[sdiy] out in the open

[Magnus Danielson]

From: "Dieter Doepfer" <dieter_doepfer at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [sdiy] out in the open
Date: Fri, 07 Sep 2001 05:40:49 +0000

Hello All,

> Hallo, Michael
> Your certainly not allone, I to get sometimes the feeling that "some" 
> members of this list have a probelm with me. I really wonder why.
> All I do is lurk on this list, I don't contribute so how could I have up set 
> some one?
> 
> Heil
> Dipl. Phys. D. Doepfer
> 
> *****************************
> ++  http://www.doepfer.de/ ++
> ++  info at doepfer.de        ++
> ++  Lochhamer Str. 63      ++
> ++  8032 Grafeling         ++
> *****************************

... and the shit hit the fan!

(no pun intended, just using the expression itself)

Here we go again.

/* READ THE TEXT BELOW CAREFULLY!!! MD */

Now we have allready seen the intermodulation of two old
rages/flame-wars in the Synth-DIY history. We have the "Dieter Doepfer
who stole this and that from so and so" and the "Adolf Stalin"
storries. Anyone been on this list during the last year or so should
have got the references by now.

As for the "Dieter Doepfer story" I am ambivalent in various
directions, I don't know how to relate to it basically.

As for the "Adolf Stalin story" I know more than I like. All the
issues where not shown on the list.

Either way, I don't like having big figths on the list. If you want
that go somewhere else to figth. If you figth offline, please keep a
good face to the list.

Also, the "Dieter Doepfer story" together with a few other things
brings in another issue. It is equally worthy of a big figth if
treated incorrectly, I just want to give my view on it. Maybe this is
a better figth to have than the others... if we have to figth at all.

One must recall that there is a fundamental difference between
building stuff for onces own joy and that of designing and sell things
for profit. There's the eluding word... profit. Once one has passed
the line from DIYer to making money or att least allowing others to
make money on designs one is also put into a major dilemma which may
not be apparent or not. What to share and what to not share. The
buissness logic usually say that you should let as little as possible
on your products be known to your competiters in order for you to keep
your (relative) market lead. This effectively means that you shut up
about everything. On the other side lies the DIY spirit where people
are happy to give away design ideas and share good and bad experience.
When the migth dollar, D-mark, krona or whatever comes into play in a
DIY environment, it causes many types of reactions. Some people shut
up because they now make money on things. Some shut up since they feel
that they don't want to give away ideas to other people to make money
out of without getting a share. Some shut up because they get a piece
of the action when someone else capitalize on their design or
findings. Some shut up just because they think that what they share is
being at risk as being "hijacked" by someone else without getting
anything back.

All this is a very complex issue, and some think it is only an issue
of money, which is far from all. Some think it is only an issue about
getting recognition, which is also not all of it.

The trouble is how it effects the community, not only the direct
partners.

We allready know that there are people on this list that sell things
commersially one way or another. The level naturally diffrentiate,
from those that is basically just doing a few DIY-level boxes for
other "freaks" to those that to full-blown commersial products.

Now, I don't want to burn the fingers on people, but I can't say that
I at all times have felt comfortable with how people have acted
either. For me the nitty-ditty details of this and that case is not
very interesting. However, I would like a serious debate on these
moral dilemmas. Also, I would like to make people aware of the
existence of these dilemmas.

With this I would like to point out that it is VERY difficult to keep
true to the DIY spirit among other DIYers when also doing money on
it. Once's own judgement gets clouded and it is only a few people
which has a natural talent or awareness enougth to be able to handle
with sufficient care.

In the end. We need to get all this into balance, or else the
Synth-DIY community that we are will die away. We have allready seen
this happening before in other areas, such as a certain computer club
in Silicon Valey in the 70-80thies.

Dieter, please don't feel attacked by this, but rather, come over and
share some experience with us.

Respectfully Yours,
Magnus - I'll think I'll pass as a Synth-DIY oldtimer at least