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On 30/06/14 06:46, martin f krafft wrote: > Dear Greg, > > I am sure we can make this work, although we do not (yet) have an > official Bitcoin address that I know of. > > However, we're thinking about accepting Bitcoins for donations for > DebConf, our annual conference, so this would be an indirect way > of sending money to Debian, and your donation would force me to > make a move on this. ;) > > You can read more about our conference here: http://debconf.org/ > > If you're okay with that, then you can send your BTC to > > 15y83YUtzautMdZ6Si1QrAybGasdtPmb9F > > and I will make sure to have the books updated properly and keep > you in the loop. Debian does support DebConf financially, and > surplusses flow back to the Debian project, so it's not too far off > donating to the project. > > If you have any questions, feel free to reply on- or off-list. I'd > also be happy to discuss other ways… > Lucas just raised this topic in bits from the DPL: "Specifically, would it matter to you that Debian tries to keep and use those donations as bitcoins? Or on the contrary, would you prefer Debian to convert them into USD or EUR to limit the risks raised by the higher volatility of Bitcoins?" A few thoughts that come to mind (these are my personal opinion only): - - Many people feel a strategy of holding assets in the currency that aligns with future expenses is helpful. If, for example, 60% of Debian's annual expenses were in USD and 40% were in EUR, then it would seem sensible to convert any other donations to those currencies. Whether the donations are from a volatile cryptocurrency (BTC) or just some other currency like Australian dollars or Canadian dollars, if Debian doesn't actually need those currencies for any known expense, then holding them is a form of speculation. - - Greenpeace recently tried speculation. It wasn't pretty[1]. Even if Debian made a profit from speculation, it still may lead to controversy in the public perception of the organization. - - Bitcoin's volatility is well known. At present, just holding the BTC for a few hours can be volatile. If Debian chooses to avoid speculative holdings, then it is probably necessary to have a procedure in place to ensure they are converted as quickly as possible after being received. Can anybody provide specific suggestions about this? - - Conversion requires choosing a reliable Bitcoin exchange or having some private arrangements in place with members or third parties who are willing to give Debian cash for BTC. Can anybody comment on such options? - - If Debian finds ways to spend Bitcoins then the situation changes a lot though. All of the comments above are based on the assumption Debian has nothing to spend them on. - - China banned Bitcoin[2]. NY state and UK regulators are apparently looking constructively at whether it can be regulated. Whatever the situation, will it lead to controversy that may undermine Debian's primary mission or the position of Debian members in any particular country? There are people who can legally invest in Bitcoin and may choose to do so for some specific objective. Does Debian itself have any objectives that can be facilitated by Bitcoin and where Bitcoin is better than any other possible speculative investment opportunity? In short, I personally think it is probably possible for people to donate them but Debian would need to be converting them. 1. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/16/greenpeace-loses-3m-pounds-currency-speculation 2. http://www.financeasia.com/News/384381,china-steps-up-bitcoin-battle.aspx -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.12 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Icedove - http://www.enigmail.net/ iQIcBAEBCAAGBQJT+h20AAoJEGxlgOd711bElOEP/2LZa5TcOHS15F/fWnGkbUuE /ahnqPfHDOWSl5DSt+9UJ7VhMKteaqg8oPPgiA5rPyNijC3I2zw2ZK4UhNU9G1pe qBH3VBS/DUaRSR0D9pXQXKoX/0NjWAKbJSsqv75FCAldZP8LRY5tHzNaW/6DJBef rFKoVeKNI7Hh5kGvBG0KC2ABNZGW6+arCqXDPW9ajNafqLWBQUZHySlSlAvxAWN4 jkduGgQMr8ZfHXH16Ka+Y9zXUiaTdC0bqN9ta7er3UpZ1VI44rgy/yFsrT6GMfdu Zt11vx2OADeVMkoHwm6D3sjcNXqE99hXMEtsgPRKdkdxL4PpTDFuTWNC6HEADK4A R1mIWr04mW40ZpvTb1J8splKpzTm0kQ87XZEJQU57ACu3X6GrXdxYNvZIZIiGK9Q 9YFn8TH4vz8TaWokp45IVy78DElFfb/GKdFBYuBAL1yTDzMfusjKrNii3ecXUwlh VUqUcJMcTHckXyOEivGOIt9PKx3T0f6Z7CA71C8UgfqdkG0pN0Z3MD43rsbjae1Q TWIG0fun41lK231zQY1MXpMbdnj/KH66CSkUCcIGqLENFNzECOXr3CxCqC485cWX DfrwCB5sPBBPBf10ybJS9896/FCsjYTU6PFCozLyolIhVFy2sFXg+LYUsbUTCcUh TWuXa+cKg95RdTjlXzyB =GwOB -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-project-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/53fa1db4.4030...@pocock.pro
