This is definitely one the coolest free software advocacy tools I’ve come across in a while. It’s a PDF brochure I discovered via Ubuntu Musings that makes explaining some hard concepts about free software (why is it no-cost? how do programmers get paid?) an easy thing to do. The illustrations are simple to understand, yet visually appealing. The 22 page presentation only takes about 5 minutes to finish (each page is an illustration) and would make a great starting point for a deeper presentation as well.

One of the best things about this particular resource is that it’s perfectly understandable by “regular” (i.e., non-techie) people. So it’s a perfect conversation starter for your professors, bosses, or friends and family that might not understand all the technical terms that tend to get woven into discussions about open source.

If you’re at all planning to advocate FOSS, or even if you’d just like to deepen your own understanding of what FOSS really is, I definitely recommend that you grab a copy.

• FOSS: Understanding FOSS Visual Guide