Linux Fund Loses MasterCard Funding Source

An anonymous reader writes "The Linux Fund was established in 1999 to provide grants to free and open source software projects from funds raised via a credit card featuring a picture of Tux, the Linux penguin. This credit card was offered through MBNA America Bank, which was purchased in 2006 by Bank of America. Last week, LinuxFund credit card holders received mail from Bank of America informing them that the LinuxFund card would be discontinued. Linux.com has a few details about the end of the credit card including statements from executive director David Mandel, assuring that the LinuxFund will look different but will continue. In the past, the LinuxFund provided one-time grants of $500-$1,000 USD to many projects including SDL, FilmGimp, Xiph.org Foundation, CrystalSpace, K12LTSP, and Kismet. The LinuxFund stagnated in 2003, and in 2005 it was revitalized by new leaders and by 2006 provided a stable $6,000 per year contribution to a number of larger projects including Wikipedia, Blender, Debian, Gentoo, and OpenSSH." Linux.com and Slashdot are both part of OSTG.

It does not matter that much...

[bogaboga]

...why? Because the development of Linux up to this point, a point where Microsoft and other companies give it respect, has largely depended on volunteers. Linux will live on.

Re:It does not matter that much...

[Anonymous Coward]

You are very naive if you think this. Linux got to the point it is today because of the push by big money for Linux. Novell, Red Hat, and IBM have all been instrumental in pushing Linux to where it is today. If Red Hat and SuSE (now Novell) hadn't made viable commercial solutions for Linux, it would not have even competed with AIX, HP-UX and Solaris. IBM has been such a huge source for Linux that they even made their OS more compatible with it, when they introduced AIX 5L (guess what that 'L' stands for). AIX uses similar command syntax as Linux, it is also the only one of the three (AIX, HP-UX and Solaris) that I have seen provide RPM support. Many of the open source packages that have been ported to AIX can easily be installed using an RPM, instead of having to use the default AIX installation mechanism or re-compiling source yourself. All the ports for HP-UX and Solaris that I have seen, still use the OS default installation mechanisms, which are not always the most intuitive or friendly to use.

Honestly, I think a lot more Linux development and advancement has come from BIG money then it ever did from the volunteers. There are a good deal of contributions being made by people with a monetary interest in the success of Linux.

Re:It does not matter that much...

[gujo-odori]

While I do not dispute this, one thing that needs to be remembered is that many of the people now being paid to work on Linux by Red Hat, IBM, et al, are the same people who worked on Linux for free for a long time and brought it to the point where those companies thought it worth paying people to work on it.

If you look at the percentage of code in Linux that was written by people now being paid to work on Linux but who were volunteers when they contributed it, a different picture might emerge. This doesn't discount wholesale contributions of code such as XFS by SGI or JFS by IBM, but without the work of volunteers, including those now being paid, Linux would simply not exist.

Re:

[Ucklak]

$1,000 per project is not a lot of money at all.

Linux got where it is today because code heads like us put it there irregardless of the powers that be above us. Linux is a great tool that we can shape to our needs that filled a void that wasn't there.

Re:

[DiamondGeezer]

Pedant point: there's no such word in English as "irregardless"

Re:It does not matter that much...

[SydShamino]

? I was under the impression that Linux got where it is today because companies like IBM, Novell, and Red Hat paid their employees to work on open source code, organizations like OSDN paid people like Linus Torvalds to manage and organize the material, funders like the Linux Fund and (recently) Google's Summer of Code provided grants for smaller developers, and, finally, some people contributed volunteer work.

I certainly wouldn't want to criticize the work done by unpaid volunteers, but I would have to doubt that they now represent a "large" portion of the code in Linux, either in terms of lines in the kernal or features.

Re:

[Blnky]

? I was under the impression that Linux got where it is today because companies like IBM, Novell, and Red Hat paid their employees to work on open source code, organizations like OSDN paid people like Linus Torvalds to manage and organize the material, funders like the Linux Fund and (recently) Google's Summer of Code provided grants for smaller developers, and, finally, some people contributed volunteer work. I certainly wouldn't want to criticize the work done by unpaid volunteers, but I would have to doubt that they now represent a "large" portion of the code in Linux, either in terms of lines in the kernal or features.

