On 2021-01-19 9:15 p.m., Paul D. Fernhout wrote:
* Hospital suffers a malware incursion or ransomware extortion due to their unpatched proprietary software, and all their vital equipment shuts down. Panic ensues.
I'm not sure I like this angle. It frames the discussion to be about the "quality" of the software, as opposed to the freedom. We don't want to pit free software against proprietary software on the grounds of quality/stability/security). It's theoretically possible for a proprietary software vendor to make a piece of software that is more secure and more stable than a given piece of free software. But a proprietary vendor can never, by definition, produce a piece of software that is as _free_ as a free software. Respecting user freedom is what sets free software apart, and I think the goal of promotional material should be to try to convince people why they should add "freedom" to what they value from software, as opposed market to them on the grounds of "free software is better."
I think this essay is relevant: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/when-free-software-isnt-practically-superior.html
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