The Futuof the National Space Society

>In any case, a free library of manufacturing knowledge is a way for
>organizations with different roadmaps for human development (Mars, SPS,
>Moon, Habitats, BFI/Earth) to collaborate in creating such a free
>library because they can all draw from the free information for their
>specific projects. However, to date, organizations, including SSI,
>attempt to keep their work proprietary so they can control it tightly
>and make money off of it to fund other paid efforts. The internet
>mediated volunteer development approach modeled after GNU/Linux and the
>free software movement is a way forward IMHO.

You could use the public license approach also without waiving the
license fee, so if SSI wanted to make money of their "not for profit
business" they could but they were not able to stop progress through
closing out competitive development basing on their patents.

Many inventors who are not inclined to give their inventions away for
free may be willing to use such an open license approach.

Frank