Many people ask me if open source applies to areas outside of software. A great historical and current example is the culture of “pimping” your car so that it can be modified to your prefrences. In the old days those car hackers were called hot rodders. Here is an article on hacking the Toyota Prius.
Here is a blurb from the article: ” For its part, Toyota recognizes that some Prius owners will want to hack their cars, but the company doesn’t condone the behavior.
“There are people out there who have hacked into the system,” said Bill Kwong, a Toyota spokesman. “The tech is out there for technicians. But we don’t encourage consumers to do that.”
Speaking about the hack that allows Prius owners to use the navigation system while driving, Kwong added, “It is hazardous. It’s like talking on the phone or shaving while you’re operating the vehicle.” ”
Firms have to figure out how to work with communities!
[...] With the widespread adoption of the internet we have witnessed the power of crowdsourcing. According to Prof. Eric Von Hippel, this phenomenon is not confined to the Internet. He believes users should play an important role in the product development process of any company. Apparently, while artistry has lost its place in the corporate world it has been flourishing in the users’ own homes. A well-known open source scholar, Karim Lakhani, posted examples on his blog. [...]