It'll be really interesting to see how the major CAD/CAM companies choose to deal with this shift, too. The early promise of the ASP vision is starting to play out (as evidenced by the examples you’ve given), but it’ll be difficult for many established software suppliers to change their cultures to capitalize.

Exactly the same principle. Funny how MS is the last entity you'd imagine embracing OS - they'd take a bath in their current culture without software/server licenses.

The bit about open source inkjet printing is farther along than
you think. Silverbrook Research in Sydney Australia has just
announced the impending availability of a printhead that any
one can buy and use as the basis of their inkjet solution.
They haven't made it open-source, but that's probably just
as well because you'd need a billion dollar silicon foundry to
make those parts anyway.

I think that this goes back to the old Kodak camera / film model. Kodak never made money on their insta-matic cameras, they profited off of the film cartridge sales. Anyone was free to design and develop their own camera- Kodak didn't care as long as people were buying their cartridges. Unfortunately for Kodak, patents and trade secrets didn't provide enough protection for their cartridge design rights. Companies like Fuji were able to dig into the film sales and Kodak had to continually change formats (no small task) to stay ahead.

Comparing Hardware to software is an apples to oranges thing. Software is the product - it functions as is. Hardware design is only the starting point - some investment is required in order to use it. Basically, any time someone holds your product in their hands, they have the design- and there are always ways to get around patents.

In the case of printers, there is a lot more science and specialized process involved than the engineering models and prints will reveal. Your chances of making your own are pretty slim. Like Kodak and Fuji, the laser and inkjet printer industry has taken some legal hits from the refurbished cartridge industry. Lexmark has lost the rights for their IC chip designs which means that like Kodak, anyone can cut into their real moneymaker. Without the protection of those chips, anyone can make a cartridge. Eventually, companies like Lexmark may have to change their format or get out of the cartridge business.

The bottom line is that at some point you need to have something that's rights-protected in order to make money. Otherwise, there is no motivation to supply free hardware or software other than your ideology. And ideology don't pay the rent.