Industrial Hemp Harvesting Machine (fiber)

File Sharing and Workflow

I am going to add a few short notes here about my impressions relating to file sharing and workflow to start with.
What motivates me to do this is the impression that, while the workflow tools
for software development are neatly realized and broadly used thanks to platforms like GitHub,
the workflow tools for hardware projects, although they exist (Open Toolchain Foundation),
a platform that would allow a combined use of these tools and a seamless bidirectional data flow is
not quite there yet, or at least not in the open-source environment.

GitLab

For example in GitLab I cannot preview images in large tile format, meaning that I have to open the
file in order to see what is inside. If I wanted to download this file I can not do it from the file
list but I also have to open the file or choose to download the whole "directory" which translates
into a high data volume and a higher associated use of energy for its traffic. Another way is the
cloning and pull-push request approach but for that, I need to install some software on my computer.

The jargon used in platforms like GitHub makes things even less "user-friendly" since the average Joe
(Otto Normalverbraucher) or Jane whose contact with the digital world is limited to that of a user for
practical purposes (saving files or surfing the web) might find this jargon somewhat abstract. In my
computer a folder is a folder and I think is not a wild guess to assert that most people associate a folder
with some type of container. In GitLab a folder is called a directory, I personally know that a directory
is equivalent to a folder because I once used DOS over 20 years ago, otherwise, the first idea that
comes to mind is a phone directory.

Although the use and functions of, for example, GitLab are very well documented as it is the case for the
GitLab Terminology. Here one needs to pose the following question: Who wants to participate
in the making of a copy of a harvesting machine? or Who wants to participate in the making of a personal
Loom for woven textiles? or, in short, Who are the target users/collaborators for such a project? And yet,
despite the answer, the reality is that the whole process should be as easy as possible if I want to maximize
the participation level. A person whose interest is limited to the creation and formatting of text might find
the task of writing such text in a wiki just too daunting and might choose to walk away.

wiki + Dropbox

Possible workflow for the project

[1] [2]

one way folder (diode folders) for sharing raw information
two way folders (with some restrictions e.g. deleting of files) for retrieving processed information
at least three different access levels would be necessary
admin/distributor --- contributor/developer --- user