# Key Points from IRC Discussions

• SKDB (Software Knowledge Database) is being developed as an "apt-get for hardware" system that manages physical component dependencies, aiming to create a framework for representing and sharing design information for manufacturing processes.

• The project uses YAML for data serialization rather than RDF, as it's more human-readable and editable while still allowing for dependency tracking, with entries parsed as Python classes rather than raw dictionaries.

• A significant challenge discussed is how to represent hardware requirements in a database when, unlike software, physical components have multiple implementation paths and can be created with different tools that all "perform adequately."

• The group is developing a web interface (demonstrated at http://heybryan.org:8081/package/) that allows collaborative editing of YAML files for hardware packages while integrating with git version control to avoid the "data jail" problem of traditional CMSs.

• Participants debated how to represent assembly instructions in a machine-processable yet human-readable format, moving beyond the "wiki bullshit" approach of sites like Instructables.

• The conversation highlighted the lack of adequate open-source CAD formats and tools, with various options discussed including OpenCascade, OpenSCAD, BRL-CAD, Blender, and HeeksCAD.

• RONJA (Reasonable Optical Network Joint Access) was discussed as a practical application, with mention of achieving a 170km free space optical link and 3D models available at ronja.twibright.com/3d/.

• The ultimate goal appears to be enabling self-replicating manufacturing capabilities "to an economically significant degree," with applications for projects like RepLab.org and Open Farm Tech.