This is part of The Pile, a partial archive of some open source mailing lists and newsgroups.
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:37:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Deirdre Saoirse <deirdre@deirdre.net>
To: Nate Campi <nate@ceconsulting.com>
Subject: Re: [svlug] linux home buisness sofware
On Tue, 21 Nov 2000, Nate Campi wrote:
> > I wouldn't consider either Quicken or MYOB suitable for running a
> > business. Those are personal-finance packages.
>
> Rick, I've seen versions that cater to small business needs, I don't
> know if these are the ones you're talking about or not. Is it?
::sigh:: people who aren't accountants shouldn't ask these questions. If
you need an audit trail, no, they're not. If you're amusing yourself,
then the business versions (MYOB and QuickBooksPro) are suitable.
If you pay an accountant to hand-check every item and provide audited
financials, sure, go for MYOB or QBP. If you want to do that in-house, you
need a real accounting system.
ObDisclaimer: my mother is a consultant for Intuit.
> Anyways, I just wanted to be able to run my business software on my
> laptop, which only runs Linux (and just back it up regularly). If this
> isn't possible, no big deal.
There's nothing out there suitable atm.
--
_Deirdre * http://www.sfknit.org * http://www.deirdre.net
"You had thesaurus flakes for breakfast again, didn't you?"
-- Eric Williams
===
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:42:12 -0800 (PST)
From: Deirdre Saoirse <deirdre@deirdre.net>
To: Don Marti <dmarti@zgp.org>
Subject: Re: [svlug] linux home buisness sofware
On Tue, 21 Nov 2000, Don Marti wrote:
> A computer store is the _last_ place you should be picking out
> accounting software. Ask your accountant, and use something he or she
> knows and likes.
What Don said. If you don't have an accountant, at least do yourself a
favor and take first year accounting so you understand the fundamentals of
the problems.
> If you _are_ an accountant, check out the Netledger trial program.
> I've seen small businesses struggle with PC-based accounting software,
> and it's pretty icky. And expensive.
It ALL sucks.
This is why I used to make money implementing custom accounting crap. I
gave it up for lent many years ago.
===
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 19:27:34 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve M Bibayoff <smb23@csufresno.edu>
To: svlug@svlug.org
Subject: Re: [svlug] linux home business sofware
I just had the (mis-:) )pleasure of spending a week with a couple of the
GNU Enterprise peole at Comdex last week. Unfournatley, it seems to be
still very alpha, but they say people are still requesting it to implement
because there is nothing out there like it yet.
Unfortunaly, the web site does not explain what it does too much. But in a
nutshell, (quoting from litature haddend out at show) "It will consist of
tools to quickly build business applications"
Don't know if this helps or not. Web site:
http://gnue.org/index.cgi/
http://www.gnu.org/projects/gnue/gnue.html
===
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 10:26:48 -0800
From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
To: svlug@svlug.org
Subject: Re: [svlug] linux home buisness sofware
begin Don Marti quotation:
> How about NetLedger?
Depending on pricing, probably pretty good. It definitely appears to
have the feature set necessary.
===
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 12:14:58 -0800
To: svlug@svlug.org
Subject: Re: [svlug] linux home buisness sofware
From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
begin Nate Campi quotation:
> Rick, I've seen versions that cater to small business needs....
Yeah, right.
To repeat: I wouldn't consider either Quicken or MYOB suitable for
running a business. I don't care what their sales departments say,
those are glorified electronic checkbooks. If you are running a
business, you need A/R, A/P, general ledger, and so on.
I take it that you don't agree. Fine: Be happy with your Quicken[1],
your winmodems, your minitowers, and your IDE drives. I just would
rather not hear about it, OK?
> Anyways, I just wanted to be able to run my business software on my
> laptop....
So, what do _you_ mean when you say "my business software", pray tell?
[1] But you'd be well advised o discuss this software fetish with your
accountant.
===
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 12:17:36 -0800
To: svlug@svlug.org
Subject: Re: [svlug] linux home buisness sofware
From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
begin John de la Garza quotation:
> where did you hear that quicken is going to port to linux?
{snore}
> There is nothing even close to quicken in unix currently...gnucash
> doesn't come close...
Let's see:
> X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook CWS, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2911.0)
Yep!
GNUcash, Moneydance....
None suitable for running a business, however.
===
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 13:02:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Rafael <raffi@linwin.com>
To: Nate Campi <nate@ceconsulting.com>
Subject: Re: [svlug] linux home business sofware
On Mon, 20 Nov 2000, Nate Campi wrote:
> I hope this question isn't too general, but I'm looking for software to
> manage a small business, and I'd like to run them under Linux.
>
> I've noticed that a lot of people run Windows sofware like Quicken to
> manage things like invoices, banking, profit and loss statements, and the
> like.
>
> I don't need fancy features like integrated online banking or anything,
> just the basics. Does anyone on the list manage a business with Linux?
