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[Chip Camden]

Quoth Chad Perrin on Saturday, 24 July 2010:
> Disclaimer:
> 
> I do not represent the FreeBSD project in any way, shape, or form.  I am
> certain any such people would be much nicer and more polite about this
> than me.  I'm sure I would be much nicer and more polite about it if I
> became a representative of the FreeBSD project at some point in the
> future.  Because I am not officially affiliated with the project at all,
> though, I feel free to be brutally honest.
> 
> 
> On Sat, Jul 24, 2010 at 06:01:07AM +0400, Victor Skovorodnikov wrote:
> > 
> > This may sound strange but I have a question about logo.  Why such a
> > logo for BSD?  What is the meaning of that logo?
> 
> It's a reference to "daemons", a type of software that runs in the
> background "listening" for connections.  The term "daemon" has ancient
> roots in Greek mythology and has nothing to do with more recent Christian
> notions of "demons".  In short, mythological "daemons" are basically just
> supernatural beings of lower power and stature than the pantheon of Greek
> gods, and computer "daemons" are helpful programs.
> 
> 
> > 
> > I have always been thinking of trying FreeBSD but as a Christian I get
> > deterred by its un-Christian logo.
> 
> Good grief.  Are you referring to the cartoon character?
> 
> It's a cartoon character.  It's not an attempt to lure your children to
> join Satan's armies.  There's no reason to be "deterred" from giving
> FreeBSD a try just because of a friendly cartoon character.
> 
> People who value their wool socks should not be deterred from using MS
> products because of the stupid moth mascot used by MSN, and those who
> dislike arctic climates shouldn't be deterred from using Linux-based
> systems because Linux uses a penguin as its mascot.  By the same token,
> the notion that a red cartoon character with horns should deter a
> Christian from using FreeBSD is kind of silly.
> 
> I was a member of a military unit known as the Red Devils years ago.  I
> did not feel like I was being corrupted by Evil.  Perhaps you would be
> deterred from being my friend because of this, nonetheless.  If that is
> the case, though, I think I'm better off without you.
> 
> While I normally prefer to take an inclusive approach to dealing with
> people who run into obstacles in their approach to thinking about OSes,
> there are cases where I simply feel the urge to throw my hands in the air
> and giving up on someone.  Such cases are those where it seems likely
> that some kind of closed-minded idolatry (which is exactly what this is:
> taking a cartoony mascot as some kind of Manifest Presence of a
> supernatural, superhuman Force, Principle, or Being) is going on.  Either
> you will get over it, or you will not, and it is only a very faint hope
> that pointing out the ludicrousness of your objection that compels me to
> respond at all.
> 
> If you're talking about the weird sex toy thing that has become the
> new(er) official FreeBSD logo, however, it seems the FreeBSD project
> simply can't please some people.  I'm pretty sure that was made so
> ambiguous and largely meaningless specifically because of fear of
> negative reactions from those who cannot imagine going through life
> without being offended -- and it still isn't working, if that's the
> reason for your complaint.
> 
> It may be "un-Christian", but if so it's "un-Christian" like a penguin or
> a moth is "un-Christian", and not like a burning cross would be (and I'd
> call that "anti-Christian" instead, anyway).
> 
> 
> > 
> > Have you considered changing it to something else?  Doesn't have to be
> > an angel, but perhaps something neutral ;-) ?
> 
> I hope the logo doesn't change because of silly requests from those who
> cannot have religious beliefs without also being reasonable human beings.
> 
> This whole thing reminds me of a conversation I had in the early '90s
> where someone told me that a Nine Inch Nails song called "God's Money"
> was blasphemous.  Of course, there is no Nine Inch Nails song by that
> name, and the song the person was talking about ("Head Like A Hole")
> doesn't have the words "God's money" in it at all.  The guy had misheard
> something and leaped to an erroneous conclusion without bothering to
> consider the possibility he was just a reactionary idiot.
> 
> Someone's sure to call me intolerant or abrasive as a result of this
> email, but frankly, I don't care.  Guilty as charged: I am not tolerant
> of intolerant, willfully ignorant fundamentalists, regardless of what
> fundamentalism infects them.
> 
> It's not like you couldn't look up the answer to your question about the
> meaning of the cartoon mascot character on the Internet fairly easily
> anyway, assuaging your fears of eternal damnation by choosing the wrong
> OS.  The desire to be outraged appears to be stronger than the desire to
> educate oneself.
> 
> When this is the way someone starts a "discussion" about wanting to use a
> new OS, I tend to believe there is no genuine interest in using the OS in
> question.
> 
> -- 
> Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]

"abrasive" -- maybe.  But this was a most enjoyable read.

I don't suppose our Christian friend opposes hot cross buns or Christmas
trees.  Then again, some Christians do.


-- 
Sterling (Chip) Camden    | sterling at camdensoftware.com | 2048D/3A978E4F
http://camdensoftware.com | http://chipstips.com        | http://chipsquips.com
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