In that case, I think you may be surprised by this [lwn.net].

Re:It does not matter that much...

[RajivSLK]

Did you read the article you linked to? Only 7.7% of contributions were from comfirmed volunteers...

Quote: ..at least 65% of the code which went into 2.6.20 was created by people working for companies. If the entire "unknown" group turns out to be developers working on a volunteer basis - an unlikely result - then just over 1/3 of the 2.6.20 patch stream was written by volunteers. The real number will be lower, but it still shows that a significant portion of the code we run is written by developers who are donating their time.

Here is the full list:

 

Top changeset contributors by employer
(Unknown) 1244 25.0%
Red Hat 636 12.8%
(None) 383 7.7%
IBM 368 7.4%
Novell 295 5.9%
Linux Foundation 261 5.2%
Intel 178 3.6%
Oracle 126 2.5%
Google 97 1.9%
University of Aberdeen 79 1.6%
HP 78 1.6%
Qumranet 71 1.4%
Nokia 67 1.3%
SGI 64 1.3%
Astaro 63 1.3%
MIPS Technologies 61 1.2%
SANPeople 53 1.1%
Miracle Linux 43 0.9%
MontaVista 41 0.8%
Broadcom 39 0.8%

Re:

[Blnky]

Yes I did read the article. Which is why I thought SydShamino would find it of interest. With respect to your perspective, of the confirmed contributors, the only group that exceeds the non paid contributed (volunteers) is Red Hat. That shows, that with the confirmed group, the volunteers are very significant. While I also agree that you cannot blindly lump the "unknowns" into the "none" group, I suspect that of the "unknowns" the largest percentage would go to the volunteers. This would, very likely, place

Re:

[RajivSLK]

That shows, that with the confirmed group, the volunteers are very significant.

I interpret it differently. IMHO, it shows that no one group is very significant at all, which is a good sign of a healthy development community.

Also, the debate is about volunteers vs paid developers not volunteers versus Red Hat. Imagine if there were tens of thoudands of companies each contributing less than 1%, together they contribute 98.5% while volunteers contribute the remaining 1.5%. Would you say that, being the larg

Re:

[Blnky]

Again it goes back to the post I was originally answering. The proposal was whether or not unpaid volunteers represent a "large" portion of code in Linux, either in terms of lines in the kernel or features. Considering the size of the kernel I feel that 7.7 to 37.7% percent is large. I also feel that Red Hat's, as well as several other companies on that list are also significant.

It is clear that you do not feel that anyone there is significant and it also appears that you only apply significance to values t

Re:

[Vulva R. Thompson, P]

Since they're not listed in your post, I guess we can assume that Microsoft is below that 0.8% cutoff point.

Re:

[Blnky]

Yes it would appear. I would be interested in all known company sponsored development despite the percentage. I think that would be very interesting and quite telling.

Re:

[fossa]

The LinuxFund does not fund Linux; it funds various Linux-related Free and Open Source software projects as mentioned in the summary...

Re:

[rucs_hack]

Open source does rely heavily on people working for no pay, but any project that is elevated to the point of being important to business tends to get to the size where people need to devote a lot more time, and they need cash.

Reduced funding wouldn't kill open source, but it would hamper the motion of applications into the prime time.

They should switch to Discover Card

[Anonymous Coward]

You can stop laughing now.

Fry tries to make a purchase in the future:

"Here's my Visa Card."

"Visa hasn't existed in over 400 years."

"Well, how about my MasterCard?"

"MasterCard hasn't existed in over 500 years."

"I have my Discover card."

(Pause) "Ooh, I'm sorry, we don't take Discover."

Anyone else know any good geek credit cards?

