The Apache Software Foundation Now Accepting BitCoin For Donations 67
rbowen writes The Apache Software Foundation is the latest not-for-profit organization to accept bitcoin donations, as pointed out by a user on the Bitcoin subreddit. The organization is well known for their catalog of open-source software, including the ubiquitous Apache web server, Hadoop, Tomcat, Cassandra, and about 150 other projects. Users in the community have been eager to support their efforts using digital currency for quite a while. The Foundation accepts donations in many different forms: Amazon, PayPal, and they'll even accept donated cars. On their contribution page the Apache Software Foundation has published a bitcoin address and QR code.
Why wouldn't they? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Why wouldn't they? (Score:5, Informative)
For real business purposes, though, you'd be bonkers to accept bitcoins.
Why? It has value. And companies willing to process it for you and convert directly into your currency of choice. And due to it's nature, it is actually harder for the merchant to be defrauded than with regular credit cards... Not sure where the downside here is, especially if they are not holding them.
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And due to it's nature, it is actually harder for the merchant to be defrauded than with regular credit cards... Not sure where the downside here is, especially if they are not holding them.
I can think of one downside: People might be less willing to pay with Bitcoin if they don't get the protections that they'd get from their bank's credit or debit card. Besides, how would one go about spending without Internet access, such as while inside a brick-and-mortar store with no guest Wi-Fi?
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Then where are you? (Score:2)
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I don't see who would be willing to pay $400 per year to subscribe to 4G just to be able to spend bitcoins.
Because that is the only reason to have portable Internet, of course...
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I can think of one downside: People might be less willing to pay with Bitcoin if they don't get the protections that they'd get from their bank's credit or debit card
Accepting bitcoins doesn't mean that you stop taking other forms of payments so this is no valid downside for merchant who start to accept bitcoins in addition to existing forms of payments.
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Besides, how would one go about spending without Internet access, such as while inside a brick-and-mortar store with no guest Wi-Fi?
Merchant displays QR code on their Point of Sale device, or prints out a sales slip with the same code. User snaps a photo of it with their smartphone. Bitcoin app on phone decodes it, and sends payment to the address specified. Merchant sees the transaction show up on his device, and hands over the item. If the store has no cell reception, they need to move to a better location.
$400 per year to use your own money (Score:2)
User snaps a photo of it with their smartphone. Bitcoin app on phone decodes it, and sends payment to the address specified.
That just shifts costs from the merchant to the buyer, who now has to pay the telco a recurring fee for a cellular data connection.
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User snaps a photo of it with their smartphone. Bitcoin app on phone decodes it, and sends payment to the address specified.
That just shifts costs from the merchant to the buyer, who now has to pay the telco a recurring fee for a cellular data connection.
And no one is doing that now, without bitcoin. This is like trying to include the cost of an electric generating plant in the price of a toaster.
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And no one is doing that now, without bitcoin.
True, some people already have a smartphone, but not everyone does. Someone paying $7/mo for service on a cell phone used only for urgent calls might have to pay five times as much ($35/mo) for service on a phone that supports Bitcoin payment.
This is like trying to include the cost of an electric generating plant in the price of a toaster.
I see it as more like people who currently have normal home electric service (120 V AC) and would have to upgrade to 3-phase with a hefty surcharge per month in order to install a specific appliance.
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Why? Do you accept payment in foreign currency? No. We do not accept USD in Sweden
Yes, we do accept payments in foreign currency if we are running international bussiness.
Re:Why wouldn't they? (Score:5, Insightful)
If you can't be associated with known criminals then I hope you're not using U.S. dollars.
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Your auditors are full of shit. Out of curiosity, does your organization use anything from Dell [dell.com]?
Re:Why wouldn't they? (Score:4, Informative)
For real business purposes, though, you'd be bonkers to accept bitcoins.
Bonkers like Newegg, and Dish Network? Both of which accept bitcoin.
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No, they accept USD, or whatever fiat currency they specify, with a transaction processor like Bitpay converting BTC to fiat on the spot.
Lots of companies "accept" BTC that way, but they're really getting paid in some national currency. It is rather disingenuous of people to claim otherwise.
