[mdlug] Open Source accounting software

[Stan Green]

OK since you ask, SAP on Linux does a great job for accounting. 

However is like asking what is the best car. (Chevy Camaro, of course.) Everyone 
has different requirements and taste. The first thing your friend needs to do 
is define what he wants an accounting package to do. Then take that data and 
look for a package to solve the problem. Picking a software package without a 
good understanding of the problem is like buying a car because someone else 
likes their's! Maybe their requirements are simple and something like GNUCash 
would work, or maybe the requirements are complex, like inventory and 
depreciation, so they need something more powerfull. You will not know until 
you get the requirements.

On a side note, if they are starting a business and know nothing about 
accounting, this is a big red flag. There is a reason people have to go to 
college to become an accountant. As a business owner, I would recommend they 
find a good accounting firm to guide them through the first few years. This 
would allow them to focus on the business rather on making sure they are 
following Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures (GAAP). Once they have a 
good understanding of the type of accounting they need then they can start 
looking to take on the work themselves. 


On Monday 01 February 2010 11:33:45 pm Robert Citek wrote:
> On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 11:18 PM, Peter Bart <petertheplumber at att.net> wrote:
> > On Mon, 2010-02-01 at 21:59 -0600, Bob Dion wrote:
> >> There's more to filling out a 1040 then adding and subtracting. It's
> >> understanding tax law. and what if any credits and deductions you are
> >> entitled to.
> >
> > And that's why I have someone do mine. For the same reason I have
> > someone fix my car, my appliances, etc.
>
> I lost track of where the topic changed, but my original question was
> about accounting software not tax software.  One would use the
> accounting software to help manage one's finances.  At the end of the
> year, that software should also present the data to you in an
> organized way for doing taxes, either for doing them yourself or for
> having done by a tax professional.
>
> To repost the last incarnation of the question: if a non-techie friend
> was starting a small business and asked me what kind of accounting
> software they should use under Linux, what should I recommend?
>
> (yes, it's different from my original question, but closer to what I
> meant to ask.)
>
> Regards,
> - Robert
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