[Anonymous Coward]

There's an Apple card, although it's not that distinctively Apple. NBC Universal/Sci-Fi has a Battlestar Galactica card, and there are the Yoda/Darth Vader cards. Anyone have any others?

BoA again?

[zippthorne]

So.. they made this decision right about the same time they decided to accounts and loans to illegal immigrants? Interesting...

Credit card companies

[Cyphertube]

In my experience, MBNA / Bank of America have not been that great for credit cards. I used to get a ton of crap from MBNA, and I can be pretty sure those people have infested BoA's credit division.

My best suggestion would be to work with HSBC. A properly set up programme with them would possibly enable same/similar card services globally. I've had no problems with HSBC's customer service, aside from the occasional glitch in a VoIP connection to a call centre.

Otherwise, I've had pretty good experience with GE Money Bank and Citibank (as far as credit cards go). Chase, though, I avoid like the plague. So, if LinuxFund gets a Chase card, well, forget me then.

Re:Credit card companies

[Belial6]

Chase made my list of 'never do business with them' companies when my credit card account with them was getting fraudulent charges from someone inside Chase, and they refused to do anything about it. When I called their fraud account services, all I would get was "There is no way that could happen.", "I highly doubt that.", and "That is a pretty serious accusation." Here are some of the reasons I believe it was an inside job:

1) I found out about the charge when I went to use the card and it was 'locked' due to suspected fraudulent activity. The only charge that was with a new company was a $30 charge to a dating service. This hardly seemed like a suspicious enough activity to block an account without first contacting the account holder.

2) More charges were made AFTER the account was locked. If I cannot make charges with the card, it is highly suspicious that someone else can.

3) When they sent me a new card with a new number, charges showed up from before before the card was created and the account number was assigned.

4) When I called Chase to point this out, they sent another card, and locked me out of being able to see the second cards charges online, even though I could still see the first card, and any previous cards I had held with Chase. 5) By the third card, the dates on some of the fraudulent Charges had changed.

Given that some of the problem would have actually required access to Chases computers to make happen, it was clear that it was an internal problem. I understand that there is no way for a company to guarantee that every one of it's employees is honest, but when they lie to me badly to cover up an internal problem instead investigating an fixing it, it is time to take your business elsewhere.

And, most importantly, if they are going to lie to me, they should at least have the decency to tell a half decent lie.

Re:

[Demona]

Chase are a bunch of goddamn lying thieves who claimed we always sent our mortgage payments late and tried to make us pay late fees. Lo and behold, when we started sending the payments by certified mail, suddenly like a miracle, they started receiving them on time. Go figure.

Re:

[couchslug]

What ever bank is used, a Slashdot affinity card would have a much bigger potential customer base along with more visibility than any other OSS-promoting activity.

Re:

[jayratch]

Actually, I have to say my experience with MBNA was very good, and I was somewhat dismayed when they got bought by BOA. If not for my fairly great rate, I would have ditched this card a long time ago, probably about the time I closed out all my other accounts with BOA in response to their customer service and hidden fees substantial enough to single handedly eradicate my savings account.

Now I guess I have no further reason to do business with this company, and I advise everyone I know of the same. It seem

Re:

[Cyphertube]

I'm sorry to hear that you've had a bad experience.

HSBC is not simply a British bank, no more than Citibank is an American bank. Both operate globally, and thus call centres may be located anywhere. Last time I checked, globally, collections people are often obnoxious and arrogant.

The way to get a corporation to stop calling is as follows (for future reference, and so you don't have to block numbers).

1. Don't say that someone they are trying to reach is unknown. Depending on the culture and the knowledge t

Funding for minor projects?

[fossa]

I always liked the old LinuxFund's mission of giving many small grants to many small projects. Are there any other similar organizations that do that sort of thing? Google Summer of Code comes to mind, but that is limited to college students. There's always the Paypal links on project homepages or Sourceforge, but I wish there was something more visible.

LinuxFund's current "give a constant source of funding to some projects" is nice too, and donating to the LinuxFund will hopefully remain a convenient way to donate to a number of individual projects.

