Hi Michael,
First of all, I would like to apologize if our idea, which later became an activity, upset you; that was absolutely not my intention. I also want to clarify that I do not wish to stir up any controversy with you or through this medium. I just ask you not to misunderstand what I have written, and I apologize if my English is not as perfect as yours.
However, I wanted to make some clarifications regarding the activity that the Italian community has started. This post, where I outlined our idea—born after several discussions with members of the Italian community and in response to some requests that emerged during our presentations of the solution—dates back to January 9. After that post, there were further comments from users where I presented the idea, up to my last intervention showcasing some logos that some users had previously shared. This continued until February 11, when another user wrote that the penguin logo is “dead,” leading to a debate among some users, and concluded with my post on February 12, just six days ago.
Up until that point, no one took the trouble to tell us that you had already considered the idea and discarded it for various reasons, either on the forum or privately, if necessary. Consequently, the Italian community decided to move forward with the project independently. The chosen platform has been tested by an acquaintance of ours, and we have analyzed some products, particularly sweatshirts and t-shirts; the quality of the material is good and corresponds to the price paid. We were not able to verify the quality of all the proposed products, but we are confident that they reflect the samples we saw and touched.
Now let’s talk about the penguin logo, which you have eliminated. I believe it is now clear to everyone; we got to know IPFire with that logo, and although it has been “dead” for a while, many users still use it as their profile picture and recognize the product just by seeing it. Allow me to make a comparison that I hope conveys the idea: let’s take three brands. The first is BMW, which over the years has changed its logo while keeping it current, without losing its original meaning.
The second is Microsoft, which completely severed ties with the past, keeping only the name (which we’ll skip over).
The third is Alitalia, whose logo, born in 1969, is still relevant and recognizable.
I believe the reason Alitalia has never changed its logo, unlike the others, is that it instantly conveyed what it offered, becoming ingrained in everyone’s memory. The same goes for BMW; their logos change minimally to remain memorable, evoking the engine of airplanes. I will be very happy if one day a beautiful and appealing logo representing IPFire comes along, but until then, I think the old logo will remain in our hearts.
Moving on to the more delicate issue of financial contribution: I agree with you that having someone willing to donate €10 a month is ideal; if they can’t, even just €10 is perfectly fine. However, there are many users who are not willing to donate anything, neither €10 a month nor a one-time donation. During the Hackinbo event, we met many people; some were interested and began to follow the community, while others, merely curious, were willing to buy a €20 t-shirt to contribute to the project.
The idea is precisely this: not to eliminate funding coming from users, since those must remain as important pillars of the community, but to introduce a new method of financing for all those who, for various reasons, wouldn’t donate but would be willing to buy a gadget with the logo, perhaps just because they like it, ignoring what lies behind it.
I conclude by addressing some questions you raised about the feasibility of the project. The chosen platform handles everything: printing, shipping, claims, and returns. It is certainly less convenient than printing ten t-shirts and managing the shipping independently, but as you said, we are not equipped for this, and ultimately it would not be advantageous for anyone.
That the commerce is managed from Italy is quite clear; if it wasn’t, I will try to make it more evident to avoid misunderstandings. Regarding the new IPFire logo, as I mentioned in my post, I considered some logos that certain users had uploaded on the forum and referred to them that way. I will commit to changing it as soon as possible with another name, and we would be happy to propose materials with the official new logo, should you authorize us.
I’ll stop here; I leave the final decision to you and the team. If you believe our idea is not suitable for IPFire, just let us know, and I will proceed to withdraw from the agreement with the e-commerce company. I await your decision on how to proceed, either on the forum or privately; choose the most appropriate tool. If you have any questions or doubts, feel free to contact me.
Take care and have a good evening!