I don't think this does well for a 'poster'.  It is probably even a bit
wordy for a handout.  If the points were polished and more to the point,
it might work in a hand out type of form.

I am going to play devil's advocate to each point.  Hopefully to foster
discussion on how to better refine them.

Michael Havens said:
> 1. Vulnerabilities are fixed relatively quickly.
This is not necessarily true.  Because you have the source code and the
freedom to modify it, you could certainly fix a vulnerability the minute
you know about it.  However, just because something is free software
doesn't mean that is vulnerabilities will be fixed any faster.  However, I
think that peer review makes vulnerabilities surface much more quicker and
thus get fixed before they are exploited.

> 3. For things released as free software, if the company that makes the
> software goes out of business, the software lives on, instead of you
> suddenly
> having to invest major bucks in another product and the migration to
> that product.

This also is a false statement.  The software only lives on if someone
wishes to pick up the torch and carry it on.  However, this is a
possibility with Free Software with prop software if someone doesn't "buy"
the rights to it, it dies.

> 4. You never have to worry about the company that makes the free
> software hiking your license fees 500% in a 2-year period like some
> other company that
> we won't mention has a habit of doing.

Two separate points.  If you buy free software from a vendor (which
certainly is possible), nothing prevents them from hiking their fees 500%
in a 2-year period.  However, Free Software keeps the system fairly
honest.  You have to add some SERIOUS value to justify charging for Free
Software much less do dramatic price increases.  You could certainly argue
that it makes software resellers competitive and honest.

Point two.  As hard is it is to resist.  Free Software marketing should
not take short jabs at particular vendors.  Microsoft is not the enemy. 
Prop software is.. M$ just happens to be the Goliath of the Prop software
camp.  There is an old BSD saying.... "BSD is for people that like Unix,
Linux is for people that hate Microsoft"  We certainly shouldn't want to
convey that GNU/Linux is useful only because you can use it to spite M$.

> 6. If there's a bug in free software, you can either fix it yourself, or
> hire
> any programmer on the market to fix it. You don't have to beg MegaCorp
> to please, pretty please, fix that bug, please?! (And the bug doesn't
> get fixed for years, if ever).

This goes back to removing the "MegaCorp" references. :)  Even though they
are true.


-Derek