On Sat, 30 Oct 2004 18:51:31 -0500, Chris <racerx@makeworld.com> wrote:
> Ok - it just has to go. 
> I don't like it - yes, I know what I think don't matter nevertheless -
> it still looks a tad gay

Of course there would be people who object.  It's much easier to say "no"
than "yes".

Objections so far:

	Political association with left-leaning flag.
	Political association with orange/red flag.
	Genericity.
	Symbolism of flagpole.
	Flag is "moving" rtl, whereas English reads ltr.
	Orange flag means distress.

Taking these in order of, um, objectivity:

* The nautical distress flag is square:
	http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/mse4/vds.htm (find part 160.072).
	http://www.boatsafe.com/kids/distress.htm
Not to mention it has a black square and circle on it.  

* That the logo might represent anything.  I think that's what logos do:
	http://www.xerox.com/images/world/h/header_std_xerox_logo.gif
	http://www.aptea.com/images/stores/ap.jpg
	http://www.att.com/library/media/logo/att.103x49.header.gif
	http://www.3com.com/images/common/en_US/3com_logo.jpg

Just to pick a few at random.  

I think criticisms of colors is overblown.  It's possible to infer
something from anything.  Red mean communism?  Well, the flag's *orange*,
as it happens, but then orange isn't neutral either; just ask the Irish. 
Every color symbolizes something.  Or many things: have a look at
Melville's explication of "white" in Moby Dick (purity and death, for
starters).  It's only one chapter. 

Similarly with the orientation of the flagpole.  If it doesn't lean left,
it leans right, which those of us sailing under the hammer and sickle
would surely mind.  And if it looks like a phallus to you (look again),
well, I'm sorry about your phallus, but that's a personal problem.  

Most esoteric is that the flag should fly in the direction of the letters
in English.  An alternative interpretation: the letters entered at the
keyboard are the wind, blowing the flag, and NetBSD stands stalwart,
unbent, no matter what you enter.  Or, maybe, like old WW II movies, we're
attacking the Japanese.  ;-)

On the Yes side of the ticket, the logo meets all the stated goals of the
logo (http://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-advocacy/2004/01/14/0001.html):

* It is identifiable, simple, clear, distictive, and unoffensive.  
* The flag is obviously a reference to the old logo.  A flag is also
suitable to any team effort, which NetBSD surely is.  A little martial,
perhaps, but only a little.  

I wasn't on the selection committee.  Had I been, I would have suggested
emulating (a good feature of) the US government, and solicited public
comment, because feedback is often useful, not to mention democratic. 
Even so, I think they chose well.  It meets their goals, and it's
appealing.  Could it be better?  Sure, but for more than $100, you could
do worse:

	http://www.sco.com/images/logo.gif

(I suppose that's a source tree?)

--jkl