>
> TIA,
>
> Nate
>
Not being an office software nut; more interested in embedded systems,
(having burned fingers with soldering iron every once in a while) and
such, I have a hard time to understand people saying they have to use
"most popular OS" to run business.
People who are serious about Linux and have questions about it should
invest a tiny bit of money and time into it. First there is a wast amount
of info on the net. Search engines all over can bring you more than what
you want to know.
Second, there are magazines like Linux Journal on magazine racks in most
bookstores around the country. Why not pickup and check it out? You
probably wasted money on much less usefull ones?
http://www.linuxjournal.com
http://noframes.linuxjournal.com/advertising/Press/playoffs.html
I subscribe to it since issue #3. Support their business, they give me
info I need to "fight for Linux" and they get advertizers. Not to mention
their special issue each year which brings pages and pages of information
about compaines and their products more or less specific to Linux and
other Unix variants. Of course the easiest part is to go to the store and
be lazy together with the sales person and pickup a product that build a
monopoly.
Third, tell the companies who write software for one platform only that
you can't buy their product because it doesn't run on Linux, the OS of
your choice. I sent out many emails for that reason. Some respond
favourably, others are ignorant.
It's hard for people to show that their product is better or at least as
good as what's out there if we are not willing to test it. Here is one
possible answer to the original question:
http://www.appgen.com/html/bag_linux.html
"Appgen PowerWindows general business and accounting applications are
Linux-native, and have been since 1997. These are the first, and only,
Linux accounting applications to be IBM Netfinity ServerProven, and
PowerWindows was awarded the "Best Office Solution" by the Editors of
Linux Journal in the Penguin Playoffs at Comdex/Linux Business Expo in
Fall 1999."
Another of their products:
"Moneydance was written in Java to facilitate its use on any operating
system. Furthermore, the object-oriented nature of Java enables the
creation of a robust software package. Moneydance was developed on Linux
and tested on FreeBSD, Solaris, HP-UX, Digital Unix, Macintosh (using MRJ
2.14), OS/2, NT and Windows 95/98."
I know, some of you don't like Java, but the application runs on different
platforms, so don't say it can't be done.
I do not work for them, never had a need for their product, they never
bought me a beer or bribed me to say anything good about them, but do wish
them well.
I explained to people in many different offices that you can conduct a
business without depending on Word or Excel or PPoint. You might need to
do it a bit differently but you can do it. I have yet to see one office
where they would use a spreadsheet so complicated that StarOffice couldn't
handle it! Show me one example and I buy you a beer till you drop!
Remember that people were running business using Apple IIs, S-100 bus
based systems and such, all on hard to transfer data formats 20 years ago.
Yes, computer users in those days used brains to find the way around
hardware limitations we don't have to deal with today. Not that I'm happy
with the generic PC hardware [1] these days, but it's not as limited as
Apple II for example.
It's a SHAME folks that just because something doesn't have a look and
feel of windoze people think it can't be done. That's a fallacy MS is
spreading around and beating into heads of no thinkers who's only
purpose in life is to breathe. Quicken folks are spreading the same
perception about their product. You can't run a business unless you have
their software on Windoze. Yeah right! Their folks are too lazy to support
more than one platform (until proven otherwise), that's it.
[1] I wanted to buy another LS-120 floppy drive over the weekend at
Central Computer in San Jose. They sell floppies for it but not the
drives. They claim "nobody's buying it" yet they sell 1.44MB drives like
toilet paper.
Since LS-120 is capable of reading old floppies I see no reason not to
include it with every new computer box. There are a few exceptions because
of ATA bus limitations but most people don't have that problem. Most of
new PC boxes including laptops I see in stores come with old model floppy
drives. I wonder who are the marketing morons pushing over 10 years old
technology? It makes me think that somebody doesn't want us to have tools
and removable computer media to cary much data around.
Was I too hard on you? Tough. Penguin's life isn't easy.
===
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 13:37:14 -0800
To: svlug@svlug.org
Subject: Re: [svlug] linux home buisness sofware
From: Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com>
begin Don Marti Uses GIFs on the Sly quotation:
> A computer store is the _last_ place you should be picking out
> accounting software. Ask your accountant, and use something he or she
> knows and likes.
Or at least, if you feel like trying something that looks good on Linux
(such as Infoflex's AccountFlex), run its specifications by your CPA to
make sure he approves. Most professional accountants will know _in
advance_ only a small number of programs.
> If you _are_ an accountant, check out the Netledger trial program.
> I've seen small businesses struggle with PC-based accounting software,
> and it's pretty icky. And expensive.
Contrary to the impression created by advertising and glossy print on
boxes in Fry's Electronics, PC-based accounting software does _not_ tend
to be MS-Windows-based: They tend to be MS-DOS executables. As such,
they can be run on Linux under DOSemu, if so desired. (Personal finance
programs such as Quicken are best reached via VNC from your Linux
desktop. On laptops, you'd have to use VMware and the like.)
I used to have some professional accounting write-up software called
Acculedger -- and recently (finally) threw it out. Ran just fine under
DOSemu.
===