Linux Email and financial apps [Was RE: [Learn-chat] XP vs. Linux]

[Brian Densmore]

Well, I see I need to explain myself better. 

1) I use Linux, almost exclusively at home. In the past 3 years, I have
used Windoze once - to create business cards with the print going in
landscape mode (because I couldn't figure it out quick enough to do it
in Linux - I now have some things to try out thanks to this list).

2) My friend recently asked me to fix his computer. He is totally PC
illiterate. He has his company's financials on this box in QuickBooks
Pro 2001. He had corrupted files, cross-linked files , and two very
nasty viruses that were deleting and corrupting many of his windoze
system files.

3) He needed a solution and fast. He doesn't know anything about
QuickBooks, or Linux. His wife ran the books and the PC. She recently
passed away very suddenly (we will all miss her very much) Using LaTeX
isn't an option for him. I don't even know how to LaTeX, I'll grant it
appears to be a powerful tool, but I don't really have the time right
now to learn it.

4) Had I known that MyBooks was out at the time, I would have pulled it
down and tried to import his books, and given him a Linux machine. I
told him about Linux; I may even build him a Linux Firewall out of an
old PC I have laying around.

5) This work is all done without fee. Although he did give me a really
nice gift, I never asked for anything.

6) If M$ goes out of business, it will have no effect on me, my Linux
home network, my Linux internet web server, or my Linux internet
mailserver.

In reference to Jonathon's comments:
7) My friend doesn't have pirated software, and I'm not sure why he
thinks I am advocating DOS, pirating, Winblows, or why I should dump my
friends if they don't comply with switching over to Linux. Or maybe
Jonathon thinks I am doing consulting work, and have clients who are
only willing to pay bottom dollar for everything? No in my real job I
get paid to work in Windoze (and port Unisys mainframes to
Windoze/Unix). I may even get a chance to do some Delphi again soon.

8) I'm not sure how my bringing up the point that there seems (key word
here) to be a lack of complete solutions for Linux makes me head for the
bottom.

9) I would be more than happy to replace everyone's M$ proprietary
software with Linux. If we are to be successful in selling Linux to the
masses, we must be able to supply realistic solutions. Trying to take a
personal finance package and make it do business finance, and then
telling the user that the now need to do "this, that, and the other
thing" to make/save and print invoices, just isn't realistic. Neither is
telling a user, sorry we can't import all your data, you'll just have to
key it all in again. Oh you don't have any paper copy, well too bad pal.

Sorry for the length of this rant,
Brian

and what is this kplug-list all about?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael [mailto:mogmios at mlug.missouri.edu]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 5:34 AM
> To: kplug-list at kernel-panic.org
> Cc: Brian Densmore
> Subject: Re: Linux Email and financial apps [Was RE: 
> [Learn-chat] XP vs.
> Linux]
> 
> 
> > > >...I didn't have a commercial quality financial package to 
> > > > install on his
> > > > > box to convert his QuickBooks Pro files to. Until Linux has 
> > > > a complete
> > > > > solution it will never make it to the desktop. Many small 
> > > > businesses run
> > > > > their books on the "server" (aka glorified workstation). 
> 
> Quickbooks isn't that old a program. Windows wasn't a real 
> desktop until
> someone made Quickbooks?
> 
> > > > How about GNU Cash?
> > > That's for personal expenses. I'm talking Double-entry 
> book-keeping,
> > > with all the bells and whistles for inventory control, A/R, A/P,
> > > invoicing, and billing. Now there are some business 
> financial programs
> > > out there, like SQL-Ledger, but none that'll import 
> QuickBooks formats
> > > that I know of.
> 
> If I remember right GNU Cash is double-entry. It doesn't do inventory
> control that I can remember but I have no idea why you'd want 
> inventory in
> the same program you do your finances with. Any invoicing and billing
> options should be easy to add if they don't already exist or you could
> just dump the data and process it through LaTeX for some killer fine
> invoices and stuff. Is QuickBooks an open format? If not then bitch at
> them. That's like all the people bitching cus their Linux 
> wordprocessor
> can't inport/export M$Office formats perfectly. If the 
> formats were open
> we would. If you had the brains not to lock your important data up in
> formats you don't have the right to access yourself then it 
> wouldn't be a
> problem for you now. I for one have no idea why any business 
> would want to
> do so. Even a company like Microsoft can go out of business 
> and then you'd
> be screwed royally.
>