Please don't change Beastie to another crap logo such as NetBSD!!!

[Dag-Erling Smørgrav]

cpghost at cordula.ws writes:
> Imagine Linux dropping Tux for some meanlingless, lifeless logo?

I'm glad you asked.

Tux is a mascot, not a logo.  These are Linux logos:

http://images.slashdot.org/topics/topiccaldera.gif
http://images.slashdot.org/topics/topicdebian.gif
http://images.slashdot.org/topics/topicmandrake.gif
http://images.slashdot.org/topics/topicredhat.gif
http://images.slashdot.org/topics/topicsuse.gif
http://images.slashdot.org/topics/topicturbolinux.gif

The image that is sometimes used as an all-round Linux logo is not
"just Tux", but rather a particular representation of Tux in
combination with a logotype and an orange splash.  The author of that
logo is clearly aware of the distinction between a logo and a mascot:

http://www-mddsp.enel.ucalgary.ca/People/adilger/logo/

Likewise, Beastie is a mascot, not a logo.  In fact, it fails the
primary and most important test of logoness: it is not exclusive to
the FreeBSD project, but is shared by all BSD projects.  It also fails
several other important tests of logoness: it is not under the FreeBSD
project's direct control (our use of it is subject to the whim and
mercy of Kirk McKusick); it is not a registered trademark; it is
probably too diluted already to even be eligible to be registered as a
trademark.  This does not even begin to consider the technical aspects
(ease of reproduction, scalability, representability in monochrome,
recognizability under different and sometimes difficult conditions,
etc.)

Here's a page (a NetBSD logo contest entry) which addresses many of
these concerns, and coincidentally underlines my point about the
daemon not being exclusive to FreeBSD:

http://homepage.mac.com/codesamurai/netbsd-logo-entry/

(this is so good I'm surprised NetBSD didn't adopt it, and I'd love to
see it submitted to the FreeBSD logo contest)

DES
-- 
Dag-Erling Smørgrav - des at des.no