----- Original Message -----
On 11/07/2016 10:14 AM, Bastien Nocera wrote:
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>> Being first is definitely important and something we should focus on, but
>> differentiation
>> in open source is a hard challenge and branding is a big part of it. We
>> are
>> not GNOME,
>> just like we are not the linux kernel or systemd or glibc. Yes, we happen
>> to
>> make use of
>> all those projects, but what we are is the sum of all of those and more
>> plus
>> the testing,
>> integration, customisation, extensions and specific combination of things.
>> And making sure that
>> totality has a clear and easily identifiable visual identity is not
>> wasting
>> time. It is to build
>> a design and branding that highlights that Fedora Workstation is a unique
>> thing and not just
>> one of many ways to run a generic GNOME desktop.
>
> In which case the problem is that we don't consult with designers, or work
> on
> that branding work upstream. Case in point, our changes to the Details
> panel
> in Settings aren't upstream, nobody tested the performance impact of the
> logo
> watermark in gnome-shell.
>
> It also seems bizarre to me that we would push that branding on Fedora
> Workstation, but not in other variants with a Fedora branded motd before
> login
> on the server variant for example.
>
The Fedora Server does prominently display
"Fedora 24 (Server Edition)"
at the login prompt. It also presents URLs for signing into the Cockpit
administrative interface which announces "Fedora Server Edition" in big block
letters and the Fedora logo in the corner.
Prominent? I attached the screenshot. It's prominent because there's nothing
else on the screen, sure.
> Do we *actually* have a problem with Fedora being identified as
such?
> In which sort of deployment do we have that problem?
>
I think the main concern here is that we want Fedora to be easily recognized
as
itself because that increases mindshare significantly. Most people can
recognize
Ubuntu quickly because of its graphical environment (whether it's a positive
or
negative recognition is basically irrelevant here).
We've been making GNOME recognisable, and well enough that you can recognise
it among screenshots. We've also made Fedora Workstation good enough that it's
what a lot of users use, and we can nearly assume.
There's a net positive to having our brand be displayed
prominently because
it
can help to associate our name with whatever else is being showed off in
presentations and the like.
Then I'd happily remove all the crappy branding in most places in Fedora, and
offer you branding space on the "presentation" screen:
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=750277
"Hey, that's a really cool new web application. Oh, and the
person demoing it
is
doing so on Fedora, so it probably works well on Fedora..."
If we're focusing on presentations, we probably don't need that branding
in the default wallpaper.
> We already have branding in GRUB, in plymouth, in gdm, in the
default
> wallpaper,
> in the Details panel. I'd rather we sent our stickers for laptop covers,
> and
> Windows keys, and toned down the branding on other parts of the OS, as well
> as
> investigated other possible branding (changing the default hostname, and
> .local
> name seem like no-brainer with no performance impact, and greater reach).
Modulo the watermark, we don't have branding in the default wallpaper;
"Apart from branding, we don't have branding".
just
because it's not the same as upstream does not necessarily make it
immediately
recognizable as Fedora.
It makes it recognisable as not upstream GNOME, and I don't think those
wallpapers are of the same quality as the upstream GNOME ones.
Grub, plymouth and GDM are transitive things that are almost never
seen when
doing a demo or presentation for someone. There is real value in subtle
associations of Fedora with showing off cool stuff.
Then we agree that should remove the unnecessary branding in those transitive
states?
I'm not advocating that we cover the screen like ads on a
race-car, but there
must be some subtle ways we can improve the branding without compromising the
aesthetics of the upstream design.
Heck, even something as simple as putting the topicon version of the Fedora
logo
next to the clock could be an option. (I'm not a designer, obviously. I'm
just
throwing out a straw-man for discussion.)
I invite you to read the archives about this trainwreck of an idea. About the
time of the GNOME 3 release.