I am currently a LinuxFund card holder, and was disappointed when Bank of America bought out MBNA. I'll be switching to the card my credit union offers very soon.

Re:

[jelle]

Maybe I missed something, but what is the "Linux Fund" doing giving money to Wikipedia (== Linux how?) and OpenSSH (== BSD licensed)?

Re:

[Rakishi]

I'm assuming Wikipedia runs on Linux and other GPL software and it's content is GPL licensed if I remember. OpenSSH is present on most linux systems I assume and the BSD license is GPL compatible and all that.

Re:

[jelle]

"I'm assuming Wikipedia runs on Linux and other GPL software and it's content is GPL licensed if I remember. OpenSSH is present on most linux systems I assume and the BSD license is GPL compatible and all that."

If it were the "GPL fund", or the "Open source fund", it would have been a different matter. OpenSSH is important for Linux, but it isn't Linux... Should Intel get money from the "Linux fund" because their processors can run Linux?

Wikipedia uses the "GNU Free Documentation License". Google uses Linux

Re:

[Rakishi]

By that logic Debian and Gentoo aren't linux either as they simply use the kernel in a another project. Hell, nothing short of the kernel itself would count if you want to be pedantic enough. So if you accept Debian and Gentoo then its pretty idiotic to nto accept OpenSSH by the same logic, actually the later is more important to linux as a whole than the former two.

Re:

[jelle]

"So if you accept Debian and Gentoo then its pretty idiotic to nto accept OpenSSH by the same logic, actually the later is more important to linux as a whole than the former two."

The card dons Tux the penguin, the Linux mascotte chosen by Linus himself, the linuxfund.org website has only one picture: The penguin. OpenSSH is developed by the OpenBSD Project.

That's the mismatch right there.

http://news.com.com/2100-1001-230345.html [com.com]
http://www.openssh.org/ [openssh.org]

More important is debatable, OpenSSH is not the only ssh2

Re:

[fossa]

The LinuxFund was never strictly about Linux, but Free an Open Source Software projects [linuxfund.org]. I'm not sure I'd call Wikipedia a software project, but it is open source and does maintain the Mediawiki software.

Re:

[jelle]

"The LinuxFund was never strictly about Linux"

Then they should have used a different name and IMHO deserve their fate for abusing the trademark.

Re:

[fossa]

Perhaps, though it always was about the "Linux community", however one defines that. OpenSSH is certainly important to the Linux community. Wikipedia, not directly. I would support a name change for the fund; aside from Wikipedia, all the currently supported projects could be considered a part of the Linux community. In the end it's up to donors to understand to what they are donating; I'm not familiar with the terms of use of the Linux trademark, but maybe the LinuxFund's donations to the Linux Mark In

Re:

[jelle]

'Perhaps, though it always was about the "Linux community", however one defines that. OpenSSH is certainly important to the Linux community.'

The openssh.org website states on the front page "OpenSSH is developed by the OpenBSD Project."

Very similar, but different community...

Re:

[cduffy]

The parent claimed that OpenSSH is important to the Linux community. Whether it's developed by the Linux community is hardly relevant to the accuracy of that claim.

I hold a LinuxFund card (and apparently missed the letter, because this is the first I've heard about them shutting down), and in no way consider donations to OpenBSD's OpenSSH development to be a misuse of funds.

Re:

[jelle]

Google is important to the Linux community too. So are Mozilla and Openoffice.org. Why should OpenSSH get stable long-term money from "The Linux Fund" but the others not?

The answer is probably that Google, Mozilla, and Openoffice.org have alternative sources for funding, and OpenSSH needs it more... Sure, they probably do. But OpenSSH should be getting it from the project they are part of: OpenBSD, which is a different community than the Linux community...

Or the "Linux Fund" should change their name to some

Re:

[cduffy]

But OpenSSH should be getting it from the project they are part of: OpenBSD, which is a different community than the Linux community...

Huh?

