Linux Art and Lotsa Linux Hype

GW Hayduke writes "I stumbled across this on CNet, It's a definitely like dumping some petrol on an allready raging fire on this site, but I found it interesting..." Linuxfund.org is getting lots of press. It'll be interesting to see whether all their sound and fury signifies anything besides a clever credit card marketing scheme, but at least this Microsoft art thing they're running has some humor value, and laughter is always worthwhile. ;-)

Comments

Linux Trademark

[Anonymous Coward]

Linus should really consider their use of the Linux trademark carefully and either have them sign some agreement or deny them use of it. IANAL but I believe this can be seen as a case of trademark dilution if not dealt with properly.

Re:So, OSS developers are bad credit risks

[Pascal Q. Porcupine]

I was responding to the assertion that I was saying that OSS developers are bad credit risks. See the subject. I'm saying that although OSS developers aren't necessarily credit risks, they tend to have bad credit ratings. Also, the original AC who posted the reply to my statement made a comment about "so much for OSS in business." Which also has nothing to do with anything. Shit, sorry for responding to a troll.
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"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

Re:So, OSS developers are bad credit risks

[Pascal Q. Porcupine]

Well, it was this post, which is definitely by an AC and definitely not saying anything logically connected to my post, which I was referring to.
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"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

Re:What about the Rest of Us?

[Pascal Q. Porcupine]

Except that the Windows EULA says otherwise, as does past history regarding PCs. I know, it's wishy-washy and inconsistent, but there's nothing much better you can say, really.
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"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

LinuxFund's credit card seems like a good deal

[Pascal Q. Porcupine]

I hope that they realize that most opensource developers have... less-than-perfect credit histories. :) For a 12.99% fixed APR, no fees, LinuxFund contributions per purchase, and travel services, I'd be willing to hunt these guys down when I'm at ALS. :)

How many people here have this problem, btw: I've never had a credit card or a loan, so I don't have any good marks on my credit history, but a couple times in the past, bills got sent in late for varying reasons (moving or being on vacation or whatever) and so I have a couple of bad marks, and so no self-respecting credit agency will even consider me unless I'm willing to pay a huge annual fee. My checks are also often rejected as being "bad" or "high risks" because of this. So hopefully the linuxfund credit card is a lot more lenient on credit history.

Yeahyeah, sorta off-topic, but not really...
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"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

Re:So, OSS developers are bad credit risks

[Pascal Q. Porcupine]

I didn't say that. I said that OSS developers tend to have bad credit ratings. It's for a number of reasons, and it varies by the individual. Some, like myself, are just too algorithmic and cautious to ever get haphazard credit extended, and so have nothing good on their credit history. Other OSS developers have no income, or are too driven by their passions to hold down a steady job. Changing jobs looks bad on one's credit record too. Neither point has anything to do with OSS in business. Perhaps I should have been more clear.
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"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

Re:Hope Linuxfund does something original

[Pascal Q. Porcupine]

Well, then there'd be no record of you making payments on interest. (That's what they're interested in. They couldn't care less if you pay in full; it's the ability to pay for interest that builds up your credit rating. I know it's stupid.) Myself, I'm responsible with my money, which is part of my problem - I've never needed a credit card, since I've always had the up-front cash for buying things. The problem is that it could be over $500 (my debit card has a $500 purchase limit) and then I'd have to pay with check, but it'd be over $200 so the store would have to authorize it. So, since I've always been responsible with my money, I've never had to get credit extended, and so now I can't get a good credit rating, even in situations where credit's inappropriate.

Of course, this all boils down to the fact that in the 80s, when credit cards were suddenly fashionable, the various credit agencies extended way too much credit to people who didn't know how to handle it. So the banks all got burned (only after these people with too much credit all went bankrupt, of course), and now they're incredibly paranoid, and any infraction on one's credit history, no matter how minor ("payment was two days late"), is immediately a red flag.

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"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

What about the Rest of Us?

[Myopic]

But what I'm wondering is where I can trade in my MacOS lisence for a LinuxPPC CD: I was forced to purchase my OS, too.

Peace
Myopic

Re:What about the Rest of Us?

[Pascal Q. Porcupine]

I think the main issue regarding Windows is the fact that the hardware is sold separate from the OS but people are required to buy the OS along with the hardware. With Macs, you don't have the luxury of those claims, since a Macintosh computer refers to both the hardware and the OS. Also, you can't buy MacOS standalone (just upgrades), correct? So determining the value of that is difficult at best. I've never seen the MacOS full (OEM) version EULA, but it probably doesn't include a clause for returning the OS to the place of purchase.

Of course, that's somewhat hypocritical, since until recently, Windows PCs were sold as the PC and the OS, but with PCs there's a definite case to be made for the separation of hardware and software (since it was possible to get 'naked' systems in the past); it's never been possible to get a naked Mac, at least not in legitimate, authorized, direct channels.

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"'Is not a quine' is not a quine" is a quine.

What value do they add ... ?

[LL]

Now that Linux is becoming more "mainstream" (or is it mainstream becoming more tolerant of hackers?), I think people should apply a bit more critical thought to people/companies jumping on the bandwagon. Are they pulling or getting a free-ride?

While its a free world for any group to try and make money, one has to ask are they delivering a service better/faster/cheaper than existing ones. In the case of LinuxFund, it would be interesting to ask what scales of economies they offer, what value they provide beyond existing services (besides the feel-good of supporting anything reciting the Linux magic incantation) and whether if you removed the Linux rah-rah, would they be better or worse than any existing bank/financial house/credit union. If they do, then the market will decide how successful they will become.

A famous management guru once said that the epitome of a business plan was that even if you showed it to everyone else, it would still work and they couldn't easily copy it. While trading code/ads for T-shirts and freebies may appeal to some, would you trust your money and any personal information to such an outfit? Not knocking these guys but I hope they've got better business sense than a lot of the IPOs that are springing up. Oh well, judging from previous posts like the Linux hotel, at least the company selling stuffed penguins seems a worthwhile investment :-).

LL

Re:What value do they add ... ?

[jonathanclark]

MBNA is not a fly-by-night operation. I've been using them as my primary credit card for about 8 years. From what I can tell they handle all of the business aspects in a unified fashion. Getting a linux credit card is no different from getting a Star Trek credit card or University of Texas credit card except that it has a penguin logo on it.

I believe MBNA pays for marketing and new sign-ups through a small cut (very small probably) of what they make (~1.5%) MBNA probably doesn't even know what linux is. It's definitely a gimmick, but for those of us without debt one credit card is the same as another.

But to answer your question on if other people are getting a free ride off of linux... yes, but why should that matter? There is the saying : any press is good press.. and these people are publicizing linux by attempting to make money off of it. Linux is still not mainstream and needs a lot of work before you can stop a random person on the street and ask them what Linux is.

Hope Linuxfund does something original

[jflynn]

Yup, sounds very familiar to me too. Not that I'd want a credit card -- I'm not good with money and fear what I could do with one :).

A nice service for Linuxfund to offer that would get me interested would be to offer a $0 limit credit card, no links to money, purely as a second identification card. As long as the credit industry is keeping all these records on me, can't I get *some* benefit from it at least?

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[Signal 11]

*mumble* It's obvious that the use of microsoft products as art is an attempt to appeal to the linux users in the post-postcommunistic era of computing. By appealing to the third-wave post-industrial paradigm shift amongst users of modern-day operating systems, they hope to accomplish a radical departure from current artistic forms of linux artwork.

Did that make any sense to you? Me neither. So how come you're "donating" atleast $99 in return for a $6.95 CD?!

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