What is it that everybody needs?
Food
Clothing & shoes
Housing & furniture
Housing infrastructure:
Energy
Water
Sewage, garbage removal
Communication:
Internet / Phone
Postal services
Mobility: transportation & traffic
Care:
Body care / Health care
Child care / Elder care
Emergency care
Fun & knowledge:
Learning
Sports, games
Books, music, movies, shows
Art & entertainment / Parties & events
…
Essentials also including the equipment that's necessary to use them, e.g. computers and (cell) phones to access the Internet/phone network.
Idea: In order to make it easier for everyone to produce what they like to have, build a comprehensive database of free design and production know-how.
-> The Universal Production Set (UPset) should cover designs, blueprints, and other production know-how for all areas of life, but with a special focus on the 8 Essentials.
The UPset should be a meta-project, integrating and connecting existing free design projects, whenever possible.
Freedom principle:
Knowledge and data must be free/open according to the Open Knowledge Definition
Software must be free software
Used standards must be Free and Open Standards
Content should be stored in free file formats
Don't do harm principle:
Don't collect designs for things that are mainly useful for harming other people, such as weapons.
Don't collect designs for things that could accidentally do enormous harm, such as nuclear energy.
Modularity: favor modularity and standard components/processes that can be combined in versatile ways. There is no need to re-invent the same (free) wheels again and again.
Affordable design: try to keep the barriers of entry low. Production shouldn't require expensive materials/components/tools or rare skills, whenever possible.
Responsible design: favor designs that are
Sustainable and eco-friendly
Accessible
Child-friendly
Easy and safe to use
Easy to repair or replace