OSS Accounting Advice

[Kevin Fries]

On 02/02/2011 02:01 PM, Nathan England wrote:
> Hello Hello!
>
> I am in need of some advice. I need some OSS accounting software that 
> is compatible with what an accountant would use. Now, I don't have an 
> accountant yet, so I don't know what that person will be using, but I 
> will assume it will likely be quickbooks or peachtree. With that in 
> mind, do any of you use such a program? Or make recomendations? I know 
> about GnuCash, and I will likely have to learn double-entry 
> accounting, or what ever it is called, which so far has not made any 
> sense to me. I understand the concept, but as for getting it into 
> GnuCash, it has not worked for me.
>
> I plan to look into MoneyDance, it is pretty and my wife likes it, but 
> I am not real familiar with it either. Advice?
>
> Thank you!

I have looked in the past and have never found anything fully compatible 
with either QuickBooks or PeachTree.  They are both very proprietary, 
and designed to maximize vendor lock-in.  OSS solutions just are not 
much better.  Its almost as if the accounting software industry only 
understands the concept of preventing your users from leaving, rather 
than giving them a reason to stay.

All of that being said...

I like MoneyDance and have used it as a Quicken replacement.  It does a 
very credible job.  But it is not free, is not open, and does not really 
qualify as OSS.  But all that aside, I like it, and have used it.

GnuCash is a fine product with an awful interface.  Horrendous would be 
a better description.  It has all the user friendliness of a rattlesnake 
without all the charm.  But... it is very compliant to accounting 
standards.  It is pretty limited though, you will never be able to do 
proper invoices, and AP/AR is possible, but very, very ugly.  Unless you 
have an accounting degree, and are extremely cheap, there are better 
alternatives out there.

There are two accounting packages that I like allot that you may want to 
look into...

The first is called Quasar.  This product is also not OSS as source is 
not available.  But it is free of charge unless you require support or a 
retail (cash register) module.  It also follows proper accounting 
principles, and is very strict in those areas.  But this product is akin 
to Peach Tree or MAS 90.  It uses a Postgress database for its back 
end.  Before using this for a business I had once, I showed it to my 
accountant, and he flipped.  There is no Windows or Mac versions, so 
this program gets no respect, but I think its definitely the best 
product to run a small to medium sized business on.  Details at 
http://www.linuxcanada.com/

Quasar is good, and very user friendly, but sometimes you want something 
that is more than just an accounting system.  Business are all about 
customer relationships and vendor relationships.  Customer relationships 
are generally handled though a software package generally known as CRM, 
Customer Relationship Management, software.  Vendor relationships are 
generally handled via ERP, Enterprise Resource Planning, software.  A 
product called Compiere brings all three together in a open platform.  
So, your accounting package contains an inventory.  A customer calls to 
buy some products and you would use CRM to manage the sale.  With 
Compiere, it will automatically decrement inventory.  But now Inventory 
is low and you need to restock the shelves.  This is where the ERP comes 
in, and you order new product.  The sale via CRM creates a Accounts 
Receivable, and the purchase via ERP creates an Account Payable.  By 
integrating all three into one, you can handle a fairly complex business 
configuration.  You can find more about Compiere at http://www.compiere.com/

You did not specify what your business was, so it is difficult to make a 
good recommendation.  If your account will not work with your internal 
systems, its time to find a new accountant.

I hope my ramblings make some sense to you.

Kevin Fries
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