Novell coupons and McDonald's gift certificates
On 10/2/07, Jack <quiet_celt@yahoo.com> wrote:
This is equivalent to me buying gift certificates from McDonald's and then distributing them to hundreds. This in effect makes me a conveyor of McDonald's meals.
I do not get this. When you give/resell a McDonald's gift certificate, you aren't "conveying" the meal in any sense at all. The food is at the restaurant. The person who has the certificate takes it to McDonald's and uses it in lieu of cash to order whatever they want.
From an accounting standpoint, the gift certificate "sale" isn't really a sale at all. It's just an exchange: They debit cash and credit a prepayment account, representing a liability to balance the asset. Then when the bearer redeems the gift certificate, they debit the prepayment account and credit sales. The end result of both transactions is precisely what would have happened had there been no gift certificate involved at all.
And I don't see the Novell coupons as substantially different. They took money from MS, in exchange for a defined value of Novell services that Novell will provide. This is a no-win situation for FOSS, because even trying to make the argument feeds into the "GPL is VIRAL!!!111oneoneone" meme. If we lose, we look stupid, but if we win, it confirms the meme.
--- "Monty J. Harder" <mjharder@gmail.com> wrote:
On 10/2/07, Jack <quiet_celt@yahoo.com> wrote:
This is equivalent to me buying gift certificates from McDonald's and then distributing them to hundreds. This in effect makes me a
conveyor
of McDonald's meals.
I do not get this. When you give/resell a McDonald's gift certificate, you aren't "conveying" the meal in any sense at all. The food is at the restaurant. The person who has the certificate takes it to McDonald's and uses it in lieu of cash to order whatever they want. It is of course a conveyance of a McDonald's meal. It's has no value other than in exchange for a McDonald's meal. You can't take a McDonald's meal to Texaco and buy gas with it. You can't buy anything at WalMart with it. You can't cash it a a bank. It's only goo for McDonald's meals.
From an accounting standpoint, the gift certificate "sale" isn't really a sale at all. It's just an exchange: They debit
Every sale is "just an exchange".
cash and credit a prepayment account, representing a liability to balance the asset. Then when Let's not get into accounting. I'm well aware of how things are accounted for. Accounting has no basis in reality. Let's not stray into that land.
And I don't see the Novell coupons as substantially different. They took Well then you do get it.
This is a no-win situation for FOSS, because even trying to make the argument feeds into the "GPL is VIRAL Time will tell. I'm trying to keep an open mind.
--- Jack <quiet_celt@yahoo.com> wrote:
--- "Monty J. Harder" <mjharder@gmail.com> wrote:
On 10/2/07, Jack <quiet_celt@yahoo.com> wrote:
This is equivalent to me buying gift certificates from McDonald's and then distributing them to hundreds. This in effect makes me a conveyor of McDonald's meals.
I do not get this. When you give/resell a McDonald's gift certificate, you aren't "conveying" the meal in any sense at all.
It is of course a conveyance of a McDonald's meal. It's has no value other than in exchange for a McDonald's meal. You can't take a McDonald's meal to Texaco and buy gas with it. You can't buy anything at WalMart with it. You can't cash it a a bank. It's only goo for McDonald's meals.
Considering where the U.S. Dollar seems to be heading, McDonald's Gift Certificates might be legal tender for gas or WalMart clothing at some point in the near future. After all, the U.S. Dollar isn't backed up by much anymore, whereas the McDonald's Gift Certificate is backed up by the Big Mac Standard. "Get Linux and save some Big Macs!" __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
On 10/18/07, Leo Mauler <webgiant@yahoo.com> wrote:
much anymore, whereas the McDonald's Gift Certificate is backed up by the Big Mac Standard.
Whenever I travel to a different country I use the "Beer Index" to tell how far my US$ will go. :) ________________________________ From: kclug-bounces@kclug.org [mailto:kclug-bounces@kclug.org] On Behalf Of David Nicol Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:55 PM To: Leo Mauler Cc: kclug@kclug.org Subject: SPAM (Subject line)Re: Novell coupons and McDonald's gift certificates On 10/18/07, Leo Mauler <webgiant@yahoo.com> wrote: much anymore, whereas the McDonald's Gift Certificate is backed up by the Big Mac Standard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac_Index
Wow, here I was thinking I had made up the concept of basing a currency system on the value of a Big Mac. Of course, the difference between the Big Mac Index and the Beer Index is that, metaphorically speaking, you can fairly easily print your own beer. --- Phil Thayer <phil.thayer@vitalsite.com> wrote:
Whenever I travel to a different country I use the "Beer Index" to tell how far my US$ will go. :) ________________________________
From: kclug-bounces@kclug.org [mailto:kclug-bounces@kclug.org] On Behalf Of David Nicol Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:55 PM To: Leo Mauler Cc: kclug@kclug.org Subject: SPAM (Subject line)Re: Novell coupons and McDonald's gift certificates
On 10/18/07, Leo Mauler <webgiant@yahoo.com> wrote:
much anymore, whereas the McDonald's Gift Certificate is backed up by the Big Mac Standard.
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
And with the Beer Index you take kill two birds with one stone. 1. You are much more relaxed while traveling to another country. 2. NEVER, EVER, Drink the water in another country...Drink Beer. As for the Big Mac index, I don't eat those here much less in other countries.
-----Original Message----- From: kclug-bounces@kclug.org [mailto:kclug-bounces@kclug.org] On Behalf Of Leo Mauler Sent: Friday, October 19, 2007 1:49 AM To: kclug@kclug.org Subject: RE: SPAM (Subject line)Re: Novell coupons and McDonald's giftcertificates
Wow, here I was thinking I had made up the concept of basing a currency system on the value of a Big Mac.
Of course, the difference between the Big Mac Index and the Beer Index is that, metaphorically speaking, you can fairly easily print your own beer.
--- Phil Thayer <phil.thayer@vitalsite.com> wrote:
Whenever I travel to a different country I use the "Beer Index" to tell how far my US$ will go. :) ________________________________
From: kclug-bounces@kclug.org [mailto:kclug-bounces@kclug.org] On Behalf Of David Nicol Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:55 PM To: Leo Mauler Cc: kclug@kclug.org Subject: SPAM (Subject line)Re: Novell coupons and McDonald's gift certificates
On 10/18/07, Leo Mauler <webgiant@yahoo.com> wrote:
much anymore, whereas the McDonald's Gift Certificate is backed up by the Big Mac Standard.
__________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Kclug mailing list Kclug@kclug.org http://kclug.org/mailman/listinfo/kclug
participants (5)
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David Nicol -
Jack -
Leo Mauler -
Monty J. Harder -
Phil Thayer