Free Software Accountant

[eric©]

Seems to me that this isn't anything new....we've been dealing with
issues like this with free software for years. I've always felt that
it was my responsibility to determine suitability of any software for
my uses (free software or not), including thinking about future use
including compatibility issues.  In the case of anything I  use for my
business, I'm going to be inspecting it with a fine tooth comb before
I rely on it.  This is the reason I use Quicken/Quickbooks instead of
software like GNUcash, for now.  While I realize Peachtree is
considered more of the "standard", that's way more than I really need
now.

While I'm all for free software as well, I don't believe it's the end
all, be all of software.  Just like choosing to run Windows over Linux
(or any other OS), I believe it's nothing more than a tool.  Some
tools work better for some jobs than others.  When I'm loading up
games, I'd rather give some money to the evil empire for Windows,
rather than deal with the hassle of trying to force them to work under
other OS'es.

eric

On 8/29/07, Matt Graham <danceswithcrows at usa.net> wrote:
> After a long battle with technology, Bryan O'Neal wrote:
> > GNUCash does not export to CSV?!?!  CSV is the common denominator in the
> > accounting world and can be formatted to be imported into just about any
> > other app.
>
> GNUcash's native data format is a semi-complex XML structure.  While it would
> be possible to convert most of that into CSV, you'd lose some data or make
> some data incomprehensible[0].  Y'know, things like currency units, GUIDs,
> and split transactions might get garbled.  I think that may be why they don't
> have it available by default.  That or they couldn't find out a way to do it
> that wouldn't upset somebody.  (Or the code's so hairy that nobody wants to
> work on it.  I've been using GNUcash since mid-2000, and though it does what
> I need it to do, its list of dependencies is scary.)
>
> [0] OK, "more incomprehensible than it is already".
>
> --
>   One OS to rule them all, with DRM to find them
>   One OS to bring them all and with the EULA bind them
>   In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
> There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see
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