LinuxFund isn't "a part of" the Linux community in any official way; rather, it's a nonprofit that advertised itself as an easy way to financially support what folks who are in the Linux community consider worthy causes by giving members the ability to vote on the direction of funds.

Sure, the BSD folks have their own subcommunity, but the larger free software/open source

Re:

[jelle]

"'LinuxFund isn't "a part of" the Linux community in any official way"

The Linux fund uses the Linux trademark and the penguin mascotte Tux, as the central word in its name, on the website, and on the card.

"rather, it's a nonprofit that advertised itself as an easy way to financially support what folks who are in the Linux community consider worthy causes by giving members the ability to vote on the direction of funds.'"

I have seen the 'Linux fund' credit card offers, and that that is not how it adversitses

Re:

[cduffy]

Oh, bloody hell. You're picking on the first part of my post, and ignoring the latter part (where I'm a bit less colloquial and more accurate regarding LinuxFund's stated mission, and when I discuss part of the reason why I, as a LinuxFund member, appreciate the naming and logo as they stand).

Jockying for points is hardly as useful as coming to consensus -- but this discussion hardly appears headed in the latter direction.

Re:

[jelle]

The bottom part of your post did say more about what 'The Linux Fund' was and that, as a fund, they do good things... But it also it shows again that "The Linux Fund" is simply using the word Linux and the penguin mascotte. Sure, maybe using the name "Linux" and showing the "cute pengiun" may be a nice thing for the fund, but just using the name and not owing up to it is a form of abuse. They are abusing the trademark and logo, which was my point all along.

Re:

[cduffy]

You might try taking history into account.

In the 1999 timeframe, Linux was unique among Free and open source projects in terms of its public visibility within the nontechnical community. Firefox has joined it since then in terms of being well-known -- but identifying oneself as a part of this thing called "Linux" (which occasionally had a news article or somesuch written about it in the major media) was a much better way to raise public awareness about free and open source software in general, because there

Re:

[jelle]

"You might try taking history into account."

Ok, there you may have a point. Agreed, when "The Linux Fund" started times were different, and the card did seem to give Linux more crediblity. At least, the penguin was so new, it _was_ 'cool' just to see Tux on a card.

Is your point that they should be considered grandfathered in, and it should be fine for them to now also support Soy Milk and "I can't believe it's not Linux"?

Ok, maybe they should be the grandfathered in because of their early involvement. I gue

I've had one for years

[Anonymous Coward]

I've had one of these for years. I work for Microsoft. It's mildly amusing to pay for stuff in the company store with the cards (though I probably wouldn't do that if Balmer or Gates was behind me in line, not that it's likely to happen...).

(posting anonymoosely because, yes, I'm a coward... ;-) )

Oh come ON!

[Colin Smith]

Though I probably wouldn't do that if Balmer or Gates was behind me in line

You only live once!

 

Re:

[Splab]

I for one would want something different than killed by flying chair on my tombstone...

Re:

[ystar]

...if Balmer or Gates was behind me in line...

If ever there was a day to have had a big Taco Bell lunch...

Re:

[Dunbal]

I probably wouldn't do that if Balmer or Gates was behind me in line

      You'd be safe so long as there weren't any chairs in the immediate vicinity! Bill would probably just offer to buy your card from you.

Re:

[Viceroy Potatohead]

You'd probably be alright as long as it's not a furniture store.

Re:

[Viceroy Potatohead]

Sorry about that.... I screwed up. Someone mod my parent post redundant.

Re:

[Bruce Perens]

I used to go to Amsterdam to speak for HP. When I was there, I was always tempted to take a customer out to lunch, and go with him to one of the legal-there hashish clubs, and then file for reimbursement with HP :-) I never did it.

Bruce

Re:

[theshowmecanuck]

If ever there would be a need to have the company re-imburse you, it would definitely be after all the food you would eat at lunch after that.

