or a police state.

I've been talking about this solution with my friends for years. We never made it happen. Now kickstarter.com is here. But I'm still waiting for a large adaptation in the music or game industry. Is it just a question of time and promotion or am I'm overlooking something important?

I don't know if it's necessarily something you're overlooking, but the Diaspora situation likely had something of a cooling effect (as opposed to a chilling effect) on funding software projects through sites like Kickstarter. They sucked up gobs of money and have so far woefully under-delivered.

I've kicked a few bucks (or more) at a project or two through Kickstarter and similar sites (the recent $500 3D printer drive on IndieGoGo [0], for example, and somewhat apropos the linked project), but always with the expectation of receiving something tangible, even if it's just a t-shirt or the like.

Most likely, the thing keeping people from doing it more is the lack of successful examples. If a project or two can get funded, and deliver, the model would probably take off beyond anyone's expectations. Until then, though, the only example I can think of is Diaspora, and that's left a pretty bad taste in a lot of peoples' mouths.

[0] http://www.indiegogo.com/eMAKER-Huxley-3D-printer-kits

Thanks. I think this is exactly the problem. We need the big, well respected names to use kickstater. The people, that we know can deliver quality.

Say Linus Torvald would come up with another great idea like GIT. I would try hard to collect whatever money it takes to make him start working on it.

I agree - so I invested and introduced them to their VC...

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