Re: [SDBUG] Superstitious users and the FreeBSD logo
Doug Barton
> On Sun, Dec 4, 2011 at 1:35 PM, Doug Barton <do...@freebsd.org> wrote:
>> Yeah, that was pretty much the argument at the time. The punch line is
>> that a lot of those same people then wonder why FreeBSD doesn't have
>> better market share.
>
> Being partial to OpenBSD I don't really have a dog in this fight. I
> would submit however that the pain and expense of "re-branding" would
> need to be justified with solid market research.
>
> How many potential FreeBSD users have chosen other operating systems
> as a result of religious objections over the demon mascot? Would the
> FreeBSD userbase/community be significantly larger if not for
> Beastie?
>
> Until those questions are answered by methodologically sound research,
> the whole debate seems moot.
This is one of those canards that people bring up when they don't want
to address the question. Decades of experience shows us that a
non-trivial number of people have a distaste for the logo. If "wider
adoption of FreeBSD" is a goal, then changing the logo is a no-brainer.
Doug
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Seth Fulton
Glass in the FreeBSD mailing list post which Michael linked to: "Is there
artwork that doesn't include horned creatures that might offend the
ignorant or superstitious?"
...then off the cuff and without taking any time to look, I would answer
"no".
It seems that Brett's particular problem could be solved however by the
creation of a FreeBSD logo that didn't involve a horned creature. Perhaps
this could coexist with the existing FreeBSD graphics and used as needed.
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Seth Fulton
> On 12/10/2011 14:10, Seth Fulton wrote:
> This is one of those canards that people bring up when they don't want
> to address the question.
I disagree that it's a "canard". From where I stand, it's evaluating the
problem from a cost/benefit perspective.
> Decades of experience shows us that a
> non-trivial number of people have a distaste for the logo.
This claim strikes me as anecdotal in nature. Has anyone been able to
provide solid evidence?
> If "wider adoption of FreeBSD" is a goal, then changing the logo is a
> no-brainer.
>
I can emphasize with the goal of achieving "wider adoption of FreeBSD" .
That goal seems somewhat meaningless however w/out being qualified by
measurable numbers.
Two additional users would techncally qualify as "wider adoption". I think
it's more useful to talk about a "30% growth in the FreeBSD userbase" for
example.
Again, I'm not trying to be combative, I'm just asking question about
nature of the problem and whether the costs of fixing it can be justified
by the projected gains.