[omaha] GnuCash and others

[Jeff Hinrichs - DM&T]

Of the main 3, gnuCash, KMyMoney2 and MoneyDance only MoneyDance has
real python support.  However it is not scriptable, reportable from
outside of MoneyDance.  Your scripts run under the auspices of
MoneyDance - fire up MD and run your python macro.  MD also costs
$,not much but still.

KMyMoney2 is a decent, "where's my money" app -- every bit as good as
MSMoney or Quicken in terms of data entry.  However, gnuCash is more
established and is a solid double entry accounting system.

After trying out all 3 I decided to go with gnuCash and it has been
acceptable to a point.  To clarify, gnuCash is solid and a decent
replacement for quick or money but it has a few blemishes in my
estimation.  1) It is written in C++/Guile/Scheme - fine, great
whatever works for you. but it makes it decidedly slow in getting
additional contributors.  Take the number of people who know guile or
want to learn it for this one reason and then subtract those not
interested in contributing to an accounting program and you are left
with a very small number.  Very bright, very intelligent but a very
small number of developers.
2) They fix bugs as they are encounted -- but unless you are up to
recompiling the whole shebang you are stuck with the packages your
dist is supplying.
3)  Documentation for extending or adding reports is non-existent --
they point you to a couple of example reports but that is not much
help.  Even if you were a Guile pro it wouldn't help because there
isn't any docs on what is available to the reporting engine.

Now it sounds like I'm really down on gnuCash -- and I'll admit I've
just slapped it around quite a bit  but compared to the other apps
available, both closed and open -- gnuCash is the reigning champion.
They do lots of things right -- there is a lot of experience with it
and a pretty active user mail list.

I use gnuCash for my personal accounting.


On 1/22/08, Chad Homan <choman at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey all, last python meeting (or two ago) there was a tangent discussion on
> gnuCash.  Here is
> an article form CPU Mag on that same topic.
>
> http://www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2farchive%2fc0803%2f40c03%2f40c03.asp&guid=3084CA441C0F44939952641F05F35ABA
>
> TinyUrl: *http://tinyurl.com/2eujpp
>
> *I am a bigger fan of url(x) but it seems shutdown at the moment.
>
> Jeff I definitely would like to hear you two cents on these projects from
> the article
>
> --
> Chad
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> Omaha at python.org
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>


-- 
Jeff Hinrichs
Dundee Media & Technology, Inc
jeffh at dundeemt.com
402.218.1473