SGI: Discussion

theinonen wrote: Logo is only a part of the corporate image. People do not buy something, just because it has a great logo.

BMWs are not that great looking. Compared to some real classics, like Ford Capri. It is only a box with rounded corners and four wheels. People buy BMWs because they are seen as a status symbol.

But they avoid an established brand if it suddenly changes appearance.

If I had been in a cave for the last 5 years, came out, and saw a server with that goofy logo on it, I would think it was someone passing off, which is pretty much what's going on here - Rackable bought a brand, and ruined it as soon as they had it.

theinonen wrote: Logo is only a part of the corporate image. People do not buy something, just because it has a great logo.

BMWs are not that great looking. Compared to some real classics, like Ford Capri. It is only a box with rounded corners and four wheels. People buy BMWs because they are seen as a status symbol.

Yeah just like you don't buy apple products just because the logo is cool. The logo is a fragment of the entire concept. You buy it because it is good design at different levels. Industrial design, information architecture, interface design, graphic design etc. However, it all starts with the outside. Personally I agree that some people buy BMWs because they represent status. On the other hand, I wouldn't say that the works of Chris Bangle,or Joji Nagashima look just like a box with rounded corners and four wheels.

iKitsune wrote:

theinonen wrote: If I had been in a cave for the last 5 years, came out, and saw a server with that goofy logo on it, I would think it was someone passing off, which is pretty much what's going on here - Rackable bought a brand, and ruined it as soon as they had it.

As far as I can see, Rackable has only changed the logo somewhat. Saying that they ruined SGI is a bit premature at this point.

Well look on the bright side.
They still left the good old cube an unexploited virgin.

Can we start putting bets on who will acquire Rackable and thus SGI?

SAQ wrote: As far as I can see, Rackable has only changed the logo somewhat. Saying that they ruined SGI is a bit premature at this point.

SGI as a brand may live on, but all the magic is gone, at least for me. I grew up fascinated with SGI technology. In my middle school, they had an Iris Indigo. I remember it had a 33 MHz CPU and 64 MB RAM or so. It didn't even have a proper Ethernet port, just an AUI interface. That machine was what I learned UNIX on. I guess I'm just nostalgic for those magical purple, blue, and green computers.

The new logo just drives home that those days are gone. Really, SGI ruined SGI, but this just gives visual proof to it. Maybe they'll bring back the cube, and then I can at least look at the clone servers in some data center and feel the magic that Iris Indigo brought me when I was still young.

Pardon me for breaking the forum rules but you guys are a bunch of idiots. Rackable just bought the place, it's only a stupid logo, let's see how they do with things that actually matter like sevice, support, and products instead of running off at the mouth about a damned font. It was stupid of SGI to piss away big money on a font and it's equally stupid to have a heart attack, wailing and gnashing your teeth over a different one. "The magic is gone" ... what a crock. It's not magic, they make and sell computers.

What are we, a bunch of teenage girls here, all upset about the new Hello Kitty box ?

hamei wrote: Pardon me for breaking the forum rules but you guys are a bunch of idiots. Rackable just bought the place, it's only a stupid logo, let's see how they do with things that actually matter like sevice, support, and products instead of running off at the mouth about a damned font. It was stupid of SGI to piss away big money on a font and it's equally stupid to have a heart attack, wailing and gnashing your teeth over a different one. "The magic is gone" ... what a crock. It's not magic, they make and sell computers.

What are we, a bunch of teenage girls here, all upset about the new Hello Kitty box ?

It's just like your favorite baseball star from when you were a kid getting convicted for crack posession.

I guess I get the message and I'll shut up though.

Thanks.

Well, the logo is not as nice I have to agree. It was awful when they rebrand it as SGI from Silicon Graphics anyway. Now they add a green dot, perhaps to make it more "green" i suppose. I suppose it will just take time for people to get use to it anyway.

In my middle school, they had an Iris Indigo...

In my middle school we had a paper teletype that could dial into a remote mainframe....

I suppose they figure since putting the cube logo on the Tezro didn't save the company, the logo must not matter...

iKitsune wrote: I guess I get the message and I'll shut up though.

I'm sorry but jeeze, guys, it's just a logo and they just bought the place. Cut them a little slack, maybe ?

hamei wrote:

iKitsune wrote: I guess I get the message and I'll shut up though.

I'm sorry but jeeze, guys, it's just a logo and they just bought the place. Cut them a little slack, maybe ?

I would feel different if I hadn't had several run-ins with Rackable at work. Some mergers like Sun/Oracle and Symbol/Motorola, I can be optimistic the product quality won't take a slide. After my experience dealing with Rackable, I expect that all IRIX/MIPS legacy support and docs (what little there was!) will be the first against the wall, and the new logo is just the first sign of it.

hamei wrote: I'm sorry but jeeze, guys, it's just a logo and they just bought the place. Cut them a little slack, maybe ?

Pretty much my view as well - the whole "SGI's logo is awesome" ship sailed back in 1999.

nekonoko wrote: Pretty much my view as well - the whole "SGI's logo is awesome" ship sailed back in 1999.

this is a different voyage, it's the dirty little scupper "rackable's logo is cheap and thoughtless".

yes a scupper isn't a vessel but use your imaginations.

Amiga is still around - maybe they can pick up Sgrackable in a year for £2.50 and then the two companies pioneering computer graphics have finally merged. Not that anybody would care by then any more...

skywriter wrote: logo is cheap and thoughtless".

Heh, that's what everyone said in 1999

http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys ... 4952059ed5