What are your thoughts on these printers?
http://www.zyyx3dprinter.com
http://www.3dprinterworks.net/index.html
I have a makerbot Replicator 2 and looking to add another printer
Ask yourself something about these printers.
Have they given anything back to the community? Have they supported any software development? Or are they just some fly-by-night company that’s using the developments of the RepRap community and larger to fill their own pockets?
At the very least, try to find people who have a history of collaboration, of opening their designs to everyone.
Even the company I work for is struggling to give things back to the community but I do my best individually to help people reimplement our ideas on their own projects.
Good points.
But in my opinion it is actually O.K that they do their busiess with it, if they would give back. So may we should manage to communicate to people which companies give back in any kind of way and show everybody who is and who is not.
The arduino guys have kind of a good model for that, as they have their trademark on every original product, as also some collaborations where the partner actually gives back.
While Hardware development always involves money I think Open Source Hardware needs a better way in collaborating and managing the projects, while the successfull projects should support smaller and new ones.
Kind of an eco-system, or kind of an community driven Open Source Company Thing.