And yes, a company would be bonkers to accept, and keep, anything as volatile as BTC.
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No, they accept USD, or whatever fiat currency they specify, with a transaction processor like Bitpay converting BTC to fiat on the spot.
I think you missunderstand the meaning of the word 'accept'. From merriam-webster dictionary:
accept
verb \ik-sept, ak- also ek-\
: to receive or take (something offered)
: to take (something) as payment
: to be able or designed to take or hold (something)
I think that it is clear that to 'accept' something as payment you don't need to hold it afterwars. You are free to convert it to something else or use it in any other way you see fit. To give you some example, few people would argue that steam, google play or blizzard online store is not accepting euros because they convert it to dollars after the purchase.
Re:Why wouldn't they? (Score:5, Interesting)
For real business purposes, though, you'd be bonkers to accept bitcoins.
I do "real business" with people in bitcoins, including several overseas contractors. For instance, a woman in Karachi, Pakistan does graphic design for my company. Transferring dollars, and converting them to rupees, is expensive, and a time consuming hassle. Transferring bitcoins just takes a few seconds, and the transaction cost is a few pennies. She would be bonkers to not accept bitcoins.
Re:Why wouldn't they? (Score:4, Informative)
So basically you found someone who will deal with you in bitcoin because their native currency is even more worthless and volatile than the BTC market ... good job.
Yes, but that is 80% of the people in the world.
Re:Why wouldn't they? (Score:4, Insightful)
Out of curiosity, are you a new person saying that bitcoin is bonkers or are you one of the old ones that have been predicting the imminent failure of bitcoin for the past 5 years?
My follow up question will be;-
You have been wrong for the past five years, do you have plans to admit defeat any time soon or will you just start saying "I knew it would work all along?"
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For real business purposes, though, you'd be bonkers to accept bitcoins.
Just like you must be totally out of your mind to accept just numbers made up by private companies. In other words: all modern "official" fiat currency.
For fuck's sake (Score:3)
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" ... and it just looks degrading."
Apropos for BitCoin.
It's well-suited for non-profit.
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That so, TeknoHog?
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That so, TeknoHog?
Well I can spell my own name in any bloody way I want. But if you're going to spell the name of a product/technology then please find out how to spell it first.
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Stop spelling it "BitCoin", it's "Bitcoin"
If you want to be pedantic, it is not "Bitcoin" either. It is "bitcoin", all lowercase. In English, currencies are not normally capitalized. You don't capitalize "dollar", "euro", or "rupee", so you shouldn't capitalize "bitcoin" either.
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In English, currencies are not normally capitalized. You don't capitalize "dollar", "euro", or "rupee", so you shouldn't capitalize "bitcoin" either.
You're correct when referring to the currency ("one bitcoin"). However, when referring to the software ("Bitcoin Core"), the network, or the protocol, the name is a proper noun and as such should be capitalized. The capitalization in the summary is thus correct; in the title, the word "bitcoin" refers to the currency but should be capitalized anyway, simply because it's part of a title.
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Last I heard a lot of companies side with drug dealers, hookers and other shady subjects. All of them accept cash, ya know?
Apache Donations (Score:2)
I usually just send them shampoo and other hygene supplies.
You know who else accepts Bitcoin donations? (Score:2)
This guy.
BTC: 17Yvsma9tfiuqVP7QhsFE2VmsFpTEMy17P
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Nope, I'm asking donations and then I'm keeping my bitcoins until they're worth...
ONE BILLION DOLLARS! /Dr.Evil
QR Code? (Score:2)
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Who cares? (Score:1)
The only thing I can use Bitcoin for (Score:2)
I bought some Bitcoins from a friend who's mining with cash - the only way to really do it anonymously. It was around $50 bucks. Unlike other people I decided that I'll only be spending them, and only for things I care about, not spending them for the sake of spending them.
So far the only things I've really managed is to send a few (small) donations, and buy Reddit gold. As far as I'm aware, the rest of the people who dabble in Bitcoin are exchanging them for money - which means they are speculating. If you