Re:

[doktor-hladnjak]

I'm a Microsoftie with one of these cards too. I filled out the application for it at Linux World back in 1999 when I was in college, many years before I came to work at Microsoft. Even though I rarely use the card for anything, it's my oldest credit card and it's usually best for your credit to just keep accounts open. MBNA and now BofA have just made me not want to use the card. The interest rate and fees are high. They charge an additional 3% on all foreign transactions (on top of the 1% Mastercard

B of A sucks

[DogDude]

Bank of America is is one of the worst commercial banks in the country, in my experience. Staying true to the OSS ideals, these guys really should look at getting a branded credit card from a non-profit credit union that serves its customers instead of the shareholders, anyway.

Re:

[HTMLSpinnr]

Agreed, BofA sucks.

However I've checked into my Credit Union's branded cards (past and present), and they're generally outsourced to the big banks such as MBNA (erm, BofA), HSBC, Elan Financial Services, or others. Their rates are also generally less attractive than some other big bank offerings. For instance, those who got the Linux Fund card some time ago under MBNA at the fixed 7.9% APR are less likely to switch to a variable 12.44%-17.99% card unless 4.5-10% of that interest is going to Linux Fund.

Re:

[smbarbour]

I wish my Linux Fund card had a variable 12.44%-17.99%. I'm currently paying 27.95% with MBNA/BoA unwilling to negotiate.

I also have a revolving line of credit at 24% that they will not negotiate because they are no longer affiliated with the company that initiated that account (Gateway computers).

Re:

[StormShadw]

Personal credit cards have nothing to do with commercial banking - it's a consumer banking function. Cards like this (known as "affinity cards") are expensive to maintain unless you have a large credit portfolio, which is why many smaller banks don't bother... Unless you have a customer base large enough to provide an economy of scale, it just doesn't make sense.

Banks need to pay for the costs of maintaining their credit portfolio. (Think of it: cards need to be embossed, statement rendering, overhead in

I've got conflicting feelings

[cyphercell]

I thoroughly hate credit cards and love OSS, seems to be a conflict of theories somewhere.

Re:

[RobertLTux]

Chase had a nasty habit of counting early payments as late for the previous billing cycle.
--
im not sure that would even be remotely legal if a payment was tendered for that month ie starting with a current account
pay in april for april
pay in april for may
pay in may for june
should get you some sort of reward not an extra fee

Re:

[PornMaster]

What kind of reward?

It should get you less of a finance charge, but that's the only reward you should get for paying earlier.

BoA sux

[pak9rabid]

And yet another example of how shitty BoA really is. If they're not finding ways to fuck their customers with fee's, they're finding ways to fuck over the community. Thanks a lot guys..

Give something back?

[kaleco]

Perhaps it's time more OSS users show their appreciation by making donations. I definitely need to do this more. I imagine more generous donors also gain some clout for getting obscure bugs fixed or niche features added...

But I still have that great rate... for now

[HTMLSpinnr]

I too got one of these letters, and was disappointed that the Linux Fund program was dropped and converted to their lame "World Points" card. I've had 2 specialty cards that were previously MBNA (AOPA and Linux Fund), and both were changed somewhat with the BofA purchase. The AOPA card went from FBO rebates to double points @ FBO's, and now Linux Fund Card isn't supporting Linux and other F/OSS projects. Fortunately, for now, I still enjoy a 7.9% rate on the card which is the only reason I haven't canceled it (that and I enjoy the occasional remark on the Penguin logo on the card). When the card expires, I'll probably cancel it as there's no additional benefit and I hate the idea of letting BofA make money off of me.

If (or I should say when) BofA changes that single lasting benefit of having one of the lowest non-promotional non annual fee consumer credit card rates around, I'll drop the card. In the mean time, I too look forward to a new Linux Fund (or similar) branded CC from someone else, provided it has reasonable terms and rates.

Re:

[Phs2501]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's bitter about the AOPA card change. *grouse*

Re:

[Dunbal]

(that and I enjoy the occasional remark on the Penguin logo on the card)

      Does it get you laid? :D

Re:

[HTMLSpinnr]

The hot chicks behind the Best Buy counter are usually the ones making the comments, but I'm married, so it's moot :-( (or at least that's what I tell my wife).

