Raise your hand if you've ever used a credit card. Now, raise your hand if you love Linux. There must be octopi in the audience, because that's a lot of hands. For those who were waving wildly on both counts, the good news out of the Linux Foundation today is that now you can take your favorite penguin along every time you feel the need to shout "Charge it!"

If you've ever felt that there aren't enough ways for you to declare your geekiness while buying geeky goodies, fear no more. The Linux Foundation announced this morning that the creditworthy among us can now carry Tux wherever they go with a shiny new Tux-branded Visa card. CardPartner, Inc. and UMB Bank are teaming up with the Foundation to offer the chilly charge card, which will, like most modern cards, include a bonus point rewards system.

Card features, in addition to the obligatory no annual fee and 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first six months, will include:

• Purchase protection
• Zero liability protection for unauthorized purchases
• Emergency cash and card replacement
• Lost/stolen card reporting service
• 24-hour roadside assistance
• Warranty manager service
• Lost luggage replacement

The best feature of the card however, is that it won't just be bearing a cute picture of your favorite flightless fowl. The Tux Card will actually be making a difference for the Open Source community, both by raising awareness and perhaps more importantly, by earning the Linux Foundation $50 for every activated card and a percentage of every purchase. The Foundation plans to put the proceeds towards technical events for the community and to provide travel grants for community members to "accelerate Linux innovation."

For the moment, the card is only available in the United States, but the Linux Foundation already has plans to expand it in the near future. Noting that the move was in response to suggestions by Linux enthusiasts, LF Executive Director Jim Zemlin called the card "an easy way for anyone to contribute to the growth of Linux and identify themselves as supporters of the community by carrying Tux in their pocket."

More information on the card is available from the Linux Foundation webiste, while those who already know they want it can get busy signing up on CardPartner's site.

Now finally, with the Tux Card in your pocket, the next time the significant other is on about buying more geekgalia, you can confidently say it's not an impulse purchase, it's about making the world a better place.