HN user
I would just like to thank you all for the time you took to look at the site and the comments you've all made.
The feedback has been incredibly useful, and has really given us an idea of where we need to focus our efforts.
That's a good question really. And one which the site kind of just wishes to raise.
What makes Apple & Microsoft products closed, and what makes Red Hat or Neuros open? Clearly it's because their products and the companies themselves have a set of qualities which determine that.
Those qualities aren't completely clear, or defined, and yet, it's pretty generally accepted that Apple is closed and Red Hat is open.
Most people interested in open-source are aware of a some of those qualities and look them up when deciding on purchases, but they're shifting and changing (as Apple recently showed with the introduction of the MacBook Air which didn't have a removeable battery - does making it more difficult to swap out a specific component in a device make it more 'closed'?).
I think our target market has an idea of the qualities we're trying to quantify, but the real question is, do they care? Do they care enough to submit the products that they do the research on for themselves, to a site like isitopen?
When you say the markup is not very good. What do you mean exactly?
We don't have a graphic designer, so I can understand the lack of aesthetic appeal. However, are you seeing issues with the CSS/HTML? How do you measure how well it works?
Sorry, I should have disclaimed. The site is very much alpha, so there are plans for a layout overhaul still. We've only just got something basic working and wanted to get some feedback before continuing.
As someone who's done a lot of research into how open a device is before they buy, I've found that I spend a lot of time searching for products which meet my needs. The site should help cut down the time needed in order to find open products.
Whether it fills a specific gap is debatable. Perhaps we should look at building the user-driven 'review' aspect of the site more, and let people discuss functionality more.
We've just recently finished a proof-of-concept site called 'isitopen'. It is designed to allow users submit and review consumer devices regarding how 'open' they are (i.e. available source-code, documentation, standardized plugs, etc.)
We've hit a point where we don't know where to go from here, whether the idea is even a good one, or how to market it.
Comments?