That cute penguin

[Bruce Perens]

It really works! Women at cash registers always smile at the cute penguin! And comment about it. And of course I've been out of that market for the past 16 years, too.

Bruce

Re:

[voidptr]

Count me as one more that's pissed from BoA changing the rules on the AOPA card.

Re:

[FlyGirl]

I guess I make 3 of us not happy about the AOPA changes

Options to migrate to?

[Khopesh]

For all the bad flack I've heard about MBNA, my treatment from Linux Fund has been absolutely amazing, reflecting not one bit of MBNA's bad press. I have been more satisfied with the service and benefits of this card than any of my others (and there is a LONG list). This started as a 0% APR promotion, but after the promotion ended and I paid off my debt, I started using it as a real card ... I've used this card as my primary ever since, and now my APR is quite reasonably below prime and my available credi

How about working with a credit union issuer?

[Anonymous Coward]

The credit union would get a new subscriber base, more accounts, and would be able to advertise
their advocacy of open source.

The card was fucked anyway

[Tiber]

When they were bought, my interest rate went from a respectable 7.99% to 20%.

Why?

"It's an APR card, we can fuck around with it any way we want so long as we notify you in writing!"

I really doubt it made any significant contributions after the buyout. My card sits in a safe helping my credit rating while not seeing the light of day. They refused to lower the APR, so I simply stopped using it.

Re:

[Platupous]

Ditto.

I just received my amendment letter yesterday. I have a fantastic credit record, and when I went on my vacation, that is skiing and hiking for the past year 'cause my company decided to comit fraud (Mercury Interactive), I decided to keep a balance on my Sierra Account with MBNA, which is now BofAss.

I called them yesterday, told them that they could 'yada' 'yada' 'yada' me all they want. I told them this was the first revolving account I ever kept a balance on, and I told them I thought they were

Re:

[Platupous]

Writing about this made me want to call BofA again, to talk to them. I got to speak with an account manager quickly. . . This manage told me that they were doing this with all BofA account holders now. Interesting. Class action anyone? I have a record of the conversation.

Re:

[ShadoHawk]

I normally NEVER have anything useful to post, but this chaps my ass. I have had an MBNA card for years with my high school. It was supposed to give them money on what I purchased... They never sent me a new card so I paid off the card. Then send me a how ya' doing' letter saying we have raised your interest to 21.9% and limiting you to 1000 dollars because of late fees... I was okay fine. I won't use you card anymore. I have had a 12,000 dollar limit since I was 23... I can't believe they are doing this to

illegals aliens

[bug1]

Oh, and what of the legal aliens, can they have credit cards now ?

Nobody is "illegal", fascist.

Re:

[Proudrooster]

"Nobody is "illegal", fascist."

I didn't write the laws. We either enforce the laws or change them, but not ignore them. 98% of all illegal entries into the USA are unprosecuted and mostly "catch and release". We are a nation of laws and "the useless laws weaken the necessary one."

The American Indians found out what happens when you don't control immigration. In any case, Yes, BOA is giving credit cards to people violating US law by being here illegally.

Re:

[bug1]

"Yes, BOA is giving credit cards to people violating US law by being here illegally."

Thats better, its (in)action, not existence that is legal/illegal.

Re:

[Cyphertube]

Lame.

We are talking about aliens who are not here legally. Hence they are not legal aliens. Their alien status is that of illegal, hence the term illegal aliens.

They are not illegal people, but as aliens, they are illegal.

Avoiding using legal terms and engaging in politically correct usages results in, what I find as somebody who is handicapped, or disabled, awfully insulting. Call me physically challenged to my face, and I'll be sure to show you what DOES work, as you fall on your ass.

Re:

[Cyphertube]

"And by aliens, you mean people, right ?"

The term alien refers to a classification. Kinda like terrorist. Or missionary. Or student.

