Maybe you guys can help me with my homework

[Amablue]

Sort of, anyway.

This is for a speech class. I'm supposed to give a pursuasive speech next week and I had to choose a topic yesterday. Since I couldn't think of anything that hadn't been beaten into the ground already (you know, the usual Stem cell, abortion, political, etc. topics) and since I'm a bit of a nerd, I decided to do a speech on the advantages of open source software.

I'm gathering my ideas and I'm hoping you guys can help me brainstorm here. I have quite a few examples of OSS I can use (FireFox, of course, but also OpenOffice, GAIM, and even Wikipedia in a sense). I also have a list of pros and cons of OSS. Here's what I have so far:

Pros
Generally Free
Quicker bug fixes
Not as restrictive
Generally more customizable


Cons
Lack of standardization
Lack of integration
Tends to be derivative rather than innovative


I think I'll also mention somewhere how proprietary software can be detrimental because they can be used to create a monopoly by creating incompatibilities with other software or files. The easiest example would be things like Word Documents. I'm expected all the time by my teachers to be able to read the .doc files they email to me, even though I don't have Word (nor do I have the $$ to shell out to get it). The result is me getting a poorly formatted page in OpenOffice.

I thing I need to refine that last point a bit, and find a better example. It makes OpenOffice look bad.

What do you guys think? Also, I'm looking for some arguments/counterarguments for proprietary software.

Ideas? Comments?

[mips]

Rule #1 in speeches, do not pick boring topics.

[slimdog360]

If you can use a projector hooked up to a computer you could waste some time and show them Ubuntu, openoffice etc. Im sure most people would pay attention and this way you wouldnt have to write so much for your speech.

[zcal]

I thing I need to refine that last point a bit, and find a better example. It makes OpenOffice look bad.

On the contrary, I think moreso it helps emphasize the point the Microsoft is hindering people´s ability to freely choose what they want out of their computers.

Also, as this is a persuasive speech you should remember that you want most of your emphasis to be on persuasion. You have to remember who your audience is. If you know most of the folks in your class are going to groan and fiddle with their pencils rather than listen interestedly as you talk tech, then don´t do it! Of course, you need a little bit of explanation to lead yourself in, but don`t drone on about the pros and cons of open source. Show the class what they can get out of it.

Showing off a laptop running some cool apps in open source is a great idea. Show off Beryl. Customize Gnome or KDE to mimic the looks of Mac OS X and Windows XP. Show them how full-featured and easy to use programs like OOo and The Gimp are, and put their costs right alongside those of M$ Office and Photoshop. Those are some big numbers! Hand around an Ubuntu Shipit CD if you´ve got one and tell them they´ll send it to you free. Better yet, as you´re giving your speech, start Ubuntu installing on your laptop if you´ve got one and you´re willing to reinstall. By the end of your speech point out that you´ve now got a fully functional OS devoid of spyware and ready to go with office software and everything that would take HOURS to install afterwards in Windows. That kind of stuff gets people´s attention. ;)

[frup]

Sort of, anyway.
I thing I need to refine that last point a bit, and find a better example. It makes OpenOffice look bad.
Ideas? Comments?
This one I like:
SAMBA
Opening Windows to a Wider World

love the pun and the way it makes it look like it is enhancing windows...

[Cynical]

Are you sure about those cons? I usually see the exact opposite. One more pro to add, they are usually more secure than proprietary applications. When you are speaking of creating incompatibilities I think you mean proprietary formats, not software. Maybe you should talk more about proprietary vs open-source, and then branch out to pros and cons of both in software and format applications.

[Amablue]

Rule #1 in speeches, do not pick boring topics.

It's all in the presentation. ;)


On the contrary, I think moreso it helps emphasize the point the Microsoft is hindering people´s ability to freely choose what they want out of their computers.

Yeah, it matters how I phrase it. That's what I was trying to say. But it was the middle of the night so I couldn't quite put down in words what I was thinking.


Showing off a laptop running some cool apps in open source is a great idea. Show off Beryl.

I have Beryl running and fully intend to show it off. I just need to get a bug fixed in it that I'll worry about later (The window frames don't show up for some reason until I go to the theme manager and change themes)


Better yet, as you´re giving your speech, start Ubuntu installing on your laptop if you´ve got one and you´re willing to reinstall.

That's an awesome idea. If I were put on a time limit I might actually start up an installation. However, I don't think time will allow for that.

Thanks for the other ideas though.

[Burgresso]

Rule #2 is to go first or second! This is important!

[Johnsie]

Props are always good... and getting the audience involved helps. Use your imagination to think of ways of using props and the audience to show how open source can be a good thing.

[Amablue]

Rule #2 is to go first or second! This is important!

I'm going on the last day, giving me the most time to prepare, but I'm going second on that day, so I don't have to worry about going first, but I don't spend all class building up nervous energy.


