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On 3/11/2015 1:35 AM, Jörg Knobloch wrote:<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:54FFFE53.1000106@jorgk.com" type="cite">As
English is my second language - despite living in Australia for 16
years - I've never heard of these birds.
</blockquote>
Actually the biggest problem we face is not that these names are too
unknown but that they are too known. If you decide to name your
releases after birds, and start with A, then Avocet is the obvious
choice. We are not the first software project to come to this
conclusion. "Albatross" and "Auklet" are also available, but much
worse IMO. I have a bug filed with Mozilla legal to see if they have
any trademark objections to us using these names.<br>
<br>
Choosing birdnames is a classic bikeshedding issue, and please
forgive me but I refuse to participate in a big bikeshedding event
over this. I've been trying to take some responsibility for
Thunderbird marketing, and I've found very few other people
interested in this issue. I think that Thunderbird marketing is
going rather well at the moment, with Dave's recent Twitter posts at
@mozthunderbird and my mozilla blog posts doing a good job of
communicating that we are not, in fact, dead. With effort comes so
degree of autonomy. Release naming is part of this larger effort.<br>
<br>
To me, I would like names that are unique, melodious, and free of
negative connotations. Distinctive coloration that could be used in
generating associated graphics is also important. The Pied Avocet
has a distinctive black and white pattern that will be very
effective graphically. I also like that this bird is primarily a
Euroasian bird, as that also reflects the current geography of
Thunderbird.<br>
<br>
For Bunting, the Painted Bunting has some of the most amazing
coloration of any bird, and will also be a great target for graphics
designers. I don't particularly like its limited North American
geography, but its spectacular coloration overcomes this weakness.
There are other Bunting varieties as well, but graphics potential
leans me toward the Painted Bunting.<br>
<br>
If you want a back story (though this was not important in choosing
the name), try this from WIkipedia: "The avocet became <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction" title="Extinction">extinct</a>
in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain"
title="Great Britain">Great Britain</a> in 1840.<sup
id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_avocet#cite_note-6"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a></sup>
Its successful recolonisation at <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minsmere_RSPB_reserve"
title="Minsmere RSPB reserve" class="mw-redirect">Minsmere</a>, <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk" title="Suffolk">Suffolk</a>,
in 1947<sup id="cite_ref-BWP_4-2" class="reference"><a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_avocet#cite_note-BWP-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a></sup>
led to its adoption as the logo of the <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society_for_the_Protection_of_Birds"
title="Royal Society for the Protection of Birds">Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds</a>."<br>
<br>
I think that a bird that went extinct and was re-introduced is a
pretty good symbol for a first release of a community-led
Thunderbird.<br>
<br>
:rkent<br>
<br>
<br>
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