If one is forbidden by law from being in that status, then one is considered illegal in that class. Illegal terrorists may in their own country or others be considered legal. There are both legal and illegal missionaries in many countries worldwide. In some places in this world, being a student may well be illegal by ethnicity, religion, or gender.

Just because the term alien

Already dead to me.

[billcopc]

The Linux Mastercard was dead to me a long time ago, MBNA was a horrible bank to deal with. It's one thing to support a cause, it's another to pay retarded fees to a goddamned bank. I hate banks, and I especially hated MBNA so while I miss the cute penguin card, I was quite happy to terminate that account.

There are better ways to support free software than to partner with the devil. Hey why not strike a deal with Thailand where 5% of all prostitution income goes to the EFF ?

Picture

[belg4mit]

What about a picture of said card??

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry I couldn't find anything smaller...
clicky [icculus.org] ...or bigger, ftm.

~

Re:

[belg4mit]

Thanks.

I received one of the letters

[Anonymous Coward]

and promptly canceled the card.

Actually I haven't used the card in some time because the terms concerning late payments, etc changed radically about a year ago. I always pay my credit card bills in full every month and don't ever recall making a late payment, but they changed the terms so that past history of prompt payments made no difference. They decreased the time to make a payment and increased the late fee to something like $40.

Personally I think Linux cutting ties with a company that practices

Any official word from LinuxFund?

[atomic-penguin]

I've been a LinuxFund cardholder ever since it was first announced here on slashdot. I stuck with the card since the Bank of America/MBNA merger. I stuck with the card after it was announced that nobody had managed the LinuxFund's assets for almost 2 years.

Many of the other countless posts here add little to the conversation other than "MBNA/Bank of America sucks". The biggest question on my mind, and perhaps even other loyal cardholders is if another bank will be picking up the LinuxFund card? Personal

BofA = Money Grubbing Bastards

[Manzanita]

About 20 years ago I had an account with BofA and they didn't seem so bad. Around that time they jacked up their fees on everything and changed their terms so as to make it much more likely to collect those fees. I left them pretty quickly. Since then they have bought a number of financial institutions I was using. Every time they have changed the terms and thoroughly destroyed good companies. It has happened again with MBNA. I just closed two credit cards I had with them. I find it hard to believe that any

MBNA Sucks!

[laing]

I once had an ARRL MBNA card which suffered the same fate. MBNA seems to have perfected this marketing scam: They offer the cards with attractive terms which claim to benefit the named non-profit organization; then a year or two later they sever the ties with the organization but allow all the card holders to remain as customers (from which all fees and profits now go directly to MBNA).

I haven't had any dealings with them since I cancelled that card over 15 years ago.

Just another reason

[JohnnyGTO]

to hate BofA

Drop the Blood Money, Consider a Credit Union

[mrs clear plastic]

MNBA is someone that I would not deal with. Nor is Bank of America. Nor is Chase. Blood money.

I have a CC with my credit union. 12 & 1/2 percent APR.

May I respectfuly sugges that the Linux Foundation consider approaching credit unions with this
type of arrangement.

I think that many of us would be more comfortable with a separation between the Linux Fund and the large
CC issuers who are not allways the most Holy in their dealings.

Luv & Hugs

Re:

[/dev/trash]

12.5%? None of my banks credit cards are anywhere near that high.

There should be an OSS Users Credit Union

[mazphil57]

Credit Union members are required to have a "common bond". I'm not sure if being a Linux/OSS user is sufficient. Also, the family of CU members are also usually eligible for membership.

This would be much better than the current program, since all of the profits of the "OSS Users Credit Union" could be designated for OSS projects, and a variety of credit cards could be issued with Tux Penguins, FreeBSD devils, etc.

Plus, this credit union would not be evil.

I volunteer to be the (paid) president of this c

Donate directly?

[Kludge]

Is there a way to just donate money directly to
Linux Fund? I don't see it on their web site.

Re:

[Dunbal]

Nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

Re:

[ValentineMSmith]

Wrong. I've got one in my wallet right now, ant it is, in fact, a MasterCard.