Props are always good... and getting the audience involved helps. Use your imagination to think of ways of using props and the audience to show how open source can be a good thing.

The only thing I can really think of is to show off Beryl, and I need to get it fixed by Monday for that. :-/

[dbbolton]

Rule #1 in speeches, do not pick boring topics.
:D

[sloggerkhan]

1. First off, I'd do a $$ by dollar comparison. (Say $400 for Vista and free for Ubuntu with what features?)
2. Need for derrivative works due to non-open standards vs. creative works
Example: GAIM, Open Office are due to market saturation by non-open standards and other programs like Blender are pretty unique in terms of design and interface even if they to a task that isn't unique.
The UIs of GNOME and KDE also have many features that are unique innovative, such as their level of customizability, and multiple desktops.
3. I actually think that there is often more integration between programs in F/OSS software than in normal 3rd party commercial apps. I'm thinking of the calender embedded in the date and time on my desktop, among other features.
4. Another thing to address is the need for media vs. need for bandwidth. Regular PSS users have to install everything from disks and often need disks to run programs (leading to creating of things such as daemon tools, licensing, and bloated code) while F/OSS usually requires bandwidth to download, but almost no physical media. This allows a typical F/OSS system to do a complete reinstall of system and all software in under 3 hours with a quick internet connection, while it can often take days to do a complete reinstall of windows and all software. (thing of package management vs. one at a timing by disk.)
5. The differeing business models:
PSS: make a deffective product so users need to buy updates/new programs/support/features
F/OSS: Make a modifiable product so users can update/enhance system use self or purchased support if needed. (Purchased support being the primary product)


aaand I just noticed you probably already gave your speech. lol. I am an idiot sometimes.

[TLE]

...I decided to do a speech on the advantages of open source software.
Great. Those other topics have really been overused.


Cons
Lack of standardization
Lack of integration
Tends to be derivative rather than innovative

Well the first one there is actually only half true. Consider translations. I'm a part of the team that translates FOSS into danish. And perhaps one of the most important tools we have is a wordlist containing a lot of computer derived words. This actually means that every single piece of FOSS software that is translated into Danish uses the same translation for computer technical words. There is no such garanty with other kinds of software since they do their one translations. BUT this is off course more an advantage of having something that is community driven, and so is sort of a bordercase to your topic since you wanted to talk about FOSS, and well FOSS just happens to encurage comminty driven development, but it isn't really a requirement. Yeah well, you get the idea.


I think I'll also mention somewhere how proprietary software can be detrimental because they can be used to create a monopoly by creating incompatibilities with other software or files. The easiest example would be things like Word Documents. I'm expected all the time by my teachers to be able to read the .doc files they email to me, even though I don't have Word (nor do I have the $$ to shell out to get it). The result is me getting a poorly formatted page in OpenOffice.

I thing I need to refine that last point a bit, and find a better example. It makes OpenOffice look bad.
I know it sort of does but it really shouldn't. I mean how are the OO devels to make it look perfect when they essetially have to guess what's inside the file because M$ won't play nice. That has nothing to do woth the quality of the software but only the limitations posed on it by others. And as far as I know M$ were even involved in some of the work of creating open document standards, and then just sort of choose not to adopt them themselves (Don't quote me on that one though, if you want to use it you'll have to do some digging yourself).

In reality the problem lies not in the limitations of OO but the limitations of the minds of your teachers (and a lot of other peoples). They should really find a format to give you documents in that could be opened from both OO and M$O. So they don't force people to buy expensive software. But I don't know how far you want to take this... *G*
Good luck TLE

[ixus_123]

If you are to speak publicly on ANY subject there are 3 things that I highly recommend you do.

The good thing about these is that you can do it in your break time.

The first is to head over to apple.com/quicktime & watch one of the keynote streams - anyone - it doesn't matter. Why - well Steves Jobs is a fantastic public speaker. He could sell ice to the eskimos. From him you can get ideas on pace, tonce of voice, audience participation - jokes / demos etc & how to keep things simple / accessible.

The second person to listen to is Noam Chomsky - one of his political speaches that you can no doubt download. He is outspoken politically but you wont listen for this. He is a also a leading authority on linguistics - so while it may sound like he's rambling on, he's actually very careful to use techniques like repetition to empathise key words. He also slows down & loads of other tricks I'm sure to grasp.

The third is to watch a stand up comic in action - even something old like Eddie Murphie's Delirious. When public speaking you always run the risk of being heckled / getting a hard question asked etc.

Watch how these people present themselves - do they move around their stage space? use body language? joke to lighten hard topics? tone of voice, eye contact etc.

Often with public speaking it's all about the delivery & the guys above are masters at that - they might not be on topic but